Power of Oil

Multiple geopolitical consequences arise from the fall in oil prices

The price of a barrel of oil holds greater significance than most people believe, as many countries depend on the revenue raised from selling oil to fund their budget. Multiple geopolitical consequences arise from the fall in oil prices, because many menacing nations to the United States that rely on oil revenues are struggling to stay afloat, economically. Countries such as Venezuela, run by Hugo Chavez, and Iran, lead by Mahmud Ahmadinejad, are straining to balance their budgets, which rely on a high price for a barrel of oil to pay for their expenditures. According to The Economist, Venezuela balances its budget with $95 a barrel of oil, and it loses about $5 billion for every $10 drop in the price of light crude. Now that the price of oil has dropped to around $60, Venezuela’s Chavez needs to determine his priorities, as he recently added multiple social programs to the country’s payroll. $95 a barrel of oil is also what Iran has based its expenditures on this year. The lost revenue has lead to questions within the Iranian government, and parliamentary members are finally raising questions on Ahmadinejad’s wisdom in confronting the United States and the European Union, which have recently pushed for more damaging economic sanctions against Iran. As recently as July, Venezuela and Iran were considered a growing threat to global security, as their control of critical oil supplies rendered the two countries vitally important to the world’s major energy consumers. Now that the price of oil has gone down, these two countries are seen as a smaller threat to global stability.

Low Price of Oil Damaging Countries

Venezuela and Iran have suffered greatly from the decrease in oil prices

While Venezuela and Iran have suffered greatly from the decrease in oil prices, Saudi Arabia is faring well, as it wisely determined its budget based upon the conservative price of a meager $45 a barrel. Even at $60 a barrel, Saudi Arabia is able to maintain all of its expenditures, but other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries insist on cutting oil production, in order to boost oil prices. OPEC recently agreed upon a 1.5 million barrel cut in oil production, which is the equivalent of a 5% cut, according to the New York Times. But OPEC members are not yet satisfied, as they pushing for a further cut to production, as they are under tremendous pressure to maintain the funding of the budget. The dramatic cut in oil production, however, appeared to have no effect on the price of oil, which supports the thesis that the recent oil bubble was due in large part to greedy speculation.

Environment Affected By Price of Oil

Although the price of oil has significant geopolitical ramifications, it also has a large influences the developing alternative energy sector, as these new costly technologies appear less appealing with the drop in oil prices. Consumers are now less willing to spend more on alternative energy sources as they find that their bills at the gas pump are diminishing. Proponents of solar, wind, and geothermal power are now facing growing challenges with the drop in oil prices. The only way these energy sources, essential to future generations of energy consumers, will continue to develop is if the United States government provides more subsidies to this burgeoning industry. The United States government faces tough choices in the years to come, as it will need to evaluate its priorities with regards to the energy sector. Consuming foreign oil is no longer an option in a polarized and difficult world, in which oil supplies can be cut off in a matter of days.

Oil Brings Economic Success

actual oil revenue will not reach Brazilian coffers for years to come

Therefore, leaders in Brazil are debating whether putting a polluting commodity is worth the environmental drawbacks. In a world run by cold cash, interest for the environment becomes almost irrelevant. This is especially true at a time when the world is tumbling into a financial crisis of great proportion. Brazil’s oil supply, however, is difficult to tap, as the oil fields sit more than 6,000 meters below the surface of the earth. This inconvenience creates multiple problems, including expensive extraction costs and a longer wait for the actual extraction of oil. Therefore, actual oil revenue will not reach Brazilian coffers for years to come, which means that Brazil is holding a theoretical resource, which it cannot access.

