The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

My work as an officer for the BuildOn Club at Acalanes involves setting up fund-raising events that will provide BuildOn with money in order to build a school over the summer in a developing country such as Mali, or Nicaragua. Recently, this past Sunday, I took part in a fundraiser at Diablo Foods selling Chinook Books, which are large coupon books that contain coupons for stores and items that emphasize living healthy and protecting the environment. I knew Diablo Foods would be a good location to sell the books because, while they do save you an enormous amount of money on good, sustainable products, they aren't very cheap at the price of $20 and people who shop at Diablo Foods, one of the more expensive grocery stores in the area, will have more money to donate and will therefore be more willing to donate. In spite of this, the sale of the books did not go as well as I had expected on such a busy day with people who have money to give. It is unfair to demand that people donate money because we do live in America where citizens hold specific rights to decide what they want to do with their money, but I was sorely disappointed in the number of people who were willing to donate a tiny portion of their excess money to the noble and inspiring cause of education. I am not trying to say that some people don't care about the world, but it seems somewhat ridiculous that these people, who have money to give, are not willing to give it up for a world and for a future that will exist long after they pass away. Such resembles the arrogant attitude of upper-class Americans, who will be part of this country's demise if they refuse to selflessly give up an almost insignificant amount of the money they make in order to benefit America and the world as a whole.

America Falling into the Same Economic Class of Countries in the Middle East?

In a state of significant economic decline, or, at least, having recently endured a state of significant economic decline, the poverty rate has increased substantially, and more and more Americans are continually finding themselves unable to make ends meet. Poverty is unlikely to decrease in the near future because it has penetrated the American economy so deeply and because it is so intricately tied with various other contemporary issues that America is facing. The article by Billy Rainbow in the San Francisco Examiner on February 13, 2011 details how, despite America's current status as one of the world's prominent countries, it is beginning to fall as a result of different, interrelated issues, like countries in the Middle East and Asia with populations suffering from malnourishment and poverty. Rainbow bleakly states that:

Maybe the cost of oil will do it for America, and a lot sooner than most might think.  Information revealed by WikiLeaks indicates there is concern that Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, may have overstated its reserves by as much as 40%.  Without getting into a “Peak Oil” analysis that America’s dimmer bulbs would require to be topped by a tinfoil hat, the information has already caused reputable experts to predict that oil could more than double in price to $250 per barrel by the end of 2011.

Even further increasing oil prices will force America into a deeper recession and will escalate the poverty rate to a point which will force Americans to begin to  change the way they are living and for the Americans who are living comfortably to possibly, hopefully and selflessly contribute more time and effort to serving their community and serving the increasing number of people who struggle to make ends meet

A Good Christmas for (Almost) All (in the East Bay)

As community service over winter break, the varsity basketball team went to a church to help organize Christmas presents for families who are less fortunate and, for whatever reason, are not able to have the traditional American Christmas due to their restraining economic conditions. Being part of the BuildOn club, a club which is part of a national organization to improve and provide education around the world for those in developing countries or those who are less fortunate, I have done countless hours of community service, and this community service project is among the most fulfilling projects that I have done so far. Every Christmas I appreciate what I have because I know there are so many people who don't or can't celebrate Christmas because they don't have the required economic means. I feel terrible for the innocent children who are forced to miss out on a genuinely American holiday because their families are in unfortunate situations, so knowing that I was a helping hand in getting Christmas presents to Bay Area children was a great feeling. I don't just say all of this to be cheesy or to show off how good of a person I am, I say it because the feeling I get from doing community service is one of the greatest feelings that I have experienced because I know that I am contributing to humanity as a whole.

Good Ol' American Innovation

America is deep in the heart of a recession at the moment, and times like these are when the creative American population begins to show why America is such a great country. There are various profitable business opportunities available in this country and this newest line of dry cleaners from Tide shows exactly that. Andrew Martin, a writer for the New York Times, explains in his article "Smelling an Opportunity" that:

 Where other dry cleaning entrepreneurs have tried to come up with clever business models for dry cleaning, P.& G.’s primary innovation is in the brand name itself: Tide Dry Cleaners, named after its best-selling laundry detergent.

These new dry cleaning locations offer fast service, the refreshing scent of Tide, and an environmentally friendly alternative.  In this new era of instant gratification and the now, places like this that you can get in and out quickly are becoming increasingly popular. The American population, and the world population at large, has become obsessed with obtaining goods and services as quickly as possible, and places that can provide fast goods and services are sure to become popular and profitable. This is the reason why these Tide dry cleaners are becoming popular and why Netflix, IM, Facebook, and other things have become popular and things like e-mail have lost their luster.

China's Future Projections Part 2

As well as issues with government, China also faces other issues with its future, such as inflation, debt, and asset bubbles. Even though a majority of Americans are afraid that China will overtake the U.S., if it hasn't already, China may not be the insurmountable world leader that many believe it to be due to its governmental issues which I covered in the previous post, and other economic issues.
Before I begin talking about how China is unstable economically, I would like to point out that the skepticism of China's future success does not come from a single source. My previous post was based on a video on PBS, and this post is based on an article by David Barboza, entitled "As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows," in the December 12, 2010 issue of the New York Times. The two separate sources that cover China's possible future instability signifies that people from more than one perspective are seeing China as less of a train headed for instant success and more as a train that will face some obstacles that might hinder it or even cause it to crash.

A growing number of economists now worry that China — the world’s fastest growing economy and a pillar of strength during the global financial crisis — could be stalled next year by soaring inflation, mounting government debt and asset bubbles.

While China's possible issues with their economy may be a good sign for the United States, it can also be bad news for the U.S. because our economy is dependent China's economy, so if their economy begins to fail, then ours will fall into an even deeper hole. Hopefully within the next week or so America finds some sort of solution and we can be out of debt to China and will no longer be in a recession. The End.

China's Future Projections Part 1

As many people know, China is a growing exponentially and is expected to continue to grow into a position as the world's leading country. China has an advantage over the U.S. because China's economy is expanding while that of the U.S. is in a recession and because the U.S. is in huge debt to China. Despite these facts and despite many peoples expectations of China rising up to become the great world power, there are a few, enormous obstacles that stand in the way of China growing to become the world power everyone expects it to be. In this post I will cover one of the biggest obstacles that China faces: an unstable and oppressive government.





China lacks the stable political foundation that is necessary for a country of its size and power to succeed. While China may be prospering right now, one misstep from the government could spark a revolution in China, or could further fuel a revolution that already has its roots. In addition, two years from now, there will be a shift in power in China that could lead to some significant changes for the country and for the world. China's overall future is shaky due to its unstable government, and there are more problems that the upcoming power faces.

Mental Health Break

This kid really likes basketball: