The Rise of Developing Economies in the Globalized World

The New World
by Neal R. Karski

The world today looks nothing like it did it two hundred, hundred or even fifty years ago. The times of imperialism appear to be almost over, and many nations on the other side of the globe are not ruled by their occupants via means of frigid treatment and limited freedom. Yes, the business influences and viewpoints have spread around the world and a vast amount of entrepreneurs traveled to foreign lands to pursue their ideas. Earth has now become a mix up, where the melting pot explodes with booming [previously underdeveloped] economies. The reality is at the horizon; no nation can dominate solely and for the entirety of contemporary history.

There are a few notions that I believe one should take into account to analyze and comprehend this phenomenon…

United States depression has paved path for other economies to show their potential. With the decreasing value of the dollar and the failure of finance corporates in the wealthiest nation, others, like China, have stepped up their game to utilize their investments and contribute to their technological, educational and commercial growth.

The population size of the countries with developing economies has allowed them to implement the mass production systems with low labor wages. These systems, initially, were closely similar to the ones of the United States, yet enhanced by the many more able hands willing to work and live in lower and less adaptable standards. Sometimes business takes an unjust advantage of the necessity of survival… but each nation has its own way of leveling the economy.

The world is flat – A.K.A. Globalization. Yes, the pun was intended to suggest to you the book by Thomas L. Friedman, who through excellent language and descriptive story telling shared his theory on today’s competitive world and its very narrow room for coincidence in the economic trends. The battle field has now widened, connected its many corners via technology, and opened doors for nations like Brazil and India who struggled to truly put themselves on the map of economic decision makers in the global stock markets. We all used to say… “Well Russia will never catch up” or “China makes good Nikes, but that’s about it”.

The reality is, the competition is not only within the U.S. now. It’s global. And many economists have predicted that it’s their turn… the round of rising developing economies.

God Bless.

Rise or Fall? Developing Economies and the Notion of Globalization
by George A. Miu

Look around you. I’m willing to bet all my readers that there is an object that is inscribed “Made in China” within ten feet of you. Even if you do like to buy American. Well, I guess China isn’t a developing economy any longer, but this doesn’t change the fact that there are a lot of goods floating around that are made in third-world countries and sold cheaply over here.

Such is the nature of a global economy. Some are buying, others are selling, and everyone is doing something or other. Now, consider this:

A “developing economy” makes a certain product, whatever it may be. If this product is sold for profit on another continent, most of the extra dollars that are made are kept by the big corporations. A little goes through to the workers and the factory. Most developing countries deal with at least one of the following two problems: political instability and high levels of poverty.

The little money that the workers do earn is by no means enough to elevate them above the poverty with which most factory workers contend. Since vast numbers are employed in this field, especially if the country is a big “producer” of certain goods, the poverty level is not helped by this mercantile trade pattern. Indeed, the only ones who become “rich” are the owners and the political elite…

…which brings us to the concept of political instability. In dictatorships, or strict systems of government under which most third-world countries operate, the government’s money comes from abroad and by virtue of the upper-classes who want to maintain their privileged status. Therefore, feeding money into factories and such will only help bolster a government that does not permit the wealth to be evenly distributed in proportion to the individual’s value in terms of productivity. Hence, the political instability is renewed, as the majority of the populace will feel cheated by their leaders.

On the other hand, building factories and boosting production is how all countries must develop; oftentimes, this is a painful process in which the human sacrifices are astounding. Remember that China, the world’s largest producer of … anything … is now considered a powerhouse in economic terms, whereas in the not-too-distant past they, too, were deemed to be a “poor country”. This shift may have occurred due to the globalized economy, or a variety of other reasons (which will be the topic of another post).

The question here is this: ought we to permit a global economy to occasionally run riot against the interests of untold millions, for the benefit of fewer millions, in the hope that all will turn out well? Or is it not worth it? If not, what alternatives do we have that are even remotely plausible, considering the oft-selfish nature of human beings? And why does this feel like 20 questions?

Linguistics in America

Today, we feature just one article, written by George A. Miu, who possesses a wide range of knowledge specifically related to the topic. Enjoy.

The Fluency Problem in Our Schools, and a Proposed Solution
by George A. Miu

I have been very fortunate in life; I have been thrown into long-term situations that necessitated speedy assimilation of a given language: first, it was English, then Arabic, and then French. My native Romanian tongue, also, has had to be employed at various times. I will not go so far as to say that I am fluent in all four, but I have a passable understanding of the spoken language first and foremost.

Upon arriving in the US, I enrolled in French classes at my high school, and found that I was more advanced than the rest of my class. This was not because of some amazing talent I had for the language, but rather because of the way in which it was taught to me. I was, intellectually speaking, no more advanced than any of my classmates; yet, I found the course we were all enrolled in to be rather trivial.