Brazil considers itself an environmentally friendly nation, because it manages to produce a significant amount of biofuels, which take the place of oil, at least until now. But Brazil is in fact plagued by environmental concerns. Its largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, are plagued by air pollution, and with greater industrialization this problem has only increased. The continued fast-paced deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest poses grave consequences on a global scale, as the emission of carbon dioxide increases as trees in this vital area are cut down, because trees emit CO2 when they are cut down. Not only is Brazil contributing to rising carbon dioxide emissions with its lack of control over the deforestation of the Amazon, but also is causing the extinction of thousands of species that are losing their natural habitat. In all of this, Brazil is condemning China for its weak environmental regulation. China certainly needs to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, but Brazil is not the country that should denounce China’s environmental practices.

Economic Regulation Essential

Brazilian economy is expanding, as wages and employment rates are increasing

Brazil, along with Russia, India, and China, who form BRIC, has experienced sustained, albeit insignificant in comparison to the other three nations, growth in the past decade. With its growing economic power, which will only increase with the recent discovery of oil, Brazil has begun exerting a larger political influence on the rest of South America. The Brazilian economy is expanding, as wages and employment rates are increasing. Direct foreign investments have contributed positively to Brazil’s economic growth. Brazilian President Lula’s economic policies have attracted greater direct foreign investments, as Brazil’s economic regulation has improved. Brazil’s minimal exposure to the risk of the financial crisis can be attributed to the strict banking regulation, which was instituted in the 1990s reforms. The strict banking regulations set in place in the 1990s, whose absence in the United States has caused the ongoing crisis, has protected Brazil from much of today’s financial turmoil. Brazil’s exposure to the crisis is minimal compared to other developed nations, as the total amount of credit in Brazil amounts to only 38% of the GDP compared to the 200% of the GDP in the United States. In times of financial turbulence, the smaller the percentage in GDP the total amount of credit is, the less exposed the country’s economy is to risk. Therefore, Brazil will be less affected by the credit crunch occurring in the United States. In fact, estimates for Brazil’s economic growth for 2008 have only fallen from an increase of between 4.5 to 5.5 percent to an increase between 2.5 and 3.5 percent.

Brazil’s continued economic prosperity will depend on its management of essential internal infrastructure improvements. Although controversial, Brazil’s success in the world economy will depend on the exploitation of its newly discovered oil resources. Brazil will need to carefully balance energy use with environmental protection as the two unfortunately do not yet work hand in hand. Similarly to other countries, continued reforms in economic and governing policies will dictate Brazil’s possible continued economic and social improvement.

Effects of Somali Pirates

The seizure of T-72 tanks poses serious security questions, because the Somali terrorists can fund future missions by selling the tanks to the highest bidder

The recent outburst of piracy off the coasts of Somalia has driven Jack Lloyd, the director of the legendary Volvo Ocean Race, to request a sizeable favor from the British navy.  The organizers of the trans-oceanic race just recently added a leg in the itinerary from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.  This route turns out to cross the treacherous stretch of sea off the coast of Somalia.  Considering the recent surge in piracy, the Volvo Ocean Race organizers requested the assistance of the venerable British navy to supply them with an aircraft carrier.  The threat from maritime piracy is so great that a sailing competition requires the assistance of an aircraft carrier, something absolutely remarkable and unprecedented.  British citizens should be furious with its navy, as granting protection through an aircraft carrier to a private sailing competition is absurd.  British taxpayers should not pay for the security of a sporting event, because the event organizers should either change the itinerary of the regatta to reflect the danger in the region or hire a security team to protect the fleet.  Granting an aircraft carrier to a private organization should not create a precedent, for this would lead to further utilization of the British military for private purposes.  The public should not pay for the enjoyment of the few.  The recent increase in piracy off the Horn of Africa has caused unexpected problems.

International Shipping Harmed

Pirates operating out of Somalia now pose as a significant threat to shipping that sails through the Suez Canal

International shipping has felt the consequences of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.  Pirates operating out of Somalia now pose as a significant threat to shipping that sails through the Suez Canal. This indicates that all shipping from Europe to Asia is severely affected, because cargo ships either face higher insurance premiums for the risk of passing by the Suez Canal or need to change their itinerary and pass by Cape Town, increasing both shipping times and fuel costs.  Therefore international trade will cost more, which will perforce reduce total international trade.  Although Somali pirates appear as a trivial phenomenon at first, it is actually adversely affecting international trade.

