I want to talk about these questions today

1. Let’s make a list.  Where was the clothing you are currently wearing manufactured?

2. According to Kincaid, what is the island that most tourists see when they visit Antigua?  Is that an accurate image?  How so?  

3. Kincaid seems to imply that “a small place” like Antigua has difficulty competing in a big world.  Describe the economic state of the island nation (c.1988).  How does she explain that situation?

4. According to the author, why do the locals have such a disdain for Antiguan tourists?

5. Ultimately, what do you think Kincaid wants the (Western) reader to understand or do?

6. If you're interested, this photo series by Michael Wolf is pretty amazing:

New York City LEDs the Way to a Brighter Future

NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proudly displays LED streetlight replacement

We've had a recent trend of downright depressing news, especially concerning our environment, so I thought I might shed some light on a project that is starting in our nation's cultural and financial center.

The city that never sleeps may be able to rest easier knowing that it is making a simple, highly effective and profitable step toward its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2017. The NYC Department of Transportation has started on its plan to replace all 250,000 of its streetlights with light-emitting diode fixtures. LEDs are brighter, energy efficient, and last 20 years rather than the 6 years of a conventional fixture. The project cost is estimated at 76.5 million dollars and has an anticipated annual savings of 14 million dollars a year, meaning that this effort is likely to pay for itself in less than 6 years.

Because the massive retrofitting is going to save taxpayers money, it's the type of environmentally positive step that begets nearly unanimous public approval. The project began as a wildly successful pilot program in 2009, and 3,625 lights have already been replaced in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It's great to see NYC administration making positive changes with energy efficient technology that is readily available, and I'm excited for other administrations to follow New York's enlightened lead.

Read more about it HERE.

$50 Billion Games

With the 2016 Winter Olympics approaching, Russia has spent $50 billion into the Olympics, making it the most expensive Olympics in world history to date. Sochi now has new railways, highways, stadiums, hotels, ice rinks, residential districts, and airport constructed in record time. The question now is what is going to happen after the Olympics?

They're hoping that this would bring more tourists to Sochi especially since they're expecting a Formula One race to happen in the near future, along with the promotion of their farmer's market, local winery, branding tasting, and Scorpions concert.

“When you bring such big events to a country, they leave a legacy that includes infrastructure, optimism, jobs and, sometimes, even new industries like sports marketing,” said Zoran Vucinic, president of Coca-Cola’s Russia, Belarus and Ukraine Unit.

The American "Dream"

Earlier this week House Speaker John Boehner announced that the House would not be considering immigration reform this year. President Obama, earlier this year, said that immigration reform would be something that would come to light before the year’s up, but the House replies that there simply not enough time to enact something expansive enough to cover all aspects of citizenship. In fact it seems like the US is working in opposition to this aspired equality.

This article states that last year President Obama deported over 400,000 people, tearing families apart and also creating more means for protest and activism on behalf of immigrants. On June 25 the Supreme Court shut down the Voting Rights Act, which allowed states like Texas to reinstate the strict voter ID laws, ultimately restricting immigrants from voting who are citizens but don’t have the correct ID to be able to vote. A chain reaction across the United States has occurred where more voter ID laws and "show me your papers” accusations are becoming reinforced.

These laws are more constrictive to our citizens of color and many are comparing this to the discrimination given when citizenship was first granted and the eligibility to vote was given. It seems that once a rung is acquired in the latter to equality the US finds a way to demolish that progress by taking care of another issue.

The article also touches on the American Dream and I think it's funny that the American Dream is so tangible to some but nobody really understands what it is. It also seems that the funnel to get the American Dream is so narrow, you have to fit all of these qualifications in order to even consider for yourself that you’re living the American Dream. I feel when something has so many qualifiers and many people aspiring to obtain it, but the “it” the “dream,” the concept of it is cloudy and unclear, that it no longer becomes a dream, but more so a myth. Where all trying to live the American Folklore.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/15/opinion/culliton-gonzlez-immigration-voting/index.html?iref=allsearch

Optimism Only Goes So Far

The Republican majority of the House of Representatives has been collectively stating that they have no time for immigration reform, and that, at least for 2013, the immigration bill is dead. Though President Obama has made many attempts to revive the bill, this Tuesday he succumbed to Republican demands, agreeing to a piecemeal approach to immigration. President Obama has been a huge supporter of the immigration bill, agreeing that having 11 million Americans living in constant fear of deportation is wrong, and that $1.4 trillion (the amount of money that could be brought in with immigration reform, plus an extra $184 billion in tax revenues) should not be passed up. Now he is taking a different approach with the Republicans, saying, " If they want to chop that thing up into five pieces, as long as all five pieces get done, I don’t care what it looks like." Many democrats have expressed their concern that with this strategy, saying the majority of Republicans will just pass the, "easy," parts of the legislation and not the harder, more debated parts. What this really means is though the President has recognized the immigration system as broken and in need of complete overhaul, its not going to happen.

