Shopaholic Reform: Utah Damages (6/28

Monday, July 5

Utah Damages (6/28 - 7/1)

So I mentioned in my previous post, most of my expenses were covered by work, but there were a couple of things that I covered myself/purchased.

$10 - Tip to the shuttle driver who picked me up at the airport (He's originally from Nigeria, used to live in Boston, and his wife wants to move back to Boston...she's not so much a fan of Salt Lake City. Also, he does not ski, regardless of the fact that he lives in ski country.)
$1.71 - McDonalds (should have been an iced coffee but they gave me hot coffee instead and I didn't feel like arguing)
$9.98 - Urban Outfitters (cute tank top)

All in all it's been a very low cost trip AND I made some very keen and interesting observations...

Jay walking is an art only practiced on the east coast
You will be looked at like you are insane if you jay walk
The crowd at an environmental conference allows for endless amounts of people watching
Being a vegetarian in Salt Lake City is difficult at times (this is cow country)
Their roads are far too wide for the low volume of traffic they enjoy
There is far too much parking
Many of the homeless are much more aggressive than their Boston counterparts (i.e. approaching you as you eat your lunch outdoors, or telling old women they should look him in the eyes...don't you worry after hearing him say that I made sure to look him dead in the eye as I told him no and to have a fabulous day...if you want money/food be nice or you get nothing!)
Mormons are an intense bunch, who seem to travel in packs
Mormons are excellent gardeners and thoroughly enjoy well manicured flower beds... at least that's the feel I got from Temple Square

Brigham Young is a mini celebrity
Encountering multiple weddings on a Tuesday afternoon is not out of the question at the Mormon Church
You can expect to be greeted repeatedly by young Mormons
Olympic Park is really just a very nice outdoor mall with a couple of bronze statues of athletes and a water park area where children freak out about jets of water
Salt Lake City is a clean city (most notably in the area surrounding the Mormon Temple Square)
The mountains surrounding the city are breathtaking

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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)