Story on racism and sports

Monday, 26 March, 2001, 14:28 GMT 15:28 UK

Racism hits SAFA World Cup tie

Soccer City will now host South Africa v Zimbabwe

The segregation of South Africa's apartheid past has reappeared in Cape Town where municipal officials are preventing football from being played in an expensive white residential area.

Cape Town City Council is requiring that a special permit be obtained before any football matches are allowed at the Newlands rugby and cricket stadiums which lie adjacent to each other and are the biggest sporting venues in the city.

This has led to the South African Football Association withdrawing its plan to host a World Cup qualifier in Cape Town.

South Africa's crucial qualifier against Zimbabwe was due to be held at Newlands rugby stadium on May 5 but SAFA said it would now be played at Johannesburg's Soccer City venue because of the racist attitude of Cape Town's municipality.

The council in Cape Town is controlled by the opposition Democratic Alliance, who recently refused to allow Premier League club Santos to play its matches at the cricket venue.

Special permit

Under pressure from the local ratepayers' association, who fear the influx of majority black crowds into the leafy suburb, the council has invoked an old apartheid-era ordinance that requires a special permit for soccer matches to be staged at the two venues.

South Africa have won all three games so far, including this success over Burkina Faso

Ironically, another Premier League club Ajax Cape Town have been playing at Newlands rugby stadium all season but now have to apply for the same permit.

SAFA decided to move the World Cup match at their meeting in Port Elizabeth over the weekend.

"This is very sad that so many years after the end of apartheid we still come up against these attitudes," said SAFA chief executive officer Danny Jordaan.

A SAFA statement added: "We note with extreme concern the hard-line attitude of the city officials in Cape Town.

"These attitudes hark back to the days when council in other major cities across the country refused to allow soccer to be played in their stadiums, simply because it was seen as a black sports and most of the spectators were black.

Residents' complaints

"We will not be forced to seek a permit to play football in the way people had to carry permits and identity papers under the old apartheid regime."

We will not be forced to seek a permit to play football in the way people had to carry permits and identity papers under the old apartheid regime

SAFA statement

Professional soccer in South Africa suffered several similar incidents during the country's apartheid era, which ended almost a decade again now.

The capital Pretoria banned a white-owned club, Arcadia, from playing at their home ground in the city centre because of complaints from residents about rowdy black spectators.

The team, ironically, were forced to move their home ground to a black township on the outskirts of the city.

In Johannesburg, city officials banned professional football, which had been mixed since 1978, from the showpiece Rand Stadium because of complaints from white residents.

The stadium boasted among the best facilities in the country but for years only staged amateur football games.

