WHO Urges the Countries to Stall the Administering of Unnecessary Booster Vaccines

Even though our world collectively continues to be shaped by COVID-19, the impact of the virus on international communities has been quite different. As the United States continues to administer third booster vaccines for healthy citizens, inoculations across Africa are far from where they should be. The World Health Organization called attention to this issue, essentially labeling it immoral for countries with an abundance of vaccines to provide healthy people with their booster shot. Africa does not currently have the means to manufacture its own vaccines, so it must rely on buying or receiving donated vaccines from other continents like our own. For those in countries like the USA who do need a booster shot for health purposes, the World Health Organization deems it moral. This conflict raises many questions like: is it the responsibility of other countries to give their vaccines to countries with low vaccination rates? Who gets to make these kinds of decisions for the international community? Because it is an issue of ethical or moral awareness, will countries really feel pressured to act on these grounds? In response to this, the United States has yet to act differently. This inaction causes one to consider the ways in which large international powers pick and choose when and when not to act on the advise of large international organizations like the WHO.

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Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George Equip the Poly Community with the Tools to Combat Groupthink and Engage in Productive Discourse

T his evening, Poly students, Jason Mayo, Megan Ha and Opal Hetherington impressively facilitated a hugely impactful conversation with Drs. Cornel West and Robert George. In our current sociopolitical climate, our Poly community will certainly benefit from what we collectively learned tonight. Despite their diverging ideological and political viewpoints, the two intellects’ relationship “extends beyond friendship and into brotherhood.” "Love is not reducible to politics or public policy," shared Dr. George at the beginning of the program. To me, this sentiment was consistently reinforced throughout their time with us. Their brotherhood, built on the foundation of truth-seeking, and seemingly epitomizing true friendship, served as proof of Dr. George's statement. When asked about discourse, Dr. George defined civility for the audience- outlining the importance of listening from a place of wanting to learn; acknowledging the possibility that "I coul...

Haitian President, Jovenel Moise, Shot and Killed Amid Political Turmoil

Yesterday, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot and killed in his home. Much controversy surrounded his term length, as alleged election fraud resulted in a 12 month delay in which the new polls opened, and the election results of 2015 were annulled. These new polls were won by Moise. His opposition denied the legitimacy of the upcoming year of his presidency, claiming that he had served his 5-year term, because former Haitian president, Michel Martelly, stepped down 5 years prior. Moise, however, argued that he still had another year of his presidency due to the fact that he only took office in February of 2017 as a result of the aforementioned delay. Mr Moise continued to rule by decree, causing outrage throughout Haiti. Protests riddled the streets of Haiti, calling for Mr Moise’s resignation. Opponents also claimed that Mr Moise was to blame for a surge in violence, seeing as he left Haiti without a Parliament during the postponement of the October 2019 legislative elections. O...

Jaguar Population at Extreme Risk in Belize- Deforestation and Colonization Shake Hands

As the global jaguar population declines rapidly, the jaguars of Belize are on the brink of extinction. Belizean conservation forces have banned together in protection of the Maya Forest Corridor- a small piece of critical land, spanning just 90,000 acres. This narrow strip of land is essential to the wellbeing of the Belizean jaguar population, as it serves as the connection for two of the largest jaguar habitats in Belize and Guatemala. If Jaguars are unable to pass via the Maya Forest Corridor, populations will drop dramatically due to isolation. The Maya Forest Corridor (MFC) is already far too small to properly sustain the current jaguar population, but due to the growing threat of deforestation, as well as the insertion of large building developments is at risk of shrinking even more. Currently, conservation organizations are purchasing the land on which the MFC covers, hopefully preventing further development in the area. As of right now, only 30,000 of the 90,000 acre...

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