The United States has begun sending warships to the beleaguered region, in hopes of reducing the damaging impact of the pirates

The United Nations Security Counsel issued a resolution in June permitting nations to encroach Somali territorial waters in order to fight the aggressive pirates.  The United States has begun sending warships to the beleaguered region, in hopes of reducing the damaging impact of the pirates. American warships could protect vital ships on their passage through the Gulf of Aden, which would reduce the chance of an attack from pirates.  Protecting vessels of importance to international trade with a navy is an appropriate use of a nation’s resources.  Instead of protecting the competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race headed from Cape Town to Cochin, the British navy should dispatch is aircraft carrier to the waters off of Somalia to provide assistance to cargo ships that are in transit.

Negative Effects of Piracy

The resurgence of the maritime piracy phenomenon centered in Somalia creates greater problems than conventionally believed, because while the majority of ships passing through the Suez Canal are not attacked by Somali pirates, they all need to pay a greater insurance premium which raises costs to shipping.  This might seem as a menial detail, but a rise in shipping costs also affects consumers, because products travelling through the Suez Canal will see an increase in price.  Therefore, let the Volvo Ocean Race organizers pay for their own security apparatus, and not rely on the British navy for protection.  Although the Somali pirates are not attacking ships near American shores, today’s globalized economy ensures that the burden of global threats is shared by all countries.

The Internet is on Your Side Obama

You want to find that homemade Chinese desert recipe? Well, it’s only a Google’s search away

There is no doubt that the majority of Internet “users” will vote for Obama. Yes, your grandma may use the Internet…but I think that an overwhelming percentage of users in general of the web 1) associate with liberal, idealistic virtues, and 2) are democrats. I’m not going to argue whether their positions are even valid, and worth supporting…but no one can debate this fact! As I can attest to, the Internet isn’t the easiest tool to use to get information…it takes some web savvy to get anywhere. So obviously, most users are young (probably below 30ish), believe they’re more “exposed” to the world (in other words, worldly), and think whatever positions they support is right automatically. I mean, the Internet is a great way to get exposed to information from all around the world. You want to find that homemade Chinese desert recipe? Well, it’s only a Google’s search away. But, there’s its no substitute to truly understanding and exposing oneself to the real world. So, in my opinion there’s way too much ego-boosting and self-serving on the web…but I guess that’s guaranteed to occur wherever people can get away with being “anonymous.”

Why It Works

Anyway, most users are young and believe in a “better” world that generally leans towards the left political spectrum. After all, where else can someone get away with creating a company selling the “shit box?” So even if Obama didn’t realize the power of the Internet, he would have still garnered a lot of attention and positive press as any blog post carrying the mention of Obama would get that blog multitudes of comments, and traffic. It’s sorta like having the “ultimate first hand scoop” on some huge news story…

A complete self-serve “propaganda” machine if you well, after all the entire purpose of the site is to promote himself, and his philosophy of “changing” the status quo

But, Obama did realize the importance of having support of the Internet. That’s why he has such a large gathering online, donating some of the largest total sums of money to a campaign in history (though Ron Paul also did a good job as well…heh). I mean just look at Obama’s site. It’s clean and blue (okay, fine his party color is blue as well…but still the site has a nice tone to it), and most importantly draws users into his campaign right away engaging them with reminders to register to vote, to donate, and to get involved with the whole voting process. It’s pure genius! A complete self-serve “propaganda” machine if you well, after all the entire purpose of the site is to promote himself, and his philosophy of “changing” the status quo. The site even has the ability for users to sign up for accounts on the site itself on the section called “MyBO” (guess what that stands for). And, the other day I was trying to find more information on how to sign up for registering to vote (which I did today btw), and guess what…the site that gave me such “helpful” information also tried to sign me up for the Obama campaign. Talk about slick (and a little shady…though that’s the Internet for you) marketing. Heh, you can even notice the Hillary Clinton mention towards the bottom of the page… Also, not to nit-pick his site…but if you were to look at his stance on issues, “women” are on the bottom while “civil rights” and “defense” are at the top?

