EAinCO's blog

          If all food produced worldwide every year was counted, there would be enough to feed double the world’s current population. So why is it that 36 million people die of malnutrition every year? World hunger is a vast and complex problem and no single action or practice can be pinpointed as the true cause. Similarly, no single solution exists to solve the issue in its entirety. However, ending the practice of destroying food products with the intent of increasing prices would be a crucial step in ending global malnutrition.

Have you ever found something that should be entirely offensive yet you can’t help but be entirely amused? Borat, for example, I’ve heard should simply offend every single person who watches, yet many have found it to be one of the funniest movies in a while.

            My current should-be-bad is Tucker Max. Drunk. Womanizer. General Asshole.

Redneck hunter2022's blog series inspired me to share my thoughts. School Shootings are a serious problem. Colorado, Wisconson and Pennsylvania all experienced tragic shootings in about 1 week. Columbine of course is in everyone's vocabulary now. Its not easy to protect ourselves or those we love from it but here's some exploration of the options and my response.

While at an extemp speaking camp, I gleaned a lot of knowledge about good books to read if you want to learn more about politics, the world, and the economy. I'm seriously interested in every one of these books and am trying to read them all son. I thought you might enjoy a list of the books as well - including a short description of the ones I've enjoyed. (* = Read, ** = reading)

 - *The World is Flat - T. Friedman - We've probably all heard of this one by now, and for good reason. I was thoroughly impressed and became a true devotee of Friedman after this book. His writing is straightforward and clear, but also fun to read with the many examples he provides. Yes -- I actually enjoyed  reading this book. The topic is globalization; why is it occuring? how can one keep up? Why the individual has so much power today. Go for it - this book really is a must-read.
 - Longitudes and Attitudes - T. Friedman
 - The Lexus and the Olive Tree - T. Friedman
 - **From Beruit to Jerusalem - T. Friedman
 - Guns, Germs, and Steel; The Fates of Human Societies - Jared Diamond
 - Collapse; How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - Jared Diamond
 - Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins
 - Freakonomics; A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything -  Steven Levitt
 - **World on Fire - Amy Chua - This book really is changing the way I look at a lot of developing nations. Chua's main thesis is that in a developing nation, the combination of democracy and a market-dominant minority can lead to serious trouble. A market dominant minority is essentially a smaller ethnic/religious group inside a country who controlls the majority of the wealth i.e. the Chinese in the Phillipines, the Latifundias in South America...etc...
 - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Palast
 - Globalization and its Discontents - Joseph E. Stiglitz

An African proverb says: Every morning a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must be the fastest runner or it will be eaten. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must be the faster runner, or it will starve. It doesnt matter whether you are a gazelle or a lion; when the sun comes up, you better start running.

In the African country of Liberia, it is high time to start running. After 15 years of war and corruption, the country's infrastructure is in shambles, its economy has fallen behind, and its people are suffering. However, there is a new hope for the country - a hope that the new President Dr. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will lead the country in a new and better direction. When asking the question, Can Dr. Johnson-Sirleaf improve the socioeconomic inequalities in Liberia, the answer is yes, because she is strong, intelligent, and experienced; she has plans for the future; and she has the ability to cancel foreign debt for Liberia. President Johnson-Sirleaf will run Liberia in a new and more positive direction.

Perhaps the most bothersome thing about politics is the people who barge in like thay know things but really have done little or no research of their own.

I am so sick of hearing the opinions of the people around me the opinions of the parents of the people around me. So often I hear the arguements people's parents have laid out, or their teachers, or simply what they hear other people saying. Sure, if the opinion you hold is the same as your parent's or teacher's or the masses, great. But figure it out for yourself. Its clear when someone goes on about a current social issue - abortion, gay marriage, and bush-bashing seem to be popular, but are only drops in the sea of student ignorance - but then you ask the person a question about it and they cant support their claims at all! I think this is so frustrating. It promotes a lack of interest and involvement in our political system!

I was sure my mother was going to have a freakout on me today. We had this delcious pesto pasta dish and bread. Well, given my taste for that bread, I had three or more slives of bread, but didn't quite finish the - rather large - helping of my pasta.

Immediatly a surge of questions.

Why didn't you finish your food? You don't seem to eat as much? Are you eating what you take for lunch? On and and on.