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I don’t know if this is supposed to make the rest of us feel like complete imbeciles or what, but India has just come out with a $35.00 laptop. I’m calling Apple stat!

This dream project is a Linux-based touch screen device that looks to be iPad inspired without the hefty price tag. The student project turned government innovation first emerged with a composition bill of $47.00, an incredible drop from the One Laptop per Child program’s $99.00 computer system.

At first the laptop was developed for the Indian government by research teams at the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science. Now that the product is garnering so much publicity, it is already in talks with global manufacturers to begin mass production.

Once the Indian government finds a manufacturer for their product business is expected to skyrocket. The new design is just one of the latest low-cost manufacturing deals India has to offer the world. In the past few years the Indian government has released a compact Nano car for just under $3,000 U.S., a $16.00 water purifier, and a $2,000 open-heart surgery.

The most mind-blowing characteristic of the newly unveiled computer is that not only will it be profitable for investors, but it is making computer access more readily available to millions all across the globe. Falling hardware costs and intelligent design templates make such a cheap price tag a plausible idea.

The laptop doesn’t have a hard disk. Instead it uses a memory much like cell phones. The tablet design cuts hardware costs and the use of open source software adds to the savings.

The basic touch screen technology is designed with students in mind.

The project is part of an ambitious education technology initiative instated by the Indian government. They hope it brings Internet connectivity to 25,000 colleges and 504 universities so that study materials will be more accessible. The current prototype carries Web browsers, a PDF reader and video conferencing capability, along with room to add more components. It even includes a solar-powered energy saving option that is available at additional cost.

As of right now, 8,500 schools have been linked in, and nearly 500 online courses and video-based lectures have been uploaded for use on portals like YouTube. The ultimate hope is to have the product in classrooms by 2011 when the price could drop to a staggering $20. The subsequent goal is for the laptops to sell for no more than $10 each.

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Death is the inevitable end for all of us. Although we may have different views on the afterlife or if there is even a life after life, the fact of the matter is that death is something we all experience and not one of us can escape it. When children experience the loss of a loved one, their lives can be filled with challenges that make satisfaction, happiness, and understanding difficult to achieve.

Camp Erin, an organization funded by the Moyer Foundation, is the nation’s largest bereavement camp for adolescents. The camp caters to children six to 17 years old who have lost someone close to them.

The idea behind the camp is that death happens to everyone, but we all grieve differently. Camp Erin provides a caring environment, filled with activities to assist children and teens coping with loss. The camp takes place over one weekend filled with fun entertaining camp activities, indoors and outdoors. Encouraging discussion groups are also sprinkled in-between grief education and emotional support groups. Campers create a circle of trust that enables them to build their self-esteem and coping skills. All activities are sanctioned based on age-appropriate groups of children and teens to present an occasion for peers to meet with others who have had comparable feelings and experiences. Recreational activities allow for sharing time where campers can openly discuss their feelings and concerns while working on friendship-building and fun. That’s what’s great about Camp Erin. Everyone is going through similar situations. No one feels alone, and the environment is meant to be open.

Some of the relaxing and therapeutic activities provided by the Camp Erin staff include art therapy, swimming, music, story telling, nature walks and healing rituals.

Camp Erin was initially started after the death of Erin Metcalf of Woodinville, WA. Metcalf was one of Karen and Jamie Moyer’s Make-A-Wish recipients. At the age of 15, she had developed liver cancer that would end her very young life just two years later. While in the hospital Metcalf showed great compassion and often times worry for the siblings of adolescent patients. She felt that their feelings were oftentimes ignored or forgotten. After Metcalf’s death the Moyers established Camp Erin in memory of her loving and caring nature. The first camp opened in Metcalf’s home state of Washington in 2002. The program has been able to fund the openings of camps each year expanding outside the Northwest. Currently there are 36 camps in over 23 states including one in Canada. Camp Erin caters to nearly 4,000 campers nationwide.

