Aug 18 2014
Daily News Flash with Courtney Morris on Ebola Raid in Liberia, Apple Labor Violations, and Felony Charges Against Gov. Perry
Uprising’s guest expert Courtney Morris, an assistant professor of African American and women’s Studies at Penn State University, analyzes today’s news headlines:
The Ebola crisis in West Africa has taken a new turn after Liberians raided a quarantine center. Young male residents of a slum in Monrovia called West Point, raided the quarantine center, freeing patients, and even making off with supplies like used bed sheets and mattresses. They were apparently upset about their local facilities being used to house Ebola patients from all over Liberia. Given that Ebola spreads through bodily fluids like blood, the raid may have the unintended effect of spreading the virus even more through Liberia’s population. More than 400 of the 1000 or so West African Ebola-related fatalities have been Liberian. Several airlines have already suspended flights to and from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Click here for an Al Jazeera English article about the story.
Two of Apple’s factories in China have been found to be in violation of Fair Labor Association (FLA) standards. An audit that was published on Friday found, according to Reuters, “a profusion of violations, including excessive overtime and health hazards.” The factories making Apple products are located in Shanghai and Changshu and suffered from poor indoor air quality. Some of the workers are as young as 16 although that is not in violation of standards. The FLA is a corporate run organization that considers working more than 60 hours a week, overtime. Click here for a Business Insider article about the story.
A Texas Grand jury has indicted Gov. Rick Perry on felony charges involving “abuse of power.” The charges stem from an expensive investigation that Perry oversaw, of a Democratic Party public official who refused to resign from his position. The official in question was serving time for a DUI. Perry denounced the charges calling them an “abuse of power,” echoing the wording of the charges themselves. According to Al Jazeera English, “If convicted, Perry faces first-degree felony charges with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison.” The Texas governor has been eying the White House and was in the news recently for deploying National Guardsmen to the Mexico border. Click here for an Al Jazeera English article about the story.
One Response to “Daily News Flash with Courtney Morris on Ebola Raid in Liberia, Apple Labor Violations, and Felony Charges Against Gov. Perry”
The ebola crisis or outbreak in my country Liberia is a serious issue and it needs immadiate attension by the west and other powerful nations, most of our people are dying from the epidermic because they are ignoring the pieces of advice from the health workers. I am calling on the government of Liberia to do more in containing this deadly virus.