The President was also quoted saying, "I am actually optimistic that we’re going to get this done. I’m a general optimist.” But, optimism only goes so far. Those 11 million people living in constant terror aren't feeling very optimistic at the moment. Those 50 million people living in poverty in the U.S today, who could be substantially helped by an improved economy, aren't feeling very optimistic right now. I understand that there may be a different way to approach immigration reform, and this could turn out to be the way. However if and when the majority of the house gets away with denying the parts of immigration reform that could actually make a difference, I don't think the President will be feeling so optimistic.

http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-bill-2013-obama-says-piecemeal-deal-1477808

Dreamers

Let’s Play a Game! Let’s Play, ‘Catch an Illegal Immigrant!”

The oh-so-endearing campus of University of Texas at Austin planned a game for students to participate in this Wednesday. The fabulously named student group, the Young Conservatives of Texas (a title that really encompasses everything I’m attracted to in a student group!*) thinks that by playing a game called “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” they will be the leaders to “spark a campus-wide discussion about the issue of illegal immigration, and how it affects our everyday lives.” The game, simply, is to look out for students walking around campus on Wednesday wearing a shirt or sign that says “illegal immigrant”, capture them, and take them to the recruiting table for the Young Conservatives of Texas where they will receive a $25 gift card. For….something. An unspecified $25 gift card. So not only are these students planning a game that is, in my opinion, one of the most fucked up and childish things to do when targeting a very real issue, they are also monetarily rewarding the student body for their participation in this fucked up and childish “game”. And on top of that, the game does not address the issue they stated they wanted to spark discussion about in any sort of intellectual or creative manner whatsoever. How does capturing human beings and trading them in for money educate anyone on your campus as to how illegal immigration “affects our everyday lives?” And who says "gift card" without saying where it's even for, anyway?

Despite the fact that over 150 people said (via Facebook) that they would be participating in the game, the game has gotten enough of an overwhelmingly negative response, with outrage from the school and politicians included, that my second article announces the cancelation of the game. 

Just another reason as to why we should use all of Texas as just one giant solar panel to produce enough energy for the entire world. And why CASCADIA NOW!

*I do hope the sarcasm is obvious here and my classmates do not think I’m interested in joining the Young Conservatives of Texas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/higher-education/young-conservatives-of-texas-to-stage-catch-an-immigrant-game-on-university-of-texas-campus/2013/11/18/dfbfab98-508c-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/illegal-immigrant-game-texas-austin_n_4297838.html

Trouble in the Amazon

                   

The Amazon rainforest covers more than 2 million square miles of the Amazon Basin. Connecting nine countries: including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the Amazon accounts for more than half of our planet’s rainforests.  Preserving this forest is essential for fighting global warming and protecting many endangered species.

            13% of the rainforest covers more than half of Peru and laws have been established on preserving this crucial natural resource. Today, illegal logging is in full swing and will soon become destructive to the Earth’s environment if nothing is changed. About 80% of Peru’s logging exports to the United States are illegal. Even with these new laws for protecting the land, many officials and industries are incredibly corrupt. Secret lumber farms spring up deep in the jungle and if a government official stumbles upon it, most of the time they are bribed to look the other way. The States and Australia have banned illegal lumber but it is not enough without a stand by the authorities of Peru.

            This is the kind of situation where I’d like to hope humanity would settle in. Though, I can understand how some of these “corrupted” Peruvian officials become “corrupted”. If one man turned in a major illegal industry the judge may still even pass them off as clean and he could lose his job. Instead of that hassle he could lie and earn upwards to $5,000. It’s just the matter that in the long run it affects everyone on this planet. 

Read about it.

Hey, who turned out the lights??