Now, if only I could emulate his success with my own web ventures? Maybe…?

Eric Huang

Shenzhou VII

The successful voyage of Shenzhou VII into space brings much promise to China

Shenzhou VII touched down in China’s Inner Mongolia at 5:37 p.m. local time on Sunday according to plan after a 68 hour long mission.  During the voyage into space, taikonaut Zhai Zhigang successfully went on a spacewalk, lasting a total of 13 minutes.  But once back on earth, Zhai Zhigang and his fellow taikonauts waited 46 minutes in the cramped capsule in order to re-adapt to earth’s gravity. The successful voyage of Shenzhou VII into space brings much promise to China, because it remains on schedule to fulfill its original objective of launching a manned mission to moon by 2020.  The Shenzhou VII mission’s primary objective was to send a manned spacecraft into space as a test for future missions, which include the building of a Chinese space station and the launching of a manned mission to moon.  China’s space program owes its success and sustenance to China’s own staggering economic strength.

Economic Growth

For the past twenty years, China’s Communist Party has set economic growth as its top priority, viewing it as the key to increased global influence.  China’s sustained economic growth, however, poses several problems to China and the rest of the world as well.   While cities along China’s eastern seaboard are experiencing a rising standard of living, rural villages in China’s interior are struggling.  Access to health facilities also remains a problem in China, as people in rural areas do not have access to adequate health facilities, which leads to the spread of infectious diseases.  In addition to the social problems caused by excessive economic growth, pollution remains the gravest concern.  Pollution from factories, barely regulated by Beijing, destroys the source of subsistence for millions of Chinese, by contaminating the water essential to farming.  China’s reliance on coal poses serious problems to the environment, as it produces more pollution than oil, because it combusts less efficiently.  Despite the negative effects of economic growth, China continues its policy of economic expansion, because it sees in it the key to unlocking greater global authority.

The vast amount of foreign exchange reserves China currently holds brings considerable power

As of the beginning of 2008, China holds $1.7 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, according to the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The vast amount of foreign exchange reserves China currently holds brings considerable power, because China can use the reserves to buy valuable assets, invest in infrastructure, arm its military, or fund its space program.  With $1.7 trillion in its bank account, China views an investment of $2.2 billion in a space program as a trivial expenditure.

China’s Economic Power

The facility with which China can disburse $2.2 billion for a space program is alarming.  If China is willing to pay such a significant sum for a peaceful endeavor, imagine what the country would be willing to pay for a belligerent cause.  The success of China’s space program requires an immediate reevaluation of China’s role on the world stage, because talks of China’s possible role in the future are no longer pertinent, as China is already a relevant player in current affairs.  Instead of resisting China’s rise as a major power, other nations should work in synergy with Beijing to develop coherent policies.  Cooperation between China and other countries is necessary to confront important issues such as environmental protection.

Cooperation with China

With its advanced knowledge in energy efficiency, Europe could cooperate with China to modernize its outdated energy policy.  The first step China should take to improve energy efficiency would be to increase energy prices to reflect its actual cost.  Presently, Chinese consumers pay discounted energy, since China heavily subsidizes the energy industry.  By simply raising the price of energy, the Chinese government would create an incentive for consumers to consume energy more efficiently and to buy more efficient appliances.

China’s manned mission into space is not only a momentous moment in Chinese history, but also a metaphor for China’s rise to power among other global giants.  The Chinese space program evidences China’s superior economic capabilities, which will influence future geopolitical events.  The world needs to accept China’s ascension as a nascent power, and welcome China as a new partner on global issues.