May 27 Assignment

1. One of the statistics that impressed me was the mean family income for Asians; the highes one of all categories. I was curious and did some reasearch on my own and found out the Asians were the race that adapted quickest to the American culture. They explain as well that the high numbers are due to the fact that in Asian families, 5 to 6 members are working and that will explain the increased mean income of the family. Another statistic that shocked me was the percentage of highschool graduates of the Hispanics (46%) and of the Asians compared to the white population (86%; 89%). Also, the number of Asians with college degrees is higher than that of white people (49%; 30%). I think that the statistics are hgiher for the Asian pupulation due to the Simpson's Paradox. The fact that there are significantly more whites that Asians it is understandable if the percentages are lower. If the actual number of people were given, the discrepancies would be more relevant. I believe that for the rest of the statistics, those that include bank loans, owning a home, being stopped by the police, they are haphazardous. A controlled experiment would need to be carried out to obtain conclusive evidence. I also read about how black children have a higher probability of drowning when in pools or beahces due to the racial divide in the sport. It is said that when blacks arrived from Africa to America, they were not allowed to swim (for they thought that was a method of escape) and thus generations of black did not know how to swim. As America became more integrated public pools (that at the time only accepted whites) closed instead of accpeting blacks in.
2. There are some theories that athletes, with specific origins, have a predetemriend ability to to better at that particular sport. Some have been proven wrong and some right. For instance, the fact that mostly Kenyans and people of West African descent win races in the Olympics is because it has been shown they have fast-twitching muscles that allow them to run faster. This is opposed to the theory that black people can't swim because they are less buoyant. Most black people have a hard time swimming due to the racial divide on the sport. They also refer to the environment and sports. They give the examples of hispanics and hot weather. It is said that becaus they live in tropical weathers they have a greater resistance to heat and thus explains their great performance in baseball. That statement is false. They also say that white people are better at sports in the snow because they are better suited to this environment; the statement is partly true but not becaus ethey endure the cold necessarily, but because of their wealth, knowledge of the geography of the location and antional interest.
3. To prejudge someone is to basically speculate on the person's intentions, personality, culture, origin, religion, etc. based on your first impression of his/her physical characteristics. Sometimes when you meet a new person you start formulating ideas in your head on how the person might be (personality, interests, charatcer, etc); but that is part of the human species. It has been scientifically proven that the visual first impression of something is a deciding factor in whether we like the something in question or not. Usually, when you meet someone, you judge the person by what he is wearing, his face, accessories, the way he speaks, the shape of his eyes, size of the nose, the way the ehar is arranged.
4. The story will be posted in a spearate post above.
   

Blog #2-November 14th-I believe

I Believe

I believe that the current financial crisis and the economic setback the world is suffering is the perfect opportunity to begin “de-carbonizing” the world. Experts and indeed some politicians have argued that because of the deteriorating economic circumstances fighting climate change is a luxury they cannot afford, categorizing it as a secondary political objective. In my opinion, it is a comprehensible perspective, for many heads of States are afraid that major investments might escalate the situation. But I believe this view is short-sighted; a low-carbon economy is essential to the economic recovery –especially in the long term- and not an optional bolt on.

Economists argue that in order to kick-start the economy governments across the world need to invest in major infrastructure in order to stimulate demand in the economy, increase investment and create more jobs. This presents us with the unique opportunity to start creating the low-carbon infrastructure we need, such as more renewable energy generation, better public transportation networks, improved electricity grids, and a network of pipelines to carry captured CO2 from fossil fuel plants to storage facilities.

Investing in these types of technologies, along with the implementation of measures and policies to structure financial and industrial markets to deliver social and environmental goods, will re-ignite the economy, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, and improve energy and climate security.

The political will has demonstrated its effectiveness when stabilizing the banking crisis. Therefore, the same political will is needed to fight the current economic setback and the environmental issues that are yet to come. Hence, international political agreement is needed on how to incur climate change beyond 2012. In fact, the world’s attention is now on the UN summit in Copenhagen in 2009, where major negotiations will take place. The price of carbon is another issue that needs to be taken into consideration. Having a global carbon market, where the price of carbon will be regulated and maintained at a significant financial value, will help drive CO2 out of the economy.

These measures do not just reduce CO2 emissions, but have immense economic benefits. By driving investment into a cleaner technology and diversifying our sources of energy, we can help reduce the price volatility of oil, and create more jobs in all sectors of the economy. These benefits would not be felt only by developed nations, but by developing nations too, who also have a lot to gain. By transitioning into a cleaner technology, expanding their research on the topic, and diversifying their sources of energy, they can attract inward investment into clean energy, and the price of energy and fuel will reduce significantly.

We live in a changing world. One that is vulnerable to everything that happens within the planet and outside. The current economic crisis in the United States affected all nations across the globe. Thousands of people lost their jobs, thousands of companies went bankrupt, and heads of states are worried that the problem might escalate. On top of that, we have the issue of global warming and that every day, the ozone layer ruptures even more. The time is now to start thinking about future generations. We need to ask ourselves if what we are doing will benefit the world on the long term or just on the short term, leaving future generations vulnerable to the unknown consequences of our acts. I believe that reducing our dependency on oil is a crucial, yet extremely difficult task that can at least be commenced by investing in “greener” technology.