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Over 400 people congregated for a ceremony marking the 65th birthday of Burmese opposition politician, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the home of a party member in Yangon on June 19. The pro-democracy leader could not attend her own event, however, as she has spent the last 15 out of 21 years under house arrest due to her fight for democracy in a military-controlled country. Suu Kyi’s journey has been tumultuous, but she still provides a platform of hope and revolution representing the voice of the people.

Suu Kyi was the only daughter of Aung San, known as the father of modern-day Burma who negotiated the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Aung San was assassinated that same year by rivals and Suu Kyi was raised by her mother. The political ties of her father transcended to her mother who became a prominent figure in the newly-formed Burmese government. Suu Kyi followed in her mother’s footsteps by first procuring a solid education with a degree in politics at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi followed by a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford. She worked at the United Nations in New York City and eventually married Dr. Michael Aris. Earning a Ph.D. in 1985 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, it wasn’t until after Suu Kyi returned to Burma to tend to her ill mother that her political journey truly began.

The leader of the Socialist ruling party stepped down from his position in office in 1988 leading to mass demonstrations for democracy which were aggressively suppressed. Suu Kyi made a move to publicly address half a million at a mass rally calling for a shift to a democratic government. That September, a new military junta assumed power but in the same month, the National League for Democracy was formed, with Suu Kyi holding position as general secretary.

Suu Kyi believed in non-violence and Buddhist concepts in producing results. The forces in power were threatened by her progressive movement and placed her under house arrest in 1989, giving her the option of freedom if she left the country. But Suu Kyi stayed with her nation. In 1990 when the military junta called a general election, an overwhelming 82% of the votes were for the National League for Democracy. Although the votes were nullified, Suu Kyi was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Suu Kyi remains in Yangon and holds a significant presence in society. U.S. President Barack Obama and other political leaders continue to urge for her release. Until that day arrives, Suu Kyi will patiently pursue her right for democracy and live by the famous words she uttered during her “Freedom from Fear” speech: “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”

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We all know about the horrible incidences of rape and sexual assault in our country. But we rarely recognize how commonplace it is around the world. In many countries, rape is a weapon used in wartime. Women are made to feel like these incidences are their fault, and they are punished for it when they are simply victims. Africa is a continent where a history of rape as a war tool has been used. Countries like Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all reported incidences of mass rape. However, there is an emerging way for women to fight back.

Sonnet Ehlers, a South African woman, was working at a hospital where she frequently met victims of sexual assault. She heard terrifying stories day after day but was inspired by one woman she met. This young woman said to Ehlers, “If only I had teeth down there!” This sparked Ehlers’ journey to create her controversial invention.

In 2005, Rape-aXe (formerly known as Rapex) hit the market in South Africa. The country had the highest incidence of rape in the world, about 1.7 million, according to statistics from 2007. The device is a like a latex female condom except for the fact that it has sharp barbs located inside. It is designed to cause pain and brand rapists if they attempt to attack a woman. The barbs, during penetration, attach to the penis. The device must be removed by a doctor which lends itself to identifying the attacker as someone who attempted rape. They can then be turned over to the authorities.

Ehlers’ invention was met with criticism. Some argued that this device could cause the woman being attacked to receive more violence, possibly sending attackers into a rage. Others have said there needs to be a change in society so women do not have to go to these lengths; wearing one of these devices is like being compliant with the fact that rape occurs.

To Ehlers, the system has not been doing its job of bringing victims to justice so her invention will do just that. She has given away nearly 30,000 in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup which began on June 11.

Although some people may criticize Ehlers, I commend her for taking a stand. It’s true that a change needs to occur in the case of rape in many societies, but I believe this device could spark that change in South Africa. It could bring attackers to justice, save victims and prevent the occurrence of sexual assault to begin with. Although Rape-aXe will not completely end rape, it could be the tipping point necessary to create societal changes in South Africa and possibly other countries around the world.

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Binge drinking is a common practice among college students. According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), statistics state that two out of every five college students is a binge drinker. This doesn’t count the number of students who just occasionally drink. When I first came to UW-Madison, my parents knew I’d be exposed to a lot of drinking. My mom kept telling me, “Remember that alcoholism runs in our family.” She was referring to my great-grandfather who was an alcoholic for much of his life, leaving my nana working hard to raise their children. My uncle, my mother’s brother, also struggled with alcohol abuse but has been sober for quite a few years.

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse is a real problem in our society. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 17.6 million adults suffer form alcohol-related problems. Women are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol abuse than men. This is the science of it: alcohol is dispersed by water in the body. The more a person weighs, the more water he or she has to dilute alcohol. Since men normally weigh more than women, they dilute alcohol more. Women, however, have less water and are thus more exposed to alcohol’s effects on the brain and other organs. This means that women are getting more of the actual alcohol to their organs where they have a greater effect and take a greater toll.

This can lead to a multitude of possible health detriments over the long-term and in the short-term. Over time, if a woman continues to heavily drink, she is at greater risk to develop brain, liver and heart disease as well as cancer. Short-term effects can be just as fatal. Drunk driving is one example of how quickly alcohol can have an effect. Women also are more likely to be victims of violence and sexual assault when under the influence of alcohol.

However, many women don’t recognize when their drinking has become a problem. Worse still, those around them don’t seem to realize it either so they don’t step in to help.

In a USA Today article from 2009, women who had been alcoholics and were on the journey to get sober told their stories. One woman told her friends she couldn’t go out anymore and party because she needed to get sober. Her friends said they hadn’t noticed anything wrong or extreme about her behavior.

Women turn to alcohol for many reasons, including stress. Although family history and past alcohol use or abuse patterns determine how much a woman drinks, outside factors like stress can be the tipping point to full-blown alcoholism.

We live in a world with a lot more stress, but we also live in a world with a lot more resources for people who feel unhappy or depressed. If you think someone you know may be becoming dependent on or abusing alcohol, don’t be afraid to ask them if they need your help. You could be the one person who does.

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Imagine you were under combat in a remote war zone and all around you existed inconceivable carnage and suffering. The comrade you have been working alongside everyday for the past year was mortally wounded and as he lay dying in your arms, he asks you to help ease his death instead of slowly letting him reach his demise. A difficult choice, but with the understanding there was no chance of a medic treating his ailments successfully, you end his suffering. Now, picture a loved one diagnosed with an inoperable illness. Everyday is a new torment and medication only temporarily lessens the pain. They have lived a long life and plead with you to help end their journey. What would you do?

Assisted suicide has been a highly publicized and controversial topic for decades. Dr. Jack Kevorkian who aided 130 patients to their death. Norwegian physician, Christian Sandsdalen, lost his medical license after administering an overdose of morphine to a chronically-ill woman with multiple sclerosis who begged for his help. Cases of assisted suicide are varied and span internationally.

Legality has been the primary focus both for and against. The fight for the right to die has been an ambiguous struggle as laws defining assisted suicide are unclear. While some nations don’t have specific laws prohibiting suicide or assisted suicide, it does not mean there are no consequences. Prosecutors can and have charged assisters with manslaughter and even murder. Germany is one of a few countries where there are no real laws against and virtually no consequences or penalties for assisted suicide, but you will rarely hear of a case since it has been a taboo subject due in part to Nazi exterminations and church influence.

Several key factors come into play when determining if a death constitutes an assisted suicide. Many governments state that the patient must be an adult with a “futile medical condition of constant and unbearable physical or mental suffering that cannot be alleviated,” must have a long-term relationship/history with the doctor who is conducting the assisted suicide, and that the patient is lucid and of mental capability to express a clear statement to hasten their life.

Perception of death in general has become more accepted in this generation. Hospice care and end-of-life conversations with physicians will ensure that those nearing death have their wishes fulfilled and feel comfortable until they pass. Organizations such as Exit, Death with Dignity National Center, and Compassion & Choices are strong advocates for choice in death and do not say that ending life is always the answer, but it may be for some. They stress that everyone should have the right to make that final decision with aid of a physician or friend without having them face charges afterwards.

Assisted suicide will undoubtedly continue to be a subject of disagreement. But it all goes back to the question that if you were the loved one of an ailing patient, what would you do?

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Image of a protest on the UW-Madison campus courtesy of Cambio-milwaukee.com

I’m proud to be a Badger. UW-Madison was my first-choice school, and I remember running around my house yelling when I found out I’d been accepted (which was good for me since I only applied to one other university). UW-Madison has a major role in the history of Wisconsin. The campus has a reputation for being a bit of a party school, but also a school with a tradition for student activism.

If you read about the Vietnam War and the protests at home, chances are you have seen mention of UW-Madison. A great period for student activism occurred during this time. The university is known for its research. That’s how some of the most famous (and tragic) protests on the campus got started. In 1967, Dow Chemical Company began recruiting students for future careers with the company. Dow was known for supplying napalm to the military in Vietnam. Napalm was used to burn the jungle cover in Vietnam that made it so hard for the enemy to be found; but it could also harm anyone in its path. One of the most famous photos from the war is a young girl running from her village, crying in pain, her clothes burned through from napalm. These protests were only a small number of the many that took place during the war.

War protests also saw the beginning of a Madison tradition still carried on to this day; the Mifflin Street Block Party. Students and counterculture youth who resided in “Miffland” (the areas of Mifflin and Bassett Streets) had asked for permission to have a dance party to protest the war. The city refused to do so. The students went ahead and danced anyway. The police were called in response to a noise complaint, and, when students wouldn’t back down, a three-day struggle ensued between them.

UW-Madison is only one example of the student activism that took place during this time period. Similar protests took place at campuses such as UC Berkeley, which staged a march to the Oakland Army Terminal, and the University of Chicago where a sit-in was held in administration offices.

When I hear about these students who came before me, I’m proud of the stand they took for what they believed in. I’m also proud to be associated with them through the university that connects us. Yet, I feel like something has been lost as far as campus activism goes from the years gone by. It was a different time, but something has changed with students and the way they advocate for change. Maybe we’re all just missing that fire that generations before us had. It seems that only a few try to bring people together to make a change. I think it’s time the youth of our nation take a stand again as they did years before and fight for what they believe in, whatever it may be. If those students years before could bring attention to an issue, we surely can today.

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DKMS, a leading bone marrow donation center, added an impressive recruit to their team of volunteers two years ago. In 2008, Rihanna made a move to support DKMS after an encounter with a mother searching for a donor. The singer said when she met Lisa Gershowitz Flynn, her heart broke and she had to find a way to get the word out to get her help. Working with DKMS, Rihanna said she hopes to raise awareness for people in need of bone marrow.

“I think DKMS is an incredible charity because you can really see the results,” Rihanna said in a People article. “My own charity, Believe, works specifically with children in need [and with children with leukemia]. Children need their mothers more than anything else in the world. Lisa has two children. My charity will continue to work with DKMS, because in finding a way to save Lisa’s life, we will in turn be saving her children’s lives.”

Along with raising money, Rihanna has made appearances and given talks. She even performed at the DKMS Linked Against Leukemia gala last May for free. It’s always great to see celebrities using their fame and fortune to help others, but what’s really impressive about Rihanna’s move is her connection to Lisa. Having no previous relationship with this woman, essentially hearing the plea of a stranger, Rihanna chose to take more than just a few minutes to help. She turned the request of someone off the street into an entire movement.

According to Katharina Harf, only two out of 10 patients actually receive a transplant. Her dad, Peter, started DKMS in Germany in 1990 when he was trying to find a donor for his wife, Mechtild, who was diagnosed with acute leukemia. The low number of transplants means many, many more donors are needed.

Although a donor needs to be matched to a patient in order for a transplant to take place, donating marrow is a much simpler process than most people realize. For starters, getting tested is easy. Test results from a cheek swab are sent to a national bone marrow registry. If the marrow is a match, donors undergo a minor outpatient surgery to extract healthy stem cells to replace the patient’s unhealthy cells.

