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WORLD & NATION
Cambodia and Thailand
clash on border
By Claire Wardlaw
Staff Writer
The ancient, sacred Preah Vihear Temple
of the Hindu people has recently become a
casualty of — and is even considered one of
the catalysts for — a bloody clash between
countries that has thus far cost at least eleven
lives. Located on the border of Cambodia
right next to Thailand, the temple has been the
site of a vicious battle since February 4
"There is a history of violence there,"
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Eric
Mortensen said of the Cambodian-Thailand
region, where the two countries have feuded
over territorial and political issues for decades.
"It's a terribly ghost-ridden place."
Ever since the battle started a little over a
week ago, blood has been shed and holes
have been shot through the beloved temple's
facade.
"Many factors have contributed to this
conflict: a decades-old border dispute, a
complex geographical position, the civil war
in Cambodia, nationalist sentiment from
both countries, and economic interests," said
George Guo, associate professor of political
science, in an e-mail interview.
Although there are many causes of the
violence, one of them is the naming of
the temple a World Heritage Site under
Cambodian jurisdiction by UNESCO in 2008.
"The United Nations has been declaring
places as World Heritage Sites to protect
them from development, but there is a lot of
ugliness on their hands ... the heart and soul
of the place is just devastated," said Mortensen
It
regarding UNESCO's global initiative,
turned into Epcot Center in Disneyland."
This initiative is a project that ignited the
nationalistic resistance of Thailand to claim
Preah Vihear Temple and establish a political
advantage, esped^ly in light of the upcoming
national elections, as reported by The Wall
Street Journal.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice
deemed the temple under Cambodian
ownership; yet, that did not quell Thai officials
from firing at the Cambodian troops near the
Preah Vihear Temple in early February.
'Thailand probably just didn't even
notice that had happened officially, never
complained about it, understood the place
as being part of Cambodia for a long time ...
and then they started to want it back," said
Mortensen regarding the Thai incentive to
reclaim the space.
Within three days of the violent outbreak,
Cambodia pleaded for U.N. assistance,
and with UNESCO being responsible for
defending its site, the U.N. Security Council
has agreed to address the issue on Monday. •
"The dispute of the Preah Vihear Temple
has stirred nationalist passions in both
Cambodia and Thailand for generations,"
said Guo, giving some explanation for the
conflict over the site, explaining that it is
a consistently volatile region, yet not the
material for extensive carnage.
"I don't think the fighting will last very
long," concluded Mortensen, optimistic that
this issue will resolve soon. "I hope it doesn't
... there's no real reason for it to be contested
at all, other than its history."
Italians demonstrate
against Berinsconi
By Abbey Brinkey
Staff Writer
Italy is putting its foot down.
BriWng tax authorities. False bookkeeping.
Illegal party contributions. Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi has had his fair
share of skeletons in his political closet.
Recently, he has added just one more blemish minister accused of entertaining underage
to his record. girls, against a culture that exploits women.
On Tues, Feb. 15, a Milan judge ruled that against Italian men who made endless
Berlusconi will be put on trial to face charges sexual jokes and brag about wasting lots of
relating to prostitution and abuse of office, time looking at naked women on the web,'
According to Times Union, on Sunday, Feb.
13, thousands of women turned up in 200
Italian cities to protest "Berlusconi's debasing
of women."
Not only did women show up at the
demonstration, but men as well, reports the
Guardian.
'I'm going to demonstrate against a prime
reports The New York
Times.
The New York
Magazine reveals
that Berlusconi paid a
17-year-old prostitute
and then used his
political power to get
her released from police
custody in an unrelated
matter. Prostitution
convictions can lead to ————
jail time ranging from
six months to three years. Abuse of power can
lead to four years to 12 years.
While Berlusconi has been able to handle
his past accusations, he may not be able to save
his political office this time. The New York
Times detailed the results of the December
vote that led to the conclusion that Berlusconi
no longer has the majority vote to be capable
Berlusconi's scandal has
led to an uprising of
Italian citizens - many
of them women.
said Mario Calabresi,
deputy editor of La
Stampa. "In short. I'm
going to demonstrate
against myself too."
The New York
Times discloses that
many believe , that
Berlusconi's situation
is not just about sex.
It relates to Italy's
economic problems,
that are beginning to
shadow Greece and Ireland's economic issues
late last year and early this year. However,
there is the issue as to who will be Berlusconi's
successor.
'The problem is simply that the Italians
can't imagine who could replace Berlusconi
at the moment," novelist and commentator
Tim Parks told The New York Times. "It's too
dangerous and too much effort to replace him.
of governing.
