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Mrwicked's Journal

mrwicked
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05/30/2007 22:11 #39467

Woman on oxygen dies after power cut.
Woops... here is the link


05/30/2007 22:09 #39466

Woman on oxygen dies after power cut.
Now if this isn't some isht then i don't know what is.... Did anyone read this That's seriously coldblooded. I wonder if the service man would have cut it off if it was his mother? i doubt it.... That's why I don't like people. They tend to be hypocritical, self consumed bastards. If that was a relative of mine, there would be hell to pay. As a matter of fact hell would not have enough collateral to cover this one...

05/17/2007 12:21 #39321

Famous Gandhi quotes... some are classic
"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind."

"The only devils in the world are the ones running around in our own hearts and that's where the battle needs to be fought."

"..All through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall--think of it....always."

"In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much of a duty as is cooperation with good."

"Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."

"Even when you are a minority of one.....the truth is still the truth."

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

"Love is the subtlest force in the world."

"The principle of nonviolent non-cooperation..must have its root in love. Its object should not be to punish the opponent or to inflict injury upon him. Even while non-cooperating with him, we must make him feel that in us he has a friend and we should try to reach his heart by rendering him humanitarian service whenever possible."

"Before Hindus and Muslims dare think of freedom, they must learn to love one another. This requires faith in oneself."

"Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal?"

theecarey - 05/18/07 01:54
Be the change you wish to see in the world

05/17/2007 11:56 #39319

My rant to my Professor


Being a native of a developing country as well as having a father who is an economist, I came into this class a little more equipped than most about International Trade and Global business. Having a jaded view of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, aka, the three-headed hydra, I tried to keep an open mind throughout the class. Using the proverbial, "two ears and one mouth so you should listen and speak accordingly", I was able to gather valuable lesson learned as well as bolster some of my preconceived beliefs. The concept of the World Bank, the IMF and to a lesser extent, the World Trade Organization, is a noble one. Their basic charter is to level the playing field for all countries whether it is through loans to help developing countries to "catch up" to their developed counterparts or setting guidelines for fair trade practices. These global entities have helped to spread the concept of globalization, which is deep rooted within the western world and specifically, developed countries.
Let me preface by saying that I think globalization in its truest form, where it is beneficial to ALL parties involved, is a good thing. There are a litany of case studies including the ones we have read for this class that show the social, economical and financial "common sense" of globalization. In the case of a developed country investing in underdeveloped countries, superficially it appears to benefit everyone. The developed countries are able to procure cheaper labor rates and supplies which in turn gives them a competitive advantage in the market place. The developing countries gain much-needed Foreign Direct Investment, which provides technological expertise, infrastructure upgrades and needed capital to move the country forward so everyone benefits right? In my humble opinion, I do not think so. Take the case of the small fishermen in a developing country who have for years sold their fish to the local seafood distributor who has been able to market their products locally and abroad. Being the main industry in that country, this is the lifeline for many families and a major contributor to the country's GDP. Now through the efforts of globalization, a multinational seafood distributor has setup shop in the region and through technologically advanced methods, has been able to catch way more fish than the fishermen have been able to net. They flood the region with lower priced seafood and have become the preferred provider for the local seafood distributor. The fishermen without a market to sell their fish and no other skills to move into another occupation become unemployed. High rates of unemployment breed other social ills that developing countries struggle to deal with. In order to address this, they turn to the World Bank and the IMF to bail them out of the growing issue. When these loans are meted out, there are specific conditions required by the lending institution in order to get the borrowing country's economy back on track. The problem in my opinion has been that the World Bank and the IMF has used a one size fits all approach which maybe perfect for one country but have stark consequences in the next. When you have the populous up in arms about the deteriorating conditions of a country, it is quiet unlikely that they will be happy to hear of bad times approaching before it gets better. Politically for the party in power, that is tantamount to career suicide and socially for the denizens of the country, a sign of major civil unrest and possible civil war on the horizon.
This class has given me a better understanding on the history of and the reason behind the formation of WTO, the World Bank, and the IMF and it is clear that without them many countries would not be able to compete on a global playing field. Earlier I stated I believe in globalization in its truest form, and I will now coin the term "constructive globalization" where the powers that be design programs tied to a country's socio-economic structure in order to achieve balance. This would go a long way to clear misconceptions in many developing countries that once you go to the IMF for a loan you embark on a downward spiral of economic despair. It is important for the WTO, the World Bank, and the IMF to understand fully, the repercussions of their policies and tailor make the requirements for a country to succeed.


joshua - 05/17/07 12:19
Hmm. I have to say that I find it interesting that somebody that is anti-WTO, anti-IMF, etc. is somewhat okay with globalization. I like your viewpoint.

Dealing with developed countries has a price if you are a 3rd world nation. Companies from developed nations like ours go to the undeveloped nations primarily because its cheaper to do business that way. Nobody manufactures 2,000 miles away from the coporate office because they want to offer people there American wages for the sake of betterment of the world.

Taking a big picture perspective, many people that gain jobs from situations like this are better off than they would have been otherwise. The instance that you mentioned with the fisherman is what I would categorize as the "wal-mart" effect - the similarities between your example and our own mom and pop stores are obvious. However, in developing nations, the effect is somewhat magnified because their economy isn't nearly as diverse as our own, and as a result the people aren't well enough equipped to adapt to western-style economic change. Insofar as the large international lending institutions are concerned, they aren't going to be offering giveaways but the structure has to be put in place for developing nations to succeed. To this end WTO, IMF, etc. have failed miserably, but this is what you get when you plug a bunch of stuffy, priveliged, bureaucratic egomaniacs in charge of organizations like this. The UN has a similar problem.

Doing what I do (at least for the time being) we audit overseas manufacturers like what you are describing. I've seen first hand the effect of globalization, and there are goods and bads to discuss.