- War erupts between Sudan and South Sudan
- European debt crisis still an issue
- North and South Korea stay the same
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Predictions for 2012
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
AIC Conflix Final Thoughts - Response
After participating in the simulation I have gained greater insight on the Arab Israeli conflict. As USA, we played a vital role due to the size and power our country possesses. Having received news back from our NSA he seems to have enjoyed our work and feels we have done an amazing job in representing USA.
Representing Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, my job was crucial to the success and progress of such an intricate political system such as that of the United States. In addition to communicating with other countries via email, I wrote up an action plan, entitled "USA's Support," that our NSA "found both insightful and responsible." In it I addressed USA's wish to dissuade Russia from supporting Syria and our plan of deploying American troops in Israel to help them fight against the invading Syrians in the Golan Heights. In response our NSA wrote that, "the action form was perfectly done and I was very excited to see it." Overall, I feel accomplished in our goal of rightfully representing USA and will put my new found knowledge to good use.
Representing Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, my job was crucial to the success and progress of such an intricate political system such as that of the United States. In addition to communicating with other countries via email, I wrote up an action plan, entitled "USA's Support," that our NSA "found both insightful and responsible." In it I addressed USA's wish to dissuade Russia from supporting Syria and our plan of deploying American troops in Israel to help them fight against the invading Syrians in the Golan Heights. In response our NSA wrote that, "the action form was perfectly done and I was very excited to see it." Overall, I feel accomplished in our goal of rightfully representing USA and will put my new found knowledge to good use.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Belief - John Mayer
Is there anyone who
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time
Everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be
Everyone believes
And they're not going easily
Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside
Everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Everyone believes
And no one's going quietly
We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for
What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand
Belief can
Belief can
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand
Belief can
Belief can
In this song, John Mayer is saying that if everyone respected each other's beliefs then there would be no conflict and we could all live harmoniously, and essentially all be "winners." But as long as we believe that our needs should be put before others and that our country is better than another there will never be peace. No one really wins in any sort of war if we try winning through destruction and force.
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time
Everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be
Everyone believes
And they're not going easily
Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside
Everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Everyone believes
And no one's going quietly
We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for
What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand
Belief can
Belief can
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand
Belief can
Belief can
In this song, John Mayer is saying that if everyone respected each other's beliefs then there would be no conflict and we could all live harmoniously, and essentially all be "winners." But as long as we believe that our needs should be put before others and that our country is better than another there will never be peace. No one really wins in any sort of war if we try winning through destruction and force.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
In the News - Belarus' Democratic Dictatorship
Article definitions:
Centrist: a member of a political party of the Center; moderate
Why do you think Lukashenko gets away with leading such a corrupt government? Is there any possible solution for the Belarusian people to have a truly democratic nation?
Centrist: a member of a political party of the Center; moderate
Why do you think Lukashenko gets away with leading such a corrupt government? Is there any possible solution for the Belarusian people to have a truly democratic nation?
Once someone is in power they have the world at their finger tips. Although Belarus is a democracy, Lukashenko runs it as a dictatorship, and he has the backing to be able to do so. Controlling the population is much easier to do when you pay the police off and basically have an army to throw anyone who opposes you into prison. And how can he be stopped if he's always in power? After all, he controls the vote; so whether he truly wins or loses, he always wins. The future looks dim and the hopes for a fair government seem far off; what are the citizens of Belarus to do... What can they do? Unfortunately, it seems as though nothing can stop the tyrannical ruling of Lukashenko. Protests don't work, new elections are corrupt, what else can be done? Belarus cannot become uncorrupt on its own, it requires the help of other countries and other, non-corrupt leaders. Political leaders from other nations need to see the injustice in this country and step in to mediate the situation to remove Lukashenko from power.
Friday, 2 December 2011
"Think twice, Canada, before attacking Tehran"
Article definitions:
Casus belli: a justification for acts of war
Post-facto: after the fact
Should Canada partake in a problem that doesn't directly affect them? Why fight a battle that isn't technically their war?
Hypothetically, if we were to compare the possible outcome of this war to the war between the US and Iraq, would the ends truly justify the means?
This information is based on sub-standard evidence; in your opinion, is it worth losing countless lives and spending immense amounts of money on, what can only be referred to as, a possibility?
Casus belli: a justification for acts of war
Post-facto: after the fact
Should Canada partake in a problem that doesn't directly affect them? Why fight a battle that isn't technically their war?
Hypothetically, if we were to compare the possible outcome of this war to the war between the US and Iraq, would the ends truly justify the means?
This information is based on sub-standard evidence; in your opinion, is it worth losing countless lives and spending immense amounts of money on, what can only be referred to as, a possibility?
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Blog Post #5 - To Act or Not To Act
Never have I come across a physical event where someone has needed immediate help. Although, I have to wonder what I might do in an event such as, a fight or a stranger in need. We'd all like to think that we'd be the one there to lend a helping hand, we'd take note of the situation and take action - but would we really? We've all heard of the "bystander effect," where people see and maybe even have a gut feeling that something is wrong, but fail to do anything to remedy this wrong doing; would we fall victim to this phenomenon? I believe this happens for a number of reasons; for example, sometimes people don't necessarily think anything of a situation until it truly resonates with them and they have time to think, "hey, that didn't seem right, maybe that person needed help." Other times we second guess ourselves. Things aren't always as they seem and we convince ourselves that we're probably just over reacting and everything is actually fine. Perhaps people just don't want to get involved, because is it truly your business if a couple is fighting and maybe the boyfriend is getting a little abusive? Finally, it could simply just be a lack of compassion we face in our society today; people are too busy with their own lives and caring about themselves to find the time for others. Whatever the reason may be, if it did turn out that someone actually needed help and you left them in dire need, could you forgive yourself? I'd like to think I wouldn't be a bystander, but I hope I never have to find out.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Blog Entry #3
"We have learned that we cannot live alone, at peace; that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of other nations, far away.... We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former US President, 1945.
This quote is highly affective in describing the world we live in today because it recognizes our dependency issues as a global population. Throughout history we have become mutually dependent on other countries, this is called interdependence. This is most noticeable in terms of trade, our imports and exports. The things we can't produce ourselves, we rely on other nations to get. In any given day, the majority of the food we eat isn't grown within 100 mile radius or even 1000 mile radius of where we live. The raspberries you just ate came from Mexico, the strawberries from California; "locally grown" is almost a foreign concept.
The shoes you're wearing, do they say made in Canada? Mine don't. Nowadays it seems almost everything is made in China. Why is this you ask? The answer simply boils down to cost. We are living in a world where this is the most common concern; why pay someone locally for something you could get for a fraction of the cost across the ocean. Interdependency doesn't just apply to things we CAN'T produce, but the things we don't WANT to produce, because our well-being isn't only physical, but financial as well.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former US President, 1945.
This quote is highly affective in describing the world we live in today because it recognizes our dependency issues as a global population. Throughout history we have become mutually dependent on other countries, this is called interdependence. This is most noticeable in terms of trade, our imports and exports. The things we can't produce ourselves, we rely on other nations to get. In any given day, the majority of the food we eat isn't grown within 100 mile radius or even 1000 mile radius of where we live. The raspberries you just ate came from Mexico, the strawberries from California; "locally grown" is almost a foreign concept.
The shoes you're wearing, do they say made in Canada? Mine don't. Nowadays it seems almost everything is made in China. Why is this you ask? The answer simply boils down to cost. We are living in a world where this is the most common concern; why pay someone locally for something you could get for a fraction of the cost across the ocean. Interdependency doesn't just apply to things we CAN'T produce, but the things we don't WANT to produce, because our well-being isn't only physical, but financial as well.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Blog Entry #2 - Part 2
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasing unification of the world's economic order through reduction of barriers to international trade such as, tariffs, export fees, and import quotas. While colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Both have the same goal/meaning of bringing different communities together and integrating them to form one large society.
