20. As you move into the next phase of your life, how will you try to affect change in the world regarding the issues studied in this course?

I have always been a firm believer that the key to power is through knowledge and education, thus the only way in which I can achieve observable change in the world around me is to continue studying world issues and spreading my knowledge of them to peers. Although my academic discipline does not revolve around the social sciences, I will continue to expand on my knowledge and interest in global issues and further attempt to study their implications on humanity. Additionally this course has helped me understand the seriousness of certain issues that are currently in place today (ex. world hunger, the state of the environment), which urges me to become a more socially conscious individual (donating to charity, potentially working in Africa in the future) that will "do his part" in the world. Although one person cannot make much of a difference, I hope that my actions will influence others to do good in the world.

19. What is the most important skill that you’ve learned through your participation in this course, and how will you use it as you move on with your life?

Similarly to my previous post, I believe that the most important skill that I obtained through this course is the ability to study an issue and consider its potential implications globally. Through this I have been able to understand world issues on a much deeper level, and subsequently I have gained insight into the sensitivity of certain issues (ex Arab Israeli conflict). In other words I have learned that there are global repercussions to any issue, and that solutions are not simply achieved without considering the perspectives of every party involved. Additionally I have come to understand that localized issues have the apparent potential to become global conflicts (as history suggests), thus as I move on with my life I will use these skills in the sense of gaining a much more in depth understanding of issues in our world today.

18. What was the central theme for this course? Why? How does your choice relate to the Arab Israeli conflict?

The central theme of this course from my understanding is that of increasing awareness of world issues through education, and understanding there potential risks and outcomes. In other words it is not sufficient to simply know about a certain issue, but rather be able to interpret, understand, and predict its implications globally. An example of this concept can be illustrated through the issue of the Arab Israeli conflict. Although this problem exists in itself, one must study its potential implications (for example, potential to begin a world conflict, accessibility to nuclear weapons etc.) to fully understand its seriousness and nature. Studying an issue without considering its potential is meaningless, thus the central theme of this course counteracts this problem by providing useful and empirical information that can be studied to fully understand an issue.

17. If you lived in America today, where would you be on the gun issue? Consider the 5th Amendment right to carry arms and discuss why you there there should or should not be restrictions placed on gun ownership in America.

The American mentality behind guns revolves around the right to protect oneself, which to many seems like a just freedom. However, I believe that the mass flood of firearms into any area has more adverse effects than the contrary (in short, the bad out-weighs the good). If I were an American citizen I would not own a gun simply because of its dangerous nature, and its potential to cause devastating outcomes. The US has the highest suicide by gun rate in the world, and coincidentally the most gun related accidents. Thus it seems as though an initial idea for good gives individuals the opportunity to use these weapons in off-putting ways, although it may not have been the individual's initial intention. With this being said, restrictions should be set in place to deny high risk individuals the right to own a weapon (ex. screening process.).

16. What are the factors that contribute to the 'creation' of a modern 'terrorist'? What can be done by human civilization to mitigate these factors?

It is nearly impossible to say exactly which defined factors contribute to the creation of a modern terrorist, however for the interest of this blog I feel it is important to define the nature of "terrorism". Using the Boston bombings case as an example, we as North American's depict the individual's responsible as terrorists, however from their perspective they could argue that they are simply freedom fighters. It is through this concept that one can begin to understand the uprising of a new "terrorist". Considering that each "terrorist" has their own motives that lead them to fulfill heinous acts, the topic is simply too general to be answered directly; primarily because each case relies on each of the individual's circumstances. If I were to take a guess, I would say that a very possible contributing factor to terrorism is the media's ability to hinder truth, and give viewers what they want to hear. I say this in the sense that the media will often twist the truth in an attempt to maximize exposure. Ex. The US presence in the middle east was said to be a " just retaliation for 911", however the media so eloquently "forgot" to include the brutal murder's of civilians, the need for oil, and the human rights violations their soldier's impose on civilians. As a result, I can imagine the possible anger experienced by a "terrorist" associated with western media justifying western actions.

15. Does religion, or religious principles/ethics/morals, have any place in government? Should government create laws based on these norms?

Given that religion is based on no empirical data and is simply a series of outdated fables that dictate the lives of people, I believe that it has absolutely no place in government. I have no issue with individuals who base their moral and ethical views off of their faith (that is their personal freedom), however I would not like religious people to impose their views on my life. I simply cannot subscribe to live my life based off of an ancient text that speaks of fictional events in the less-literate parts of the middle-east, and I certainly do not want my government to base their laws on these principles. This is not to say that morality cannot exist without religion; I agree that murder, theft, etc. are wrong, however I would like to maintain my morality without a delusional divine intervention.
 

14- Food Dumping

Food dumping is essentially the disposal of unwanted organic matter (rotting food, expired food etc.) labelled as support for developing countries. The issue behind this type of "support" is that it further continues the cycle of poverty in the world's poorest nations. Ingestion of this food has been known to lead to health problems, which as a result contribute to the overall cycle of poverty. Additionally food dumping undercuts local farmers (people would rather eat the free food- even though it is worse, rather than pay for it- farmers are forced to close their business), which in turn will result in hindering economic progress in developing nations. Presenting a solution to this issue signals a complicated choice; food dumping temporarily solves the issue of chronic hunger, however will contribute to the cycle of poverty. Thus one possible solution could be to use the food waste to feed livestock, which would result in more capital economic growth (more local farmers) and could help sustain the continuous production of food (ex chickens- chickens are notorious for eating food waste, and can as a result produce healthy eggs.).