It's 1:26 and I have officially been doing homework for 10 hours

Yes. Nine hours. J'ai beaucoup de français homework to complete this week and a lot of reading for world politics and am slowly chipping away at translating a poem from German to English... for my creative writing class. My first essay is due this week for Families from a Sociological View and I just found out I need a book for yoga. On top of an already heavy workload, I'd really like to go see a movie tomorrow for my birthday but find I cannot do so without as much of my work being as done as possible for Wednesday, lest I suffer extreme guilt.


The weird part is, I'm enjoying it. Perhaps I'm still in the honeymoon phase of college, but this sense of motivation is utterly strange and wonderful to me. In high school, I was a B-C student who frequently had the comments 'could do better' and 'graded assignments late/missing' on her report cards. I put the PRO in PROCRASTINATION, and I spent so much time in dance and drama on a daily basis that I barely had hours to sleep, never mind do homework. I didn't start AP classes until my junior year and only took 4 total. In comparison to the average student at American, and especially to what appears to be the average student in this class, I am in no way the classic academic.


I've been trying to analyze my newfound commitment to my schoolwork, to preserve it mentally, the feeling, the idea, so that when I falter or feel like going back to my old ways, I can grab a handful of what I'm feeling now and climb back on the proverbial balance beam. I would say it has many factors. The sheer necessity of keeping my scholarship. The overwhelming desire to find a path in life that has me diving headfirst into every subject that could be THE subject. The fact that, unlike in high school, I can take classes that honestly interest me. Obviously the lack of distractions helps (mostly due to a spinal injury I have removed myself from the dance and drama mailing lists, at least for now). 
On the other hand though, I'm almost afraid that this introspective analysis, this desperation to grab a hold of this learning-oriented and work-doing me has me toppling over the other side of the line. I've always been a loud and highly social person, but the past two weeks have been very strange for me socially. There are people I look at and say, if I'd met her/him in high school, we'd be really great friends, and instead I've had only a conversation or two with them. These occasional and sudden realizations make me very sad, but may be the trade off included in Fiona 2.0. I guess the question for next week is just whether Fiona 2.0's increased efficiency and higher capabilities are worth sacrificing the user-friendly interface of Fiona 1? And, much like when Facebook changes interfaces and everyone whines up until they adapt completely, could I even remember how to go back?


-Fiona, Reflection Week 1

An Ideal Game Plan

This week, we read and discussed Franklin Foer’s How Soccer Explains the World: An [Unlikely] Theory of Globalization. Although rather unmoved by the text itself, the discussion made me think about the effects international sports have on international relations.

During the discussion, I looked up which countries are currently at war. The countries that stood out to me as countries I’ve recently heard in the news were: China, Colombia, India, Pakistan and the United States. Of the countries listed on the Global Security website as at war with another nation, the United States was the only country that participated in the World Cup, and unenthusiastically at that.

It seems like soccer, cricket and any other international sports have become a replacement for war. Because countries like France, Spain and Italy have the opportunity to interact with other countries on a competitive, non-war battlefield, they are able to focus all the nationalist energy that would have been exhausted during a lengthy, brutal war on a nice, friendly, but competitive sports game.

They way I see it is the purpose of war is to assert a country’s authority over another, proving that the said country is indeed more powerful than the other. At sporting conventions like the Olympics, the FIFA’s World Cup, and the Cricket World Cup countries join together to prove their superiority to other countries. The sporting field or arena is the equivalent of a battlefield and the team players are the country’s warriors. The entire event reinforces nationalism and patriotism and unties countries’ citizens.

I know that there are other reasons for war like territorial expansion and getting a pretty girl back to her rightful home, but why can’t sports just replace war? Make the bet before the game and the winning team reaps the benefits, neither team facing mass mortality. But I guess that’s just my ideal game plan… maybe I’ve been watching Merlin too much…

keep in mind that dueling was considered a sport in this era :)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/index.html

http://www.cup2010.info/countries/countries.html

http://www.cricketworld.com/countries/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nELdkADD0&feature=related

Reflection Post Week One

With the United States paying $63 billion over six years to fight AIDS around the world, I was left wondering why other countries are pitching in to help the effort following our Wednesday lab experience learning about AIDS in Washington and around the world. The largest of the public health initiatives being pursued by the United States government is one that doesn't even focus solely on efforts here at home.

The American taxpayer is funding these efforts to help those around the world, yet I'm left wondering if all those with AIDS here at home are being helped to the extent that they need it. Shouldn't we focus our efforts and funds on more or less eradicating AIDS (as much as possible) at home before taking on the rest of the world's problems? We're funding 67 percent of the initiative around the world, but, as our presenter said, we "need a shared and sustained global response." It seems like the effort is a focus of the United States. Maybe other countries will attempt to share the burden as well instead of relying almost completely on the United States to fix this global problem.

