Comments for Class and the Environment

Comment on Noam Chomsky Talks About WikiLeaks by Michael Wowk

Michael Wowk — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:38:47 +0000

Regarding Iran getting their hands on apocalyptic weapons this article is especially insightful: http://www.slate.com/id/2264064/

So, it looks like disarming Iran is pretty important. Hitchens has been saying all along! At the conclusion of another article (http://www.slate.com/id/2232860/) he says, “might it be better to wait and to fight later on more equal terms? Just asking”.

Also pay attention to the underlying religious and ethnic dimensions mentioned in the article. I was debating with a Muslim and Jewish Israeli citizen (there are Muslims in Israel too) about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last week. We talked a lot about its geopolitics so I brought up how deeply religious the problem is. In its original form the central monotheisms are an expression of exclusivism. It isn’t as fundamental and sectarian as fundamentalist Judaism, but Zionism is not unknown. It is true that the god of the old testament hands out real-estate, as witnessed by Jehovah. The Quaran also says that no good Muslim shall give up an inch of Muslim land. We have these competing religion doctrines make a banal mutual concession on territory an impossible and terrifying conflict involving apocalyptic weapons.

Comment on Medicine and Sustainability by Liam Mulhern

Liam Mulhern — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:22:44 +0000

The American health care system is deeply flawed. As Cooper said providing health care has become a money making venture for many doctors. A shift in this mind set will take a massive cultural shift in the way we determine success. In my mind I know that when I hear about doctors in prestigious fields like brain or heart surgery I automatically assume that they are the best and brightest and are doing the most they can do to help save the lives of American. Often these doctors encounter patients who have neglected their health out of a lack of availability and now are turning to expensive surgeries to save them when their problems could have been prevented easier had they had access to primary care. The need for american doctors to pay back expensive student loans is a hard one to ignore when they face career decisions, and with the rising costs of college tuition it doesn’t seem like this problem will be gone from the American process anytime soon. One of the interesting things I read about last year during the health care debate was that the US, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, is number 37 on the WHO list top health care systems. France is number one even though, on average, French doctors make half of what American doctors make. In France they subsidize the education of their doctors and pay for 2/3 of their social security payments. With progressive government intervention like this and a strong universal health care system it is no wonder they are more able to serve their countries health care needs. While the France example does have it’s flaws it will take strong movement in that direction if the US hopes to promote the field of primary care amongst it’s aspiring doctors.

Comment on The Harry Potter Alliance by Liam Mulhern

Liam Mulhern — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:40:09 +0000

This is further proof of Scott Page’s logic surrounding diversity in problem solving. Through this we can realize first hand that it doesn’t take the most intelligent academics to solve a problem, but a passionate group of people from diverse back rounds dedicated to a problem. Our generation is constantly in need of instant satisfaction. The use of these simple stories with easy to understand language and writing can provide a good basis for a movement because they have the ability to reach the millions of americans that wouldn’t make it past page ten in a more gloomy, dense diagnosis of the genocide in Rwanda or the earthquake in Haiti.

Comment on Medicine and Sustainability by Cooper Kersey

Cooper Kersey — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:59:27 +0000

The video about UC Davis outlines one of the major problems with our health care system. Since doctors are payed by the quantity of services they provide instead of the quality, they merely need to do the most procedures and examinations possible in order to get a huge paycheck. However this leads to subpar care from doctors because they are so focused on cranking out the procedures that they make more mistakes. Doctors should be evaluated based on quality of care (patient recovery rate, success of procedures) in order to ensure that the patients get the best care possible.

The lack of primary care doctors backs up the claim of my third essay that many doctors only become doctors in order for their own personal financial benefit. Doctors are drawn towards specialty fields because that is where the money is, creating a shortage of primary care and family doctors.

As far as the spreading of diseases, it shows that we can’t ignore the problems of impoverished nations like Haiti because we can’t expect their problems to remain isolated from us in the United States. Disease can easily spread across continents and even cross oceans so if we don’t help prevent these diseases in countries like Haiti they may eventually come back to haunt us.

Comment on Green School by Hector Vila

Hector Vila — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:23:10 +0000

I suppose that one of the challenges is to move away from the notion that if we ‘go green’ all other problems will automatically end as well — but we’re forgetting that if expand the metaphor of “green”, we must therefore include the notion of diversity. Bio-diversity, for instance.

Comment on Pakistan Floods- Connection to McKibben by Hector Vila

Hector Vila — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:38:36 +0000

so far the role the US is playing in Pakistan is confusing : they’ve sent in help, but one wonders whether this is humanitarian or a show that we’re on their side while we send drones overhead and bomb remote villages where suspected Taliban leaders and insurgents hide. The other problem with Pakistan is that we’re in a touchy situation with them because (a) we know that the ISI (Pakistan version of CIA) has been supporting the Taliban, and (b) we’ve also been giving them money and support to fight the insurgents raising war against Afghanistan from inside Pakistan; (c) there is the problem of Pakistan’s nuclear power — very dangerous. And, finally, (d) there is the problem of geography — where Pakistan sits with respect to India, China, Afghanistan and Iran. It’s a tough neighborhood. In all, the US has been walking a very fine line between “help” and “disruption.” When this happens, nothing gets done and people suffer.

Comment on The Harry Potter Alliance by Zoe Anderson

Zoe Anderson — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:14:08 +0000

This was fascinating and I can definitely understand the appeal. I like what he said about adding creativity and fun to activism and social causes. I can really see this going somewhere!

Comment on Eaarth group work by Hector Vila

Hector Vila — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:41:39 +0000

first chapter is already being discussed, below, before your posting — think again, please

Comment on Eaarth group work by Hector Vila

Hector Vila — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:41:07 +0000

better check since there’s already of first chapter, though you guys posted this first

Comment on Eaarth group work by Higginson Roberts

Higginson Roberts — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:31:33 +0000

Liam and I will discuss enviornmental justice and the justice defecit we are incurring amongst the eniornmental movement. He mentions this on page 76 and talks about it in the further pages. We will also relate this idea to other texts we have read in class such as The Struggle for Ecological Democracy.

Liam and Hig