Berlusconi's scandal has led to an uprising So it hardly matters how bad the scandal is.
of Italian citizens — many of them women. Berlusconi's trial is set for April 6.
Front lines of change: returning soldiers become farmers
By Omar Hamad
Staff Writer
Though thousands of miles
away from each other, the deserts
of Afghanistan and the deserts
of Northern New Mexico are
strikingly similar. Containing
dry, mountainous landscapes,
irrigation ditches, and agricultural
economies, it seemed the perfect
place for schoolchildren to teach
organic farming techniques to
National Guardsmen.
The members of Oklahoma's 2nd
45th Agricultural Development
Team (a division of the Guard),
were trained by students from
Pojoaque, New Mexico's Camino
de Paz Montessori school in the art
of beekeeping and goat-milking,
Tikkun Magazine reports.
The members of the unit were
training under the auspices of New
Mexico's Permaculture Institute,
preparing for deployment to
Afghanistan in the Fall of 2010.
Their mission: to revitalize that
country's much-diminished
agricultural infrastructure.
This is only one of many recent
examples of the links between
the U.S. military and efforts to
revitalize agricultural inside and
outside of the U.S.
While some troops prepare to
assist agriculture overseas, more
and more U.S. combat troops are
returning home to an increasingly
fragile job market. However, the
agricultural sector, in which half of
all farmers are expected to retire in
the next ten years according to The
New York Times, is attempting to
fill an increasing demand for young
blood with returning veterans.
"There is a tremendous need for
young farmers, and a big wave of
young people inspired to go into
the service who are coming home"
said Michael O'Gorman, founder
of the nonprofit Farmer-Veteran
coalition, to The New York Times.
At Archi's Acres in Valley Center,
California training in organic
avocado farming techniques
overlaps with classes in Business
for interested veterans.
Teaching sustainable practices
including hydroponics, the former
Marine and founder of Archi's
Acres, Colin Archipley, began
informally training veterans after
buying his Valley Center farm
in 2007. Working together with
his wife, they benefited from the
farm's proximity to the Camp
Pendleton Marine Base, just north
of San Diego.
Since then they have began
administering classes through the
Veterans Sustainable Agricultural
Training VS AT program at
MiraCosta College. The program
runs at $4,500 to Camp Pendleton
provides assistance to veterans
from the base seeking training
there.
"What the farm offers veterans is
decompression from the trauma of
war," said Archipley to San Diego's
East County Magazine.
According to The New York
Times, while only 17 percent of
America's population is classified
as rural, 45 percent of returning
Army veterans are classified
as such. This means that many
returning soldiers enrolling in
VS AT and similar programs come in
with previous farming experience,
while also being exposed to new
agricultural methods.
The hydroponic techniques used
at Archi's Acres means that crops
are grown in soil-less mediums
rather than in soil itself. In addition
to being more energy-efficient.
Hydroponic methods eliminate 90
percent of contaminates by using
alternatives to soil.
"We're able to water several
thousand plants off just five
gallons of water," said Archipley
of the technique's efficiency to
East County magazine. 'This
greenhouse alone uses about as
much water as two avocado trees,
but it produces several times as
much income"
While the program operations
have not been entirely smooth, the
majority of veterans working at the
farm have been positive about their
experiences.
"Archi's Acres has given me
a lot of peace of mind. Working
with other vets is very peaceful,"
said former Navy Lieutenant Olaf
Hansen to East County Magazine.
"I don't have to watch every
word — and I don't have to dress
up, plus I'm learning a lot about
organic gardening"
Many returning veterans
expressed optimism about the
ability of programs such as those at
Archi's Acres to ease the return into
civilian life.
"One thing I've noticed about
agriculture is that you become a
creator rather than a destroyer,"
said former Marine Mike Hanes to
The New York Times. Hanes has
suffered from PTSD and was left
homeless for a year after returning
from a tour in Iraq before coming
to Archi's Acres.
The efforts of organic farm
training have not only helped
integrate returning veterans into
civilian life, but also aided in
connecting military personnel with
their surrounding communities.
"We went to the website of this
unit (Oklahoma 2nd 45th) and
looked at their goals and found
that we have some things in
common: teamwork, responsibility,
discipline, and helping each
other make a difference" said
Pat Pantano, executive director
of the Camino De Paz school of
the student-soldier relationship
promoted by the permaculture
program.
With sustainable agricultural
practices increasingly important
in a world of limited resources,
soldiers and veterans to pave the
way for progressive farming.
"For a comparable age, you
won't find people who have had
as much responsibility," said
John Maki, transition assistance
specialist at Archi's Acres to The
New York Times.
"They've been tasked with
making life-and-death decisions,
already."