Reflective Post: Week 1

Well the longest week of my life (to date) is finally over. In addition to starting college and all that jazz, I did things I never thought I would do. I got a Twitter (that was an assignment), started a blog and enjoyed writing it far more than I could've dreamed, and stayed up long into the night reading a book about soccer. I realized how much I am going to need to put into this World Politics, but more importantly, I began to see how much I can get out.

Even reading through the syllabus on Tuesday was unlike the countless other syllabus read through I've been subject to. Yes this was partially due to PTS's use of an iPad instead of a laptop or (dare I even suggest) paper print outs *gasp*. But more than this it was one line that the Professor said, "I don't expect or want you to come out of this class with a perfect understanding of world politics. This class is about changing the way you view world politics and how you construct and argue your views on the topic."*

And then the long hours with How Soccer Explains The World began. Although I rued the author at points for subjecting me to all this talk about a sport I never had the slightest inclination to participate in (I may or may not have fallen to my knees in a thunderstorm, bellowing "CURSE YOU FOER!" at one point), I f learning much from the book. I knew the book had been a success when I unwittingly found myself recounting what I had learned about soccers effect on the eastern bloc countries in the wake of the Soviet Union.

Of course we spent the vast majority of in-class discussion talking about America and Iran (although I can neither say I was surprised nor displeased about this turn of events), leaving the bloc back in the barely-touched-upon chapters 1-7. I found myself having more to say about the book and its issues than I would've expected (I thought this would be a "zero day" and it turned out to be more of a one).

*I apologize for the undoubtably horrendous misquote. I'm sure Professor Jackson said it much more eloquently but I hope I captured the gist

Blog Development Update

Just to let everybody know about existing and upcoming resources;

If you look in the column on the right hand side of the page, the very top gadget is now called "relevant links". Already I have added PTJ's blog, and upon receiving the rest of the url's, I will add them according to what they named their blog. If you would like to put links up, such as a resource you frequently reference or another relevant blog, I can show you how (although blogger's pretty user friendly, you may be able to figure it out regardless), but please keep links such as citations to a post and links that are only relevant to one of your posts within your blog post instead of in this bar. (Too many can make it hard to navigate and more obnoxious than anything.) If anyone has problems with the links or any questions, you all have my cell number.
Thanks!
Fiona

Fiscal Responsibility

With the world’s most powerful economy in the United States of America facing a 13 trillion dollar deficit and the bailout of Greece, among other financial problems around the globe, the lack of fiscal responsibility by governments is a key issue in world politics.

As a business major, I know that the cornerstone of a successful business is basic – you need to have more profit (tax revenue and other funds in the case of a government) than you are spending on expense. Every company, from a local café to a multinational corporation like McDonald’s, understands this crucial balance. That being said, why do 129 countries have a public debt as a percentage of their gross domestic product as of 2009?

When are bailed out, they continue a cycle of dependence that is difficult to break. Instead of countries being forced to face their own poor fiscal futures, they know that they will receive aid because as global community, we refuse to let a country fail. Whereas countries could work to cut their own spending and programs, they instead keep spending the way they always have instead of making necessary changes.

Most recently, Greece was at the receiving end of this. Even with the loans from the Eurozone countries, there is no guarantee that the loans will even be effective. With Europe, among other areas of the world, still struggling with a reception, it will be difficult for citizens to pay the higher taxes they are required to pay as part of the terms of the bailout as well as for Greece to meet their interest payments.

In a business (excluding those bailed out by the United States government), those in charge will cut expenses, reduce hours of operation, amount of goods produced, and etc. Essentially, they do anything that may be needed, including making tough cuts, to balance their budget to ensure continued success.

This type of decision making must be applied on the global level to ensure the continued stability of countries. By individually securing the economy of a country, they are able to break their dependency on their neighbors. They must learn how to develop their resources and work forces in accordance with their budget.

The Opposite of Good Isn't Evil...

Today we learned a lot about diseases. Specifically focusing on HIV/AIDS, we discussed how it is spread, how it is prevented, and how it is treated around the world. Numerous individuals also asked about the pertinence of other evils such as tuberculosis, cancer, and malaria. These were all obviously excellent questions, since TB kills about 2 million people every year, malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds, and cancer will 1.5 million people this year just in America.

But even these are not the most lethal "evils". There is a disease that infects masses of populations, a disease which we see the symptoms of every day and which causes more suffering, pain and death than any other.

Unfortunately, sad, dirty kittens are not the biggest victims of apathy.

Despite the climbing death tolls, rising number of rape victims, and countless souls sold into human trafficking, none of these topics make the news. Despite the natural disasters wreaking havoc around the world, as long as they're not near U.S. soil, few people know, and even fewer care. Despite the lessons learned, the morals seen, and the "never again"s uttered, here we stand, denying the truth to uphold a more softly tinted vision of our global society.