Possible Investors

A group of investors joined forces in early April, forming the Compagnia Aerea Italiana (CAI) group, intending to buy the struggling airline. Italy’s prime minister, billionaire Silvio Berlusconi, based his election bid in April of this year on the saving of Alitalia form bankruptcy, rejecting the existing plan of an Air France take over. Having already secured an agreement with Air France, Alitalia would have been reintegrated in the world class airline that Air France represents. What, then, was the problem in selling Alitalia to Air France, according to Berlusconi and his supporters? Berlusconi is known for his nationalistic fervor, and therefore selling Italy’s flagship airline to the French, deeply despised by most Italians, would be equivalent to treason.

Problems Behind Investors

Making an appealing offer for Alitalia during the summer, the CAI group appeared well on track to win over Alitalia. The airline’s management has supported the deal since early summer, but Alitalia employees have mounted a stubborn resistance against any bid for the company. Pilots and flight crews criticize proposed plans to cut staffing and pay. The CAI group, headed by Mr. Colaninno, includes several Italian industrialists, commercial banks, and a rival Italian airline, Air One. Unknown to most, the involvement of Air One represents a fundamental flaw. The acquisition of Alitalia by CAI would inadvertently create a mega-airline in Italy, as Alitalia and Air One would merge. This would create a problematic monopoly on flights within Italy, as competition would be inexistent.

Causes of Financial Trouble

Alitalia’s financial problems stem primarily from its cargo and ground operations, and not from its passenger service. The origin of Alitalia’s weakness lies not only in its ground operations, but also in its poor logistics of employee management. Alitalia’s employees are based primarily in Rome, although the airline’s hub resides at Milan’s Malpensa airport. Therefore, the airline’s employees were flied into Milan every morning and back to Rome every evening, all at the cost of the airline. Another drawback to this logistical blunder is that half the plane’s seats were occupied by the Airline’s staff in the morning and in the evening, therefore losing a considerable margin for profit.

Consequences of Bankruptcy

The possibility of a bankruptcy for Alitalia poses a serious problem to Italy’s economy, because thousands of workers will lose their jobs. More importantly however, Alitalia’s bankruptcy would represent severe problems for the Italian economy, as Italy would be deprived of an essential infrastructure, as Alitalia controls most of Italy’s airline industry. Therefore flight connections between cities within Italy will be severely limited. Given the inelastic nature of flight route planning on the short term, Italy would remain paralyzed, as transport between major cities would stall. Although travel by rail would be feasible between Rome and Milan, it would not work for longer haul flights within Italy, such as a Milan to Palermo flight.

Solutions for Alitalia

No clear solutions exist to resolve Alitalia’s financial difficulty, as the problems stem from multiple sources including the ineffective ground services and the stubbornness of the employees to new compensation packages. One clear answer to the financial difficulty plaguing Alitalia lies in the sale of its ground services unit, as this would eliminate a substantial loss making enterprise. With the money earned from eventual sale of its ground services unit, Alitalia could pay back its staggering debt, which now stands at over a billion dollars. A restructuring plan for the allocation of its employees would be critical to Alitalia’s survival, in order to eliminate inefficiencies. Another path for Alitalia points towards an acquisition by a foreign airline, such as Air France or Lufthansa. Air France’s inclusion in the list of possible buyers surprises many, since Air France was rejected only a couple of months ago.

Alitalia’s Future

Alitalia’s future remains bleak, as reports have warned that the airline could fail within days. Analysts caution that Alitalia could lose its flight slots if the situation doesn’t improve in the next couple of days. Alitalia would certainly have to fix their financial problems by October 25th when the winter flight schedule starts, because the airline’s failure soon after that date could prove fatal to Italy, as flight connections within Italy and to other European destinations would disappear until the spring flight schedule takes effect in late March. The next couple of days will determine the future of Alitalia, as postponing its failure wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone.