A tourist attraction in Puerto Rico known as the glowing lagoon has suddenly gone dark!!!! This lagoon lies on the northeast side of the island but what many are baffled about is what is causing this lagoon to go dark. What causes the glow is bioluminescent organisms in the water. A few of the hypostasis for the lac in shine is of the cutting down of the mangrove trees to clear out more paths in the forest, but it is more likely caused by the building of a new sewage and water plant near buy. They believe the excess water flowing into the “bay”, as it is also known is disrupting the life cycle by caring excess water and pollution into the water. What I find to be so interesting is how buy humans modernizing how many other beautiful things in the world are going to be lost or destroyed in the proses, and what job is it for us as humans to protect these wonders of our world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/puerto-rico-bioluminescent-lagoon_n_4304522.html?utm_hp_ref=green

China's New Plan to Tackle Air Pollution

Beijing, in an attempt to reduce the amount of pollution in the air, has come up with a new plan to reduce the number of conventional cars on the road and to add more hybrid and electric vehicles.  The local government has said that they will reduce the number of license plates it issues over the next four years by 40 percent, to 150,000 a year by 2017. They will also slowly increase the number of plates reserved for electric and hybrid vehicles to 40 percent of the total by the end of four years.

Chinese officials have tried other tactics to improve the air in Beijing in the past. During the 2008 Olympics, all factories around the city were shut down and in October, local authorities said they would ban half the city's cars when serious pollution was expected.

While this attempt is noble and should help limit future pollution, because Beijing's air has been bad for so long, this will not be enough to fix the pollution problem entirely. "The city is surrounded by smoke-belching factories, its streets are choked by a growing number of cars and it sits on a plain that is surrounded by hills that trap pollution." To reduce the smog that blankets the city, China will need to restrict emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and other airborne pollutants from surrounding areas, and it will have to cut down on outdoor fires used for cooking. Most importantly, China will have to rethink how it powers itself because zero-emisson vehicles need electricity and most of China's power is generated by burning coal.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/opinion/beijings-car-problem.html?ref=airpollution

Slowdown in Carbon Emissions Worldwide, but Coal Burning Continues to Grow

The top U.N. climate diplomat on Monday told the coal industry it should leave most of the world's remaining coal reserves in the ground and start investing in renewable energy sources.

Speaking at a coal summit on the sidelines of a U.N. climate conference in Warsaw, Christiana Figueres said the coal industry needs to change radically to help reduce the carbon emissions that scientists say are warming the planet.

"The world is rising to meet the climate challenge as risks of inaction mount, and it is in your best interest to make coal part of the solution," Figueres said.

“Let me be clear from the outset that my joining you today is neither a tacit approval of coal use, nor is it a call for the immediate disappearance of coal,” Ms. Figueres said. “But I am here to say that coal must change rapidly and dramatically for everyone’s sake.”

She cited a “business continuation risk” for the coal industry if it does not play a larger role in finding ways to limit emissions.

One option would be to capture emissions of carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants and inject them into deep underground formations, but development of that technology, known as carbon capture and storage, has received little support from the industry or from governments. 

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/science/slowdown-in-carbon-emissions-worldwide-but-coal-burning-continues-to-grow.html?_r=0

More Projections

All borrowed from http://www.radicalcartography.net/

Luck of the Irish?

The Irish Economy lately has been going through a lot of crap lately, but it seems like Ireland is finally ready to get back on its two feet again. After being bailed out by the rest of the Eurozone for quite some time, Ireland has decided to exit the Bailout scheme without any precautionary measures taken. They will not be taking out a line of credit via other Eurozone members. Taking out a line of credit can put many other conditions and obligations on its economy. However, not exiting with a line of credit leaves the economy solely balanced on industry, and the bond market. After talks with Germany's Chancellor Angel Merkel, Ireland feels very confident in stepping out back on its own.

Plus, if Ireland was to take out a line of credit via the Eurozone, then the other 3 countries, such as Portugal who are also under bailout plans would find it that much easier to ALSO take out a line of credit.

Read about it here!

Projections

I'm still working on the question regarding the etymology of "3rd World."  In the meantime, consider these two "projections."

The first is the Mercator projection - the most commonly used global map.

The second is the Peters projection.  It attempts to account for the stretching of the poles, and thereforce, represent the world more accurately.

So what are the differences?  For starters, Africa is bigger and the United States is smaller. Also, Russia is much, much smaller.  If you want to know more about the politics of those differences, I would suggest you look HERE

Feeding the Families of our Nation

In 2009 a bill was passed to give American families who rely on food stamps 13.6 percent more in food stamps money.  This was part of the federal economic stimulus package that proved to be very helpful and influential in the years to come as thousands of more families joined.  By 2010, 40.3 million people were enrolled and over 45 percent of those getting food stamps are children.  However, the beginning of this November marked the end of the increase in that funding and now the government plans on saving 5 million dollars after this first year.  This reduction in support and funding has so far affected 47 million and as the article in the New York Times states, “It is the largest wholesale cut in the program since Congress passed the first Food Stamps Act in 1964 and touches about one in every seven Americans.”

It is true that the food stamp program cost $78.4 billion in just the year of 2012 alone and although the amount of money given per family each month has been slowly decreasing, the amount of families joining the program is increasing.  So in the end it is just continuing to cost the nation more and more money.  It has been said that this program is spiraling out of control, thus the reason for the expiration of extra funding.  At this point, it looks as if funding will continue to be cut in the upcoming years.

The argument now is that this cut has affected so many families who depend on every penny of food stamp money they get.  It is not unrealistic to say they will be starving at the end of the month.  This means turning to soup kitchens and food pantry’s to keep themselves fed throughout the month.  As funding continues to decrease, the amount of families able to be supported by this program will decrease as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/us/cut-in-food-stamps-forces-hard-choices-on-poor.html?_r=0

Event in the UDistrict

Join Santiago Garcia, Luis Leon, and Dulce Guerrero, members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance and DreamActivist.org, as they speak about their cutting edge social justice work and the use of direct action by undocumented immigrants.

For more information, call 206-543-7946, or e-mail hbcls@uw.edu. Sponsored by the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies; the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity; the UW Diversity Research Institute; UW Latin American and Caribbean Studies; UW Law, Societies and Justice; and UW American Ethnic Studies.

Wednesday, November 20
6:30pm-8:30pm
UW Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, Unity Room
3931 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Drone what? Strike who?

http://www.alternet.org/world/what-we-still-dont-know-about-obamas-drone-war

I have not learned much about drone strikes despite how often the name appears in political conversation.  Apparently over six months ago Obama claimed that he wished for a more strict policy and clear disclosure about the “continuing and imminent threat to the American people”, who would probably like to know what sort of operations they are directly or indirectly supporting.  Information such as civilian death counts and who is actually being targeted, or whether or not civilian deaths are even being compensated for is unclear.  According to U.S. officials, there is a big difference between their figures and independent sources - what a surprise.  The U.S. administration will not release its figures however and has remained generally quiet about the drone strikes.  Along with the lack of clarity,  the battle for more disclosure is rather stagnant. The legal justification behind the strikes is a huge point of contention in the battle for disclosure and the CIA has already been found to have lied about the existence of drones. The Pakistan government's cooperation with the U.S. drone strikes has been documented and it seems to support the use of drones while the citizens of Pakistan generally do not.  The U.S. has drone bases in various parts of the world including Djibouti and Niger in order to fight terrorism outside of Afghanistan without the use of troops.  So now I am supposed to say what I think about this whole thing... as my rationale hopefully surpasses my Amygdala, my higher forms of though attempt to formulate an opinion...  *dial-up internet connection sound*... twiddles thumbs... thanks "word count".

Is Anyone Else Confused?

Since our last class discussion about the pros and cons of PRISM, I have been thinking a lot about the issue and how it directly relates to the war on terror. Being a lover of my privacy and being a struggling and working student that pays way too much to have the luxury of looking up whatever the hell I want, I sort of think that I shouldn't have to worry about getting arrested for googeling something. Having said that, if a program like this exists I would hope that we are better protected as US citizens and can prevent horrific things like the Boston bombing from happening. Now when researching this topic more I spent a significant amount of time trying to find an article that directly related PRISM and the war on terror that weren't heavily invoving opinion and instead focused on facts, but this article speaks directly about the relation between the two (kind of) and how if the said document that highlights the pros of PRISM and how it can take on a major role in protecting against terrorism is made public then citizens would grasp better and accurate knowledge about the program. CNN and the Associated Press have both been given this document and have reported on it and the AP has confidently said that the document will "show Americans the value of the program." Okay, where is it? How can I find it, why hasn't it popped up in any search I have conducted. The article stated that a secret court reviews collected data every 90 days and is to only be inspected for suspected connections to terrorism. Soooooo bottom line, I'm still confused and I can't form an educated opinion on how I feel about this, and I for some reason can't help but picture this group of men sitting in a circle listening to my conversations and watching me through my camera while I type this. Paranoid?  Maybe. Is it possible... HELL YES. Is that scary and creepy.. HELL YES.

Will someone please find this said document that is supposed to be reassuring so I can go to sleep without the fear of being watched!

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/06/prism-helped-stop-terrorism-in-us-and-20-plus-countries-nsa-document-argues/



Here is Obama telling me to stop worrying about the group of bald short men with porn staches sitting in a room watching me type this...

Phew.. Thanks Obama, now I can rest easy.. Because we all know that presidents are never crooks and would never lie to us! Right?