"So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed, with all their tragic effects, that too little is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect." - Eleanor Roosevelt

All human institutions are only as powerful as their creators, designers, and leaders. Man-made concepts such as societies and governments and public policy are therefore just as flawed as the politicians and innovators and revolutionaries who conceptualized and instituted the practices.
Accepting this as truth, I propose that the biggest issue facing world politics right now, facing any politics any time, are those who control and influence it. I would also propose that the biggest issue facing the individuals with power is the infective apathy washing through the world.

The opposite of good isn't evil. It's apathy.

• http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/indonesia
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm
• http://www.humantrafficking.org/links/83
• http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/international_justice/darfur/about/background.asp
• http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/index
• http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.newtbdrugs.org/2010/06/the-war-on-tuberculosis-dots-in-newark/
• http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enUS359US359&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=tuberculosis+victim+count
• http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enUS359US359&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=tuberculosis+victim+count

The Effects of Poverty

Poverty is one of the most important issues in world politics. When observing global issues, it seems that almost every thing that we are fighting are a result of poverty or most common in impoverished regions, like terrorist groups, like Al-Qaeda, and child abuse.

Al-Qaeda was able to grow in Afghanistan using poverty to their advantage. Afghanis were desperate to have basic necessities and embraced any group that promised to improve their standard of living. Al-Qaeda promised food and shelter in return for their loyalty. However, when the heads of these families make alliances with Al-Qaeda, they are putting their families’ and friends’ lives at greater risk, but these patriarchs believe that the risk is worth the few benefits that they reap for their family.

Child abuse is also found more frequently in under privileged households. Stress is omnipresent in homes where parents are trying to make ends meet in order to provide for their families. However, the tricky thing about stress its symptoms are difficult to control. When the load of responsibilities begins to become a burden, the slightest incident can trigger a violent reaction. These observations are explained in ESCAPE Family Resource Center’s “Building Confident Families” course, a court-ordered course that families take with their children to learn how to communicate as a family and deal with stress and stressful situations. Child abuse is not only prevalent in Houston, where ESCAPE is located, but in Africa, India, and all over the United States, to name a few countries. Child abuse also tends to be a cyclic habit, meaning that children who have been abused tend to abuse because that’s how they were taught to handle stress.

Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to prevent poverty and re-build regions in which poverty is prevalent, but with the help of proactive groups that fight global poverty and related issues, people are becoming more aware of the outcomes of poverty and are joining relief efforts around the world.

The Final Frontier

Attention denizens of Earth: it’s time to give up the losing battle for saving the environment. The planet has already lost 80% of its forests and continues to be destroyed at the horrifying rate of 375 kilometers cubed per DAY (for those of you who like me are more confused than horrified by that number, it is approximately equal to the total area of the northeastern strip of states from New Jersey to Vermont not counting Pennsylvania, New York.) And just in case forests don’t really float your boat and you’re more of an oceans person, don’t fret, there are hope-abandonment inducing facts for you as well. 27% of coral reefs are already dead and 70% more will join them in their watery demise over by the year 2050.

So now that we have ruined our own planet in a less-than-apocalypse-film-worthy fashion,

Sorry Will Smith, no zombies for you to kill this round

we have one option before us: find a new planet and try our luck again. You live and you learn right? Unfortunately Earth is far to tied up in its political, social and religious conflicts to focus on the most important problem facing us all, our feeble lack of any real progress in space exploration since we stuck it to those Russians in 1969.

Even in the most conservative science fiction, we (at the very least) have lunar colonies by the year 2010. And the worst part of our failure to even attempt further space exploration, is that it isn’t as much from a lack of technology as from a lack of budget (AKA the government not taking space exploration seriously). NASA’s general consensus is that "Human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit is not viable under the FY (fiscal year) 2010 budget guideline."

While NASA is busy ironing out their financial woes and helping Toyota with their “Moving Forward” problems*, the heavy lifting in space exploration has fallen to the private sector. Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, the South African CEO of Tesla Motors, co-founder of Pay-Pal and Jon Favreau’s inspiration for the character of Tony Stark, have started private space exploration contractors. Musk’s is called SpaceX and it’s Dragon spacecraft successfully completed it’s final high altitude drop test a mere 5 days ago and will be demonstrating it’s first fully operational flight in the near future.

Personally, I don't see it

SpaceX is not the only private space contractor, Virgin Galactic is currently working on its famous passenger spacecrafts and selling tickets to space for the bargain price of $200,000 (monopoly is a beautiful thing, isn’t it Branson?). Even with innovations like these, we are still eons behind in our “continuing mission to explore strange new worlds...to seek out new life; new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before”

And we should probably hurry it up, before this happens

*http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903784.html

Other references:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/020310-layer8-nasa-future-challenges.html

http://www.networkworld.com/slideshows/2009/091809-layer8-nasa.html#slide1

http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20100820

http://www.worldcentric.org/conscious-living/environmental-destruction

http://www.virgingalactic.com/