What to Do?

The questions I am asking myself right now, is what do I do next? In my experience so far, that’s the most common question I end up asking myself. I had always thought I existed on a plane that was not so different, but not the same as everyone in my grade and school. Obviously, that’s silly and honestly a little idealistic. I’m no different from anyone else in my school besides my nuances. My parents can afford to send me to a private school, afford to buy me a car that retails for $30,000+ (er, maybe 25,000+ but you get the point), and afford to buy me more than enough to get by. But, I do have to recognize that by working the last three years, money means something. I do understand the concept of where things come from and what goes into making them….but, I still can’t (and will never) understand what it’s like to really really work for something. Making money is one thing (and I’m still proud of that fact), but when its really for fun and not for your next meal; it’s not the same.

I had always thought I lived by the mantra, “Life is short, eat dessert first.” In fact, I was never more wrong in my life. Not only have I never followed that rule, I don’t even believe in it. I can’t even start to imagine how I would start to live that saying. If my mantra represented my reality, it would go something like this: “Three steps forward, two steps backward.” In a sad way, that’s extremely true. Though, the reality is everyone struggles with their own personal issues at this age. Yet somehow I’m only starting to realize how wrong I was this entire time. It took me all four years of high school to finally start to see that I am the root of the problems. “You are your own worst enemy” is exactly what I am seeing now. Changing that has become my new goal, to finally relax a bit, to break the trend of mentally crashing half-way through the year, and to finally mature.

I’m sorry if this post doesn’t make much sense to anyone, in a way its a reflection piece for myself. By writing this, I’m able to organize my thoughts in my head in a fashion that makes sense only to me. I know what I need to do to finally change for the better, to truly understand what I need to become to succeed in my environment. The problem now is, how to go about it? I’ve already started changing in subtle ways I’ve noticed…the music I listen to is different, the way I approach life is different, and the way I talk is different. I’ve finally realized that I needed to take control of my own destiny, to seize life by its horns, to control it the way I want to. To finally have fun the final year of high school, to understand what was been plaguing my success the last three years.

The only things I’m worried about…are the bridges that I have burned along the way, the people I may have pissed off, the people I could have become better friends with, and the good friends I have lost. I have made a fool of myself way too often in the past, setting up traps for myself that I’m only beginning to see now. I don’t know how I will resolve these issues, but I do know one thing: I’m deeply sorry to those that have been affected by my previous actions. I don’t regret anything, but I do have worries…and I want to apologize to those who I haven’t done right.

I’m sorry.

Eric Huang

Aspects of a School

After all, personally I don’t feel at home with any of those three types which frankly make up 95% of all colleges in the US

So I’ve already talked about a few things that I feel are important in evaluating a college. However, let’s analyze that further. Whenever I have visited the 15+ schools (mostly located in the NE, sorry West Coast), I look for several things. But you also have to realize that often I didn’t know what I was looking for until weeks later when I reflected further on my visits. Anyway, the first thing I look for my gut feeling on the school. Do I feel like this is a complete party school, a complete engineering filled nerd school, or a complete pot-smoking (sorry, that doesn’t apply to all 24.5% of you) English majors liberal school? Or maybe something in between? After all, personally I don’t feel at home with any of those three types which frankly make up 95% of all colleges in the US. Then, after the gut feeling I ask myself do I like the attitude the schools attempt to portray? For example, does this school act like a complete engineering school advertising their great robotics/bio-engineering/computer programming and complete nerdiness everywhere (not naming any names here). Or does it act like a little elitist with some snobbish thrown in with great campuses located in places I have never heard of/places that I would be scared to go out at night (again, not naming names).