I often reflect upon these times, and my thought has yielded fruit! America suffers from what I like to call a “fluency problem”. All of my colleagues in the aforementioned high school class had approximately the same reading and writing skills. However, they lacked the necessary comfort in actually speaking French. This is because, from the onset of their education, they were taught to conjugate verbs and memorize sometimes-absurd lists of words. Our classes were always split into four sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking, with an emphasis on the first two.

This is unique to the United States. In my British school, all language courses were focused on acquiring fluency in speaking first, and then in writing and reading. Of course, if one looks at ordinary human development, we learn to speak in sentences long before we can write them or read them. I believe that it is advantageous to employ the same sort of pedagogical philosophy in approaching second and third languages, too. In my experience, a five-minute oral exam does more for my vocabulary and understanding of the language than a fifty minute written exam.

I propose that the approach to foreign languages in our schools be changed to incorporate a greater focus on speaking and listening, rather than reading and writing. In this way, for example, a two-year student of a given language can commence writing the sentences they already speak in and subsequently learn the nuances at an accelerated pace.

We live in a multi-lingual environment, both here and abroad. If we can write our requests better than we can speak them, solving problems becomes a theoretical task done on paper. Since this is not the way of the world, I suggest that we develop a system whereby human tendencies are given higher regard.

Only when this is done will Americans be regarded as more than uni-lingual creatures, forever stranded when abroad.

Growing Culture of Video Games

The Transformation of Video Games and their Impact on the Society
by Neal R. Karski

Video games… ever since the 1990s when the early phenomenons appeared on the markets across the world this phenomenon has gained increasing popularity as the producers improved their quality and realistic nature. Twenty years later, video game platforms and consoles are present in hundreds of thousands of domestic and commercial locations across the globe where users can interact with each other, compete and enhance their skills with online experience. This form of entertainment, initially most utilized by younger generations, has now grown into a field of all ages… we can say that as the world has become more liberalized, so has the interest in playing hits such as Call of Duty or FIFA.

One may say… “Video games have given me a chance to escape reality without leaving my household,” another may reason “There are so many things I want to do in my life, but I don’t have the finances or opportunities to – video games are those opportunities”. Whether you agree or not, that happens to be your own opinion. That is exactly the purpose of video games: to satisfy one’s own personal needs of entertainment, excitement, leisure, past times, social gathering with friends, etc. It is meant to give one, as the individual owner and user of the video game platform, the options, the choices, the personal freedom to venture into different worlds and different occupations.

Now let’s briefly discuss the impact of video games on the society… The controversies in the 90s revolved around the censorship of brutality, language, sexual content and such related material displayed via the means of digital graphics. And it is possible that many of these concerns were quite legitimate, as studies have shown that video games did effect the youth in many negative ways. Some countered these arguments stating that video games were an actual and significant source of learning and knowledge of the world [regardless whether it was the “real” world or not]. Opinions on this issue vary to this day. More importantly, I believe that video games have really transformed the perception we have of our surroundings, i.e. the world around us. Through the median of visual and practical utilization of controllers and online characters / players, we’ve somehow become part of the world of video games, and vice versa. It is safe to assume that there are people who have even detached themselves from the psychological reality, and began to lose the comprehension or rather the separation of the two entities.

There is lot more to say on this topic, but for now, this thought has come to an end… George and I certainly would not mind to receive your thoughts…

God Bless

Video Gaming – Pastime or Obsession?
by George A. Miu

Every other week, it seems, we are bombarded with news of a new “revolutionary” console that will forever change the way we enjoy gaming. Of course, most of these are little hand-held gadgets that no person over the age of ten, or below the limits of 20/20 vision, can possibly enjoy. Nevertheless, the hoopla surrounding the PS3, Xbox and Wii appears to have been justified when considering the return that investing in one has yielded in terms of sheer enjoyment. The PC, arguably the world’s forgotten console, has evolved magnificently, too, now being able to run increasingly complex and realistic games.

However, in a seldom anticipated move, gaming has teamed up with the Internet and created a phenomenon that, some argue, can lead to considerable deterioration in our social patterns – online gaming. MMORPGs (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars appear to have substantial addictive powers that affect millions of gamers worldwide. Every-so-often, reports come out of Asia, Europe and the US pertaining to “gamer deaths” due to exhaustion and a general neglect of hygiene caused by deep obsessions that people develop with their online characters.

It may seem laughable to many of us that people sacrifice their real lives in favor of what, in its most basic, is the ephemeral, illusory representation of chunks of codes designed by programmers. I was privy to the sobering facts my freshman year of college, when a good friend and neighbor told me of having had to “quit” Runescape (an online game) due to a bona fide addiction. Another neighbor developed a similar infatuation with World of Warcraft; his grades suffered, as did his social life.