So although (according to my research) Rihanna has yet to donate marrow herself, she’s still out there pushing the charity in the right direction. We can all appreciate the act of helping your fellow woman and maybe take some time to adopt more of it into our own lives.

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Looking for a way to make a difference? Awaken your inner philanthropist and look no further. With the Members Project by American Express, you can now make that contribution you’ve always wanted without breaking the bank.

In coalition with TakePart, a socially-conscious action network dedicated to making a difference, saving the world has never been this easy. The Members Project allows you to vote, volunteer, or donate to a charity online. The point of TakePart is to spread the word about your personal involvements and get others in on the action, too.

Once a week, anyone can cast a vote for change. Everyone, even non-American Express members, can select the charity they think deserves to win within each of the five cause categories — Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment & Wildlife and Health & Wellness. The winners from each category will personally receive $200,000 in funding from American Express. All of the charities involved hope to win this financial endowment to finance the extraordinary and innovative proposals they believe can help change the globe. There are currently five new winners every three months.

The various charities can be accessed through TakePart’s Web site; Takepart.com. Individuals with an American Express card can choose to donate monetarily or through their reward points. If you’re not a cardholder or maybe just don’t have the cash to spare, the Members Project makes it trouble-free to find local volunteer openings. All you need is a “keyword” and “location.”

If that’s not enough, TakePart notes five essential ways to make an impact:

1. Make a banner.

2. Write an e-mail.

3. Tweet or Facebook a call to action.

4. Download a post card.

5. Simply talk it up face to face. It’s all about inspiration. If you can inspire one person around you, that’s one more closer to a million.

With opportunities being this accessible and almost effortless, the Members Project optimistically hopes to remind everyone that a “small step can [truly] make a big difference.”

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Image courtesy of the Marist College chapter of That Girl Goes Local

When I, along with six other fabulous girls, started the Marist College chapter of That Girl Goes Local (TGGL), we wanted to be proactive. We were given the opportunity to team up with a remarkable new group called h<3rt1, an awareness organization bringing attention and raising funds to support the fight against dating violence and domestic abuse. We were not only excited, but inspired. Over the next few months we worked with h<3rt1’s courageous leader to sponsor an event to spread the word about dating violence and domestic abuse, an issue that impacts one in every three teens. Along the way we made new friends, grew closer with current ones, and met countless people willing to give their time to help us reach our goals.

One of the people we met who had the biggest impact on the group was a Marist alumni and member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, Vince Anthony. Anthony, along with two of his fraternity brothers, Van Riley and Abdullah Rahaman II, heard about our chapter of TGGL and offered to speak at one of our meetings. Since we were in the midst of planning this event about dating violence and domestic abuse the guys decided to focus their conversation on that topic. Little did I know how powerful the guys’ message would be.

Girlfriends are constantly called upon for support and advice about relationships. We are always reassuring our girlfriends that they are “better than that” and “deserve more.” Hearing these words, however, from three guys puts a new perspective on an old message. In the half-hour that the guys spoke to the group they covered all the bases of what being a real man is. After this conversation and reading a blog Alexis Jones posted a few weeks ago about finding real men and hanging in there, because they do, in fact exist, I was prompted to add to this by finding out what being a man means from the male perspective.

Anthony was kind enough to spend some time and answer a few questions on what he thought manhood was. His answers to my questions were, as expected, full of respect and rationality. When asked what he thought manhood is he answered, “Doing the right thing when no one is looking. When it is your lifestyle to live nobly, you are truly a man.” He also commented on when he thought he became a man by explaining that becoming a man is a process. He continued stating that it is more of a gradual progression rather than an outright title. He did, however, say that he felt that he would progress into being a man once he is able to provide for others.

Anthony and his fraternity brothers are a testament to the “real men” we all know are out there. The men that take the job of counselor away from our girlfriends, and remind us of what we know to be right and good.

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