After that, I ask myself if I could see myself attending college here for four years. Surprisingly, I found the answer to be no most of the time. I’m not sure what it was about a lot of these colleges, but some of them just turned me off right away, I guess part of that had to do with my gut instinct as well. Another aspect of that questions involves the student body as well. Usually, this ties into the campus/school type/focus…but sometimes can be different. It’s important, after all, to go to a school where you actually feel like you belong/don’t get into fights with that guy across the hall everynight. Finally, are the persons of the opposite sex on campus attractive enough (seriously?)? That’s important alright…that’s the reason why I just absolutely hate the party schools, and schools that pretend to be serious but are really party schools underneath. And I’m honestly joking about that questions (if you couldn’t see my sarcasm in plain text). I just happened to see that criteria under one of those many college “handbooks” one time. It ranked colleges in accordance to how “hot” each sex was…next time when I’m in urgent need of a party, I know where to consult.

What’s Important to Me

The persona of a school that I’d love to go to would only encourage experimentation in pushing the envelope of developing new ideas, and implementing them

So now that you now what I ask myself…what do I think about all of these schools? Well, I obviously like some more than others, however there are a few that I really like. The persona of a school that I’d love to go to would only encourage experimentation in pushing the envelope of developing new ideas, and implementing them. I don’t really mean engineering there, although my background is technology does allow me to see that side as well…I really mean from the side of business.

My dream school wouldn’t place grades, papers (except for business plans), and research papers above actual experience in the field. Of course there aren’t too many schools who cater to this need…after all, most college kids have no idea what they want to study until Junior year. In a way, my knowing what I want to do now is a blessing and a curse in the way I have to find that one college I really like. I really feel that I should make these four years count, in a good way. Make them memorable, to learn a lot, to experience a lot, to mature to the point where I can flesh out my dreams and life goals. I can only see myself living this dream at a school where I’d enjoy going to everyday. And just maybe, maybe I’ll find that school (hopefully) soon.

Eric Huang

Money Defining Campaigns

Presidential campaigns in the last half century have focused more on raising money, rather than on defining clear policy proposals to sway undecided voters. A clear example of this fixation on fund raising can be seen in the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, Barack Obama, who will be devoting several days mainly to fund raising, as he will visit wealthy donors in California, most notably Beverly Hills. If candidates focused more of their attention on the voters themselves, and not on their money, the candidates would do the voters and the nation, as a whole, a favor, because campaigns would return to focusing on critical issues. It is important to note however, that money is a necessary component to campaigns, but it is not sufficient to win.

Media’s Role in Politics

The media has played its part in shifting the focus away from critical issues, as it jumps on every opportunity to report anything that has the slightest hint of a potential scandal. Consider the media’s obsession with the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, and her pregnant 17 year old daughter, or its fascination with Obama’s alleged Muslim faith. Now, is it appropriate for the media to focus its attention on these menial stories? Definitely not, because the nation deserves to be better informed on important issues such as the state of the economy, the fate of the Iraq War, the status of military operations in Afghanistan, and the environment. Why does the media insist on broadcasting useless news stories that only seek to rile the public? Because the media is in it for the money as well, because all of those attentive viewers that watch CNN, Fox News, or CNBC, are simply filling the already overflowing coffers of these news organizations, because the value of advertisements rises when the number of viewers increases. Therefore the media is just as responsible for the current state of affairs, as the widely despised lobbyists. Therefore, if one is to criticize the lobbyists, one must also criticize the media. We all know that come November 5th, lobbyists will have already lined up multiple contracts with politicians to pass critical legislation. The argument against lobbyists isn’t simply an ethical one.