Friedman argues that the world has become a much more level playing field in recent history; this is due to the commerce, which had provided the opportunity for India, China, and other newly industrializing countries to emerge. He believes that historical and geographical differences are becoming more and more irrelevant due to what her refers to as "Globalization 3.0." Friedman goes on to list his ten flatteners, these include; the demolition of the Berlin wall (Nov. 11, '89), which visually allowed us to see the world as a flat plain. When Netscape went public (Aug. 9, '95), this was the first Internet browser, which brought the Internet alive and triggered the ".com" boom. Work flow, which refers to proprietary software, such as Microsoft word or excel. The next six are; outsourcing, off-shoring, open sourcing, supply chaining, in-sourcing, and informing, basically these are all companies and services that allow us to collaborate with others around the world. The final flattener he calls "the steroids," this refers to wireless, voice-over, and the Internet. In conclusion, Friedman states that 10 % of the world can plug into globalization, that's 300 million people! Globalization truly is "leveling" the playing field and bringing people everywhere together.
Globalization refers to the increasing unification of the world's economic order through reduction of barriers to international trade such as, tariffs, export fees, and import quotas. While colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Both have the same goal/meaning of bringing different communities together and integrating them to form one large society.
Friedman argues that the world has become a much more level playing field in recent history; this is due to the commerce, which had provided the opportunity for India, China, and other newly industrializing countries to emerge. He believes that historical and geographical differences are becoming more and more irrelevant due to what her refers to as "Globalization 3.0." Friedman goes on to list his ten flatteners, these include; the demolition of the Berlin wall (Nov. 11, '89), which visually allowed us to see the world as a flat plain. When Netscape went public (Aug. 9, '95), this was the first Internet browser, which brought the Internet alive and triggered the ".com" boom. Work flow, which refers to proprietary software, such as Microsoft word or excel. The next six are; outsourcing, off-shoring, open sourcing, supply chaining, in-sourcing, and informing, basically these are all companies and services that allow us to collaborate with others around the world. The final flattener he calls "the steroids," this refers to wireless, voice-over, and the Internet. In conclusion, Friedman states that 10 % of the world can plug into globalization, that's 300 million people! Globalization truly is "leveling" the playing field and bringing people everywhere together.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Blog Entry #2 - Part 1
AIC Conflict
The Arab-Israeli conflict refers to the political tensions and open hostilities between the Arab people and the Jewish community of the Middle East that have lasted for over a century. The conflict, which started as a political and nationalist conflict over competing territorial ambitions following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, has changed over the years from the large scale regional Arab-Israeli conflict to more local Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The U.S. has supported Israel as it's strategic ally in the Middle East. Not only is the U.S. heavily dependent upon the region's oil, but it has also used it's territory as a strategic American base. And it has been said by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed F. Abo-Sak that, "While the United States has been enjoying the benefits of its Arab and Islamic Middle Eastern friendships, Israel has been enjoying the benefits of strong U.S. support."
I am representing Hillary Clinton, on the subject of the Arab-Israeli conflict she believes that, "America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America. The best way to advance America’s interest in reducing global threats and seizing global opportunities is to design and implement global solutions. This isn’t a philosophical point. This is our reality."
The Arab-Israeli conflict refers to the political tensions and open hostilities between the Arab people and the Jewish community of the Middle East that have lasted for over a century. The conflict, which started as a political and nationalist conflict over competing territorial ambitions following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, has changed over the years from the large scale regional Arab-Israeli conflict to more local Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The U.S. has supported Israel as it's strategic ally in the Middle East. Not only is the U.S. heavily dependent upon the region's oil, but it has also used it's territory as a strategic American base. And it has been said by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed F. Abo-Sak that, "While the United States has been enjoying the benefits of its Arab and Islamic Middle Eastern friendships, Israel has been enjoying the benefits of strong U.S. support."
I am representing Hillary Clinton, on the subject of the Arab-Israeli conflict she believes that, "America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America. The best way to advance America’s interest in reducing global threats and seizing global opportunities is to design and implement global solutions. This isn’t a philosophical point. This is our reality."
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