Morley, Elliot. "Low-Carbon economy is not a luxury." BBC 21 Oct 2008 14 Nov 2008 .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7680624.stm

I Believe... Sustainable Development

I believe the issue of energy consumption and the increasing demand of oil throughout the world is one which requires the world's attention and every country's cooperation. The consequences are apparent, for the oil consumption is increasing at an alarming rate, as well as the energy consumption in developed countries, such as the G8 nations (US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Russia, France, the UK, and Italy) which consume 60% of the world's energy and the ciphers are expected to increase 40% by 2020.
Experts believe that the world's oil reservoir may not last more than eighty years. They have studied current oil extraction and consumption rates and have reached the conclusion that even with the intense energy saving strategies exercised by millions of people, the amount of oil and energy consumed will consistently continue to increase. Experts are also aware of the byproducts of the consumption and burning of oil: the global emission levels of CO2 are expected to increase 50% in 2020 aggravating the already established global warming.
The current consumption of oil, hence consumption of energy is one of the greatest counterexamples of sustainable development in the present. Today, the extraction rates of oil exceed the ones suggested in order for the fossil fuels to last for many years. Companies and governments are facing a reality that will affect the whole global population: the world is running out of oil sooner than expected.
There is no immediate way to replace fossil fuels. Even though renewable sources of energy exist, forecasts predict that in 2020 they will only make up 3% of the total global energy consumption.
The current world without oil cannot be even imagined for most of today's technology spins around fossil fuels. This can definitely change. Governments can start implementing policies to become more independent from oil, allowing for the expansion of research and construction of hydro electrical facilities (dams), wind farms (windmills), etc., in order to reduce the impact when oil finally expires.
In conclusion, the world is extracting vast amounts of oil leaving future generations vulnerable to any sort of consequences. Consequences that range from technological to environmental. There is no coming back from this situation, it is irreversible. It is a matter of preparing for the future, expanding research of new sources of electricity and power, and minimizing pollution in order to delay the severe repercussions of global warming (even though we are starting to encounter some). If nothing is done regarding this issue, it could lead to the extinction of the human species and many others of the planet Earth.

Class work of September 23

1. 
   
1. Both articles talk about one of the most pressing issues in the planet. The first article explains how hard it is to provide internet access to areas, such as the village of Knysna, because first, the area is so remote; it is, literally, one of the furthermost populated areas in the world; second it is too impoverished to provide internet access. The article specifies that in order to do so, they need equipment, similar to those that transmit cell phone signals, such as repeaters and immense parabolic antennae. Currently, the government is setting up all of these systems and have allowed schools, such as the Smuttsville Primary, to have internet connections and as well as public libraries so that evry person in the community has free internet connection.
   
2. The second article explains a problem present in the United Kingdom. It talks about that the UK has very specialized technology to produce faster internet connection, but the equipment to produce it is very expensive. It is possible to have this technology in urban areas because a large amount of people have and use internet so the prices of the connections remain stable. In rural areas, in the other hand, not so many people use nor want to use internet, and so using this technology for the rural regions is very expensive and would make the prices of internet very high. So now, internet prices in the rural areas are extremely high or there is no internet at all. Governments of the United Kingdom are doing what they can to try to solve the problem, and in fact, for instance, the Scottish government in partnership with the telecommunication company Thus created an initiative known as Pathfinder to allow schools and local offices to have super fast and cheap/free internet connections.
2. People who do not have internet in those neighborhoods may face many difficulties eventually. Quoting an excerpt from the first article: "They don't need to walk 1.5 km to the town in order to go on and do research work" and "It has actually opened doors to information, because we live in this global village in a sense. Knysna's become a global village because it doesn't matter where you live, you can actually have access to information. Whether you come from the rich or you come from the poor community, the facilities are the same." Internet, like the article stated opened millions of doors for people. Now in this village, children who need to do homework which requires research do not need to walk one and a half kilometers and spend maybe hours investigating to get this information. When they say it doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, everyone has access to the same information. This is an example of how internet "flattened" our world. People who do not have access to internet will fall behind and will only be limited to do several activities. When certain jobs go obsolete and some are replaced with the internet, people who do not have experience in the topic will be unemployed and unable to do many things because they will not have the necessary discipline and experience to do so.
3. Venezuela has many remote and rural areas without internet, out of the approximate 27 million people, only about 6 million use and know about the internet. Moreover, very few villages outside main cities do not even know the term internet, these villages are generally located in states such as Bolivar, Amazonas, Merida, Delta Amacuro, Nueva Estparta, etc. Right now, CONATEL, which is a government entity is trying to eliminate this so called internet divide in the rural areas. As an example, we will use village Nevados, in Merida. This village is located nearly 3000 meters above seas level and just recently (2003), radio technology was brought to the village. CONATEL has the goal of setting up 10 PC with internet access, three phone lines, one fax, one scanner and one photocopier, because right now, they only have one public phone and to get a copy, they had to go to the nearest town with donkeys , something that would take them about 4 hours. The project is thought to be finished by January of 2009. This internet access points will benefit the villagers and affect their lives because they will now be communicated with the world, even though they are not close at all.

Disruptive Technologies

Disruptive Techs Criteria

1. Meets previous needs.

2. Makes an aspect of your life easier:
a. Time saver
b. Energy saver
c. Money saver
d. Etc.

3. Leads to cleaner environment.

4. Uses fewer resources.

5. Displaces/replaces old established techs.

6. Availability
a. Mass consumption

7. Social Impact

Product to analyze: Aluminum Can

Is the aluminum can a disruptive technology?

Let us follow the criteria shown above to determine this:

1. Does it meet previous needs?

a. Before, it was very difficult to pressurize beverages and add gas to them and store these gasified drinks for an extended period of time. Although there are plastic bottles now that can be pressurized and can contain gasified beverages the aluminum can is cheaper and is easier to recycle and sterilize. Right now most companies use it for soft drinks and beers, being the most popular liquid container in the market. It does meet previous needs because before cans were invented, people used to drink gasified beverages from glass bottles and these were only accessible to specific social classes.

2. Does it make an aspect of your life easier?

a. The can is definitely a money saver, thus improving that aspect of my life. For example, I like root beer, they sell it now in both plastic bottles and cans, but the can is at least three times cheaper. I can enjoy the same amount of root beer for a cheaper price.

3. Does it lead to a cleaner environment?

a. Because cans are so easy to recycle, indigents seek for these cans in the streets and collect them, selling them later for a price. These cans are then converted into other cans or more aluminum products. Unlike plastic bottles, which are harder to recycle pollute the streets more than cans.

4. Does it use fewer resources?

a. Plastic bottles come from plastic, which comes from oil. Right now, there is enough supply of oil for eighty years maximum, showing that oil is running out. Aluminum, in the other hand, even though it is a non-renewable resource, has a greater supply therefore will last longer than oil. It takes more oil to make one bottle that aluminum to make cans.

5. Did it displace old established techs?

a. The can’s predecessor is the glass bottle. Even though the glass bottle has not gone obsolete yet, its use is very limited so we could say that it technically did not replace it but practically did.

6. Is it available? Is it consumed/used by the masses?

a. The can is a worldwide product used for every soft drink in the market. It is specially promoted with Coca Cola.

7. How did it impact society?

a. Cans revolutionized the world since their appearance in the market. Not only did they make drinks cheaper, but propelled the whole drinking industry into a new level. Level of greater demand, greater supply and happier costumers.

In conclusion, we could say the aluminum can is a disruptive technology. Taking into consideration all criteria mentioned above, a product that has practically replaced another, propelled a huge industry into success, a product that opened the doors of gasified drinks to people with limited economic resources, should be considered a disruptive technology.