Shopaholic Reform: The Busy Factor

Wednesday, April 7

The Busy Factor

Dear Readers,

Field season is upon us, well not so much us as me in this case. This means that I will be spending long days delineating wetlands and looking for amphibian egg masses in every puddle I come across. On top of that I have that whole pesky grad school thing to juggle and with the semester is winding down I have a million of things to wrap up. Sadly, I fear that this may interfere a bit with my blogging a bit as I won't be able to post any of my witty commentary whilst at work. Don't worry you can still count on my spending updates and hopefully I'm wrong and will find the time or things will slow down a bit, we'll see.

I leave you with this picture of Megs helping me with some field work this past weekend. (I should note: taking a dog with you in the field, particularly one with the attention span of a fruit fly is counterproductive)

1 comment:

Nicole Yodice said...: She looks so happy! haha.; April 8, 2010 at 4:19 AM

Post a Comment

Something to Chew On...

The downside to Globalization

1. “The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the non-rich poorer. It is wonderful for managers and investors, but hell on workers and nature.”¹

2. Multinational corporations are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labor wages and poor living and working conditions), as well as a lack of concern for the environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.

3. Multinational corporations which were previously restricted to commercial activities are increasingly influencing political decisions. Many think there is a threat of corporations ruling the world because they are gaining power due to globalization.

4. Opponents say globalization makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability. They also claim that countries’ individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanization.

5. Anti-globalists also claim that globalization is not working for the majority of the world. During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment, 1960 to 1998, inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources, while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent.

6. Some experts think that globalization is also leading to the incursion of communicable diseases. Deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS are being spread by travelers to the remotest corners of the globe.

7. Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. There is also an increase in human trafficking.

8. Social welfare schemes or “safety nets” are under great pressure in developed countries because of deficits and other economic ramifications of globalization.

As manufacturing continues to decline, so does our ability to innovate. In the long term, this means fewer well-paid jobs, lower productivity, declining wages, declining living standards and low economic growth. Globalization is a big part of this decline and will affect all jobs and all sectors of the economy. From the point of view of multinational corporations and Wall Street investors, globalization is probably viewed as a wonderful phenomenon with many opportunities. But from the point of view of American manufacturers, manufacturing workers, the middle class, professional service workers and overall economic growth, I think the disadvantages far out weigh the advantages.

-Mike Collins, The Pros and Cons of Globalization (2010)