Politics and the Environment

Because global warming is not the only problem threatening the earth

The tremendous influence oil companies exert on politicians through lobbyists has a detrimental effect on both the environment and the economy. Oil executives, through their faithful lobbyists, have convinced Congress on multiple occasions to grant substantial tax breaks. Through these tax breaks, Congress indirectly spawns greater investment towards oil companies, therefore making a negative impact on the environment. Remember that Exxon’s profits in the latest fiscal year topped a staggering 40 billion dollars, which begs the question: do oil companies need tax breaks to remain financially competitive? The answer is a distinct no, because any company that profits 40 billion dollars in one year does not need the help of a government to make it more successful. The federal government is foregoing an enormous amount of tax revenue, further enriching oil executives, while turning down environmentally sound tax breaks on clean energy companies, which invest in solar, eolian, and geothermal energy. If America wants to lead the world into the 21st century successfully, it needs to be the pioneer and chief promoter of alternative energy, because other nations, chiefly in Europe, are pushing ahead in the race to shift their economies from oil to alternative energy dependence. Alternative energy will not only minimize the impact of humanity on the environment, but it will also spawn a new sustainable economic boom, because the growth of world economy will revolve around the new environmental technology.

Multiple Environmental Problems

The environment will not be saved with alternative energy alone, because global warming is not the only problem threatening the earth. Depletion of water inventories, radical deforestation, and uncontrolled population growth will all threaten the survival of the environment. In all three cases, personal initiative is necessary to curb consumption and waste in order to avoid excessive government intervention in the regulation of resources. Not only is government intervention difficult to design on such complex issues, but it is a prone target of unscrupulous lobbyists. Individuals can contribute to clean politics if they solve problems at hand without asking for government intervention, therefore limiting lobbyists’ influence and power.

Luca Passamonti

The Internet is Making the World Smaller

Well, not smaller in actuality, but in use. For example, take a look at Google.com. Not only is there the google.com for the US, but there’s Google.es for Spain, Google.cn for China, Google.it for Italy, Google.co.uk for England, etc. And then on top of that, each localized version sometimes has its own content on it. For instance, the English version has the option to only search sites in the UK, while the Chinese version has a ton more media options including the ability to search for music and download them from the search results.

So if Google changed the way to search for things, and is helping globalize the world…then why the heck do we need a different version of Google for each country online? Is it because English is still not spoken everywhere, even though its a requirement for anyone doing business overseas? I just don’t quite understand it. Another example is Aljazeera. While they don’t have a billion different versions like google, they do have an English and Arabic version. And if you were to take a look at both, they’re quite drastically different. The English version has a different layout and carries more US friendly news at the top, while the Arabic version looks completely different and has more a worldwide spread of coverage (from what I can tell from the pictures since I can’t read Arabic). There’s even a flash header/top news thingy on the Arabic version, apparently the English version isn’t good enough for that.

So What?

Well, Globalization was supposed to “unite” everyone under one common language (which is sorta has, English is spoken, albeit brokenly, in most countries that do business) and get rid of all the nuances local to each country and culture. Well guess what? It hasn’t done any of that, since when your doing in business in China, you still have to obey the cultural traditions. As they say, “when in Egypt, walk like an Egyptian.” That phrase still proves true today, even though business happens all around the world, the locals in India do it a little differently from the suits in the United States. The irony there is that the foreigners trying to do business in a country like India have to learn and adapt to the local traditions instead of vice versa. So while they might have received our Westernization in the form of McDonalds and such, obviously some traditions die hard.

What Happens Next?

I have no idea, it will be very interesting to see what develops next in how people communicate and do business with each other in this changing world. With many of those “third” world countries becoming developed places, will they eventually lose their cultural traditions adopting strictly Western ways of doing business? Somehow I doubt that…since even now as the best and the brightest coming from countries like India, China, etc still speak their native languages first and better than English.

Even more interesting for me, is how I will have to fit into all of this. Being born in the US, and being an American Born Chinese (or ABC as they call us on the mainland) and only speaking English…I will probably be forced to adopt to their ways of doing business.That will be some adventure when it comes time to it, hopefully my want to travel overseas will make that task easier. What do you all think about this topic? Is it ironic that Globalization and the Internet made international companies adopt to local regional traditions?

Eric Huang