I remember my dad and I playing Lemmings and Tetris in the mid-to-late 1990s. We never became fixated with it to such a great degree, but then again, games were so much less immersive back then, that it comes as no real surprise. As we advanced in age, we kept up with these habits, never spending more time than was healthy in front of the PC screen. We both know people that fell into the trap of personal neglect, and we deem it to be an easy mistake to make, especially in this day and age when necessities are often satisfied axiomatically.

But let’s remember something here, people. Games are good so long as they provide a temporary escape; the more realistic, the better. But when they constitute a mistaken elimination of the responsibilities that human beings have towards society, video games become a force of evil, rather than one of good.

So when Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft come up with another miracle that will change reality forever, one ought to pause for a moment and think on what kind of change these new inventions precipitate.

Energy Consumption, Global Warming & Go Green Movement

Global Warming – Impending Catastrophe or Infinitesimal Concern?

by George A. Miu

Every educated man and woman, it appears to the casual observer, has some opinion on the topic of global warming and the long-term effects that it will encumber us with. Being lads of an explorative and polarizing nature, Neal and I could not help but step into this sometimes-maddening debate and cast forth our own theories…

… which is really fortunate because I have not the foggiest notion as to whether or not global warming is true or not, and how it will affect us if it is. It might sound simple or silly, but I haven’t read the data, have not seen any of the experiments, have not spoken to any of the “experts”, and have encountered so many faux-connoisseurs that I would most likely miss a legitimate specialist in the field anyhow.

Nevertheless, I do have some faculties I can employ in my plodding trek through this treacherous territory. I can logically infer that increased energy consumption leads to global warming, or that it does not. Correspondingly, the inference that, if the former is true, “going green” will either yield improvements or it will not.

The easiest statement to tackle is that increased energy consumption does nothing to our planet. If so, then all the green movements are for nothing – which is okay, because I see nothing wrong with decreasing the amount of energy we use; it is, after all, less wasteful anyhow.

If the whole spiel is not a masquerade, then something must be done about it, provided we do not opt to slowly roast ourselves into water vapor over the years. If going green doesn’t actually alter the course of rising temperatures all that much, then you can wave bye-bye to the planet and flirt with the notion of immigrating to Venus, because it won’t be all that different from here soon enough.

Now, we can start thinking about how best to implement this whole “Go Green or Watch Our Beloved Rock Die”. But what is more worrisome is this: human beings crave improved lifestyles and luxury. Someday, the global economy will be developed enough to provide the upper-class American lifestyle to every person on Earth. That much is inevitable, whether it happens in 2020 or in 3030. But when it does – there’s roughly six and a half billion people who want to drive cars, live in five-bedroom mansions and keep the AC on twelve months a year. So, unless we want to start selling mildly inconvenient “green” technology to China, we better throw something together that looks and works just like the high-consumption product we were intending to replace. This has not happened yet; at least, not in every walk of life.

So let’s hope that green technology evolves faster than the global economy. If it doesn’t, we won’t live to see six billion Mustangs roaring around.

Food for thought.

Energy Consumption, Global Warming & Go Green Movement
Personal Analysis
by Neal R. Karski

Energy Consumption

The world, at a very rapidly increasing pace, has been consuming more and more energy, whether in form of electricity or crude oil. The growth of technology, use of computers, vehicles and communications medians have drastically contributed to these statistics. Although, we are clearly aware of such facts, most of us have a narrow understanding of exact effects energy consumption had or has on economics, environment, health and business. And some of us just don’t care to put the effort into obtaining such knowledge. Ever since the industrial era the United States, as the leading consumer nation of the world, has towered over every other country in the energy usage by unimaginable margins. It is even sad to say that many of the planned policies to reduce this phenomenon have been vetoed or simply disregarded by the officials who have been majorly lobbied by the corporate oil, gas and energy giants. To this day, the research of alternative sources of energy exists, yet the resolution is yet to be seen and fully put to use. But some may say “Let the mother nature suffer a little bit.”

Global Warming

The subject of global warming has been brought to attention quite often in the recent years as the U.S. politicians debated over environmental policies and European leaders attempted to congregate in hopes of improving the issues tied in with carbon emissions and toxicity on our planet. It is clear that with the increased vehicle and factory usage, we have significantly escalated the levels of carbon, exhaust, and toxin emissions into the atmosphere. Although, when looking at the temperature levels and their historical trends in different climates, it is very arduous to notice any suspicious or worrying data [that would lead us to the definite conclusion of existing global warming]. No, I am not claiming that the global warming probably is surreal, but it definitely is a long run issue. This means, it concerns our future generations and the future of our planet. We have already dug ourselves into the biggest stage of progress, and therefore environmental deficiencies. Health should be the biggest current concern, as the potential hazards tied in with carbon emissions, smoke fogs, toxins, acidic rains, etc. are and will affect the lives of many people on the global spectrum.

Go Green Movement

On a final note, I would like to express a couple observations about the Go Green Movement. It is true that the E-commerce platform and the Internet network have allowed for better, faster and more efficient usage and transfer of information. I must say: the thoughts of saving rain forests, allowing for more vegetating plantations and oxygen production do seem very pleasant and reasonable. I also hold great regard and appreciation for many new innovations that have given us the power to choose whether we’d like to “Go Green” or not. Therefore, it appears that the movement itself is a matter of choice. It is also a question of social vs. self interest, to some extent. Recycling, waste separation and efficient material production are all necessary steps in order to improve anything, sort of environmentally speaking. We have seen progress, but is it enough to make a difference? Personally, I believe the Go Green Movement will never be successful until it is utilized and executed in a collaborative effort of the whole society, or the world. Example… Does a service-provider show an honest concern for the environmental well being by giving you the option to choose between paper bills and electronic bills? Or is it just plainly a financial scheme to cut down on costs and accelerate their profits? Where does the company’s interest lie? Where does yours?

All of the above are globally very open to debate.

Soccer and the World Cup

Futbol and its Significant Presence in the World
by Neal R. Karski

Soccer, or better known internationally as futbol, is the most popular sport in the world. It is played on every continent and lures in millions and millions of viewers to its sporting events. In the European countries, soccer games are the most exciting and demanded happenings that bring together ecstatic fans looking for their team’s yet another victory. Soccer games intrigue masses who proudly wear the specific colors of their teams.

The sport itself is also a huge business that sparked the competition between sports apparel giants, Nike and Adidas, and established player sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Soccer is also a tradition in my nations and families around the world; from generation to generation the favorite colors and team apparel are passed down and the customs continue.

In the spirit of soccer, we now celebrate the games of the World Cup. Teams around the world represent their nations and their colors to bring pride and joy back to the homeland. Some succeed, others do not. In any case, the World Cup is the most watched sporting event, which on average is viewed by 1.5 billion people (or one may think… 25 percent of the entire planet).

In every country, fans and soccer enthusiasts gather in their homes, bars, FIFA towns and malls to take part in this special occurrence. Even with an immense amount of present rivalry, the World Cup brings people closer to enjoy the competition and excitement fueled by the international matches.

The FIFA World Cup is like an Olympics grand opening, or an NFL Super Bowl, just on a bigger scale, and worldwide national pride is exemplified by people of different origins. It shows diversity, and patriotism. It takes one back to the roots. It is the event coverage most talked about in the media. It is the Cup of Nations.

FIFA World Cup – The Global Showpiece
by George A. Miu

On any given day over the next month or so, various major cities around the world will be silenced as soccer fans exile themselves to homes and pubs, fervently following their national teams, cheering them on and partaking in the carnival-like atmosphere that seems to pervade the air.

My first coherent memory of watching TV does not revolve around cartoons or movies, but rather the World Cup that took place in the USA in 1994, where my native Romania reached the quarter-finals, beating Argentina (who were favorites to win the tournament) along the way. Even though I was only 5 years old at the time, my parents allowed me to stay up till the dawning hours in order to watch the games. But what made the occasion special was that this was the first time that I became aware of substantially deeper emotions, such as nationalistic pride and unwavering support of a team that transcends performance and results.

In reality, World Cups (which occur every four years) are treated much like once-in-a-generation spectacles; the games, results, scorers and opportunities are committed to memory, to be recounted time and time again in the ensuing years. This may sound like a textbook case of nostalgia, but it is in fact a matter of various individuals becoming united for a common cause in a way that is not highly prevalent in modern society.

Patriotism, all too often, is blighted by political tension and social disagreements. But in sporting events, these feelings are placed in the relatively simplistic context of a game whose rules and tendencies run unchanged through the decades. Players rise and fall, coaches are hired and fired, and the fans live and die by their teams, always with the implied understanding that the national team is greater than the sum of all of its components.

In this era of global media and larger-than-life stadia, there is more buzz than ever around every World Cup; as a result, soccer fever is rising to new heights and allowing people to be more versed in the background of each team and every player. Consequently, every individual automatically becomes more involved and the passion for the game is increased exponentially.

Since the World Cup has been underway for several days, I encourage veteran fans and casual soccer followers alike to join in the fun and find out just how deep of a bond a simple game of soccer can create between people.