Domestic Violence

“Has he ever trapped you in a room and not let you out?Has he ever raised a fist as if he were going to hit you?Has he ever thrown an object that hit you or nearly did?Has he ever held you down or grabbed you to restrain you?Has he ever shoved, poked, or grabbed you?Has he ever threatened to hurt you?If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then we can stop wondering whether he’ll ever be violent; he already has been.”

― Lundy Bancroft

Does this poem sound familiar to you? Have you ever seen anyone acting like "he" in the poem? Have YOU ever acted like "he" in the poem?

Domestic violence has been serious problem for a long time. According to United States Department of Justice, domestic violence is "a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner." In simpler words, it is domestic violence when you see a family member harming another family member. Domestic violence can be either physical, sexual, economic, emotional, or psychological. 

What are effects of domestic violence? I don't know... What happen to your body when I hit you? Scratch, bruise, cut? What happen to your mind when I threaten you? Fear, depression? The effects of domestic violence are far beyond obvious! 

So why, why would a husband want to hurt his wife? Why would a parent want to hurt his/her own child? There are many factors. Internal factors include but do not limit to anger, low esteem, jealousy, and eagerness to control. External factors include but do not limit to stress, economic difficulty, illnesses.

How can YOU solve this problem? 

If you are the violent one, well, your only job is getting your **** together.

Unfortunately, it is not that simple if you are the victim. Since domestic violence occurs within a family, it is a sensitive topic to talk about. However, for your one good, you need to reach out for help, call authorized people and report your problems.

If you belong to lucky part of the world who don't have to deal with domestic violence directly, you should protect the victim, and organize a good community to prevent domestic violence in the first place.

“Never let a man put his hands on you without your permission.” 

― Melda Beaty 

Orphanage Visit

It's a blessing to be able to help others. We, the members of 21 Issues Class, fortunately had that blessing. On Saturday, the eighth day of February, we visited 2 orphanages and 3 old people's home.
Of course, nothing can be done without preparation. Getting the donation is an first essential step. The process started at the beginning of term 2, which was about November. We had small calls instead of one big call. Firstly, we called for money donation competition between houses. The rule was donating for the LOSING house. So, with the aggressive competitive nature, members of houses donated a lot to the house they hated. It was a slightly evil plan, but for greater purposes. The second call was for food, for example, canned food.
After getting donation, we needed to contact the local organization. We contacted some places and asked for some helps (especially from Ms. Van Anh). Finally, we ended up with a list of 5 places.
8:00 AM, Saturday, 8 February 2015, I arrived at school. Mr. and Mrs. Swanson had already been there with some students. We started loading food on the waiting school bus. I hated morning hard work, but it was for greater purposes.
We drove to the first Orphanage on Hai Ba Trung Street - Thao Dan Orphanage. The kids were really friendly. They were probably used to visits like this. We sang, danced, and played games. In the second orphanage, we had a chance to see the kids' sleeping place. The twisting stair leading to sleeping place had very high steps. I wondered how little kids could use it. Probably they had to. There were hard metal beds with only wooden mats covering and some pillows. The kids had to get used to that harsh conditions, too. I felt lucky...
We then visited one old women's house, if her house can be classified as "a house". There was no door or wall. Sticks were held to stand the tole cover. I couldn't fit the "house": it was about 1m50 high. There was a small TV, and some fundamental pieces of equipment.
Then we visited other houses, but I didn't went inside because the houses were too small. It wasn't necessary, either.
After the visit, something inside me changed, something small and subtle. Without know what it is, I know it was there...

Energy and Environment

Twenty-first century is the era of energy wars. People are fighting for energy supplies. Oil and natural gas are top concerns, origins of many human conflicts. However, energy create not only conflicts, but also environmental problems. We are fighting to get things that give us instant wealth and gradual death. 

Oil and natural gas are classified as nonrenewable energy resources. These are widely exploited and used because they are CHEAP and ACCESSIBLE. However, the name explains itself: nonrenewable energy resources cannot be replaced, therefore have limited amounts. For example, remaining oil can be used in 50 years, and natural gas can last only for 75 years. Someday, when nonrenewable energy resources are deplete, we may die in the darkness. Moreover, the use of nonrenewable energy releases harmful atmospheric pollutants (greenhouse gas) and dangerous chemicals (nuclear power byproducts) to environment. Nonrenewable energy resources are both life-saving and life-stealing. 

So, is there a better alternative? 

Renewable energy resources are resources that can replenish quickly and be able to used again. Some common ones are sunlight, wind, and hydroelectic power. Sun gives us energy as light. Eventually, sun will burn out, but it will take about 6 billion years (UniverseToday), a very long time. Wind is used as a source of kinetic energy to turn the turbines, produce electricity. Hydroelectic power dam uses the same princible. Thesefriendly resources seem to be the permenant for both energy wars and environmentals problems. However, these resources have one disadvantage. Although most of them are free, building infrastructure to use them COST A LOT. Buying a solar panel system is quite expensive to some people. Although they will save money in the future, not many people can afford such a huge amount of money at one time. Building wind turbines and hydroeletic dam is expensive. Therefore, these resources are not widely in use.

If we cannot afford the infrastucture for renewable energy, how can we save nonrenewable energy until we find a better solution? Here are some simple tips:

- Unplug seldom-used appliances.

- Turn off computer instead of sleep if possible.

- Turn off light when going out.

- Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs.