the water war myth

recipient:

The Chronicle of Philanthropy/ PO Box 48/ Boulder, CO 80329-9954

sent:

BBC article: Water cut off in Mexican capital 

reasoning:

more and more stories about water shortages,  and water cutoffs are popping up, along with scholarly articles that the next resource wars will be over water. i’ve bought into this ‘water crisis -> water war’ concept for quite awhile. but then Slate comes out with this article Dispelling the Water-War Myth.  it summarizes Wendy Barnaby’s essay in Nature that water wars have not happened because countries have worked through their water issues with trade and international agreements.  so why all the hysteria? water is certainly a scarce resource, and it is something everyone needs to survive. but the problem of water now and in the coming years/decades/centuries (?) is a combination of geography and then within those geographic areas –  who has access to as much water as they need. but how much people need and want is another example of the dichotomy between rich/poor, north/south and white/black. we’re having fights over oil in  complex, methodical and ridiculous ways now, so it would make sense for the ‘water wars’ to go the same way as the battle for oil. but maybe what Barnaby’s case studies show is that provisions are being made and set in place (trade and int’l agreements) so we won’t need to resort to arrows and steel armor {i always pictured ‘water wars’ to be set in trojan times}, but to consider access and distribution of water in a civilized manner, instead. 

Photo credit to daveynin

president repeals global gag rule

recipient:

Banc of America Insurance Services, Inc/ Plan Administrator/ 6301 Owensmouth Ave Suite 700/ Woodland Hills, CA 9136-9663

sent: 

White House Blog: “Statement released after the President rescinds “Mexico City Policy“

reasoning:

the Mexico City Policy has been the political football that has dictated the direction of various presidential administrations in regard to international family planning and women’s health issues. it was one of the first things President Bush reinstated once in office, and it’s one of the first things President Obama has repealed. themain component of the policy was US funding for organizations that promote or provide abortions overseas.

Reinstating the Global Gag Rule was a prime example of Christian Right morality dictating much of US policy during the Bush administration – the thinking against the Mexico City Policy was that supporting family planning and abortions would mean women, young girls would be having sex all over the place. the ABC rule of abstinence, being faithful, and condoms sounds good in theory, but it’s completely unrealistic – people are going to have sex for the sake of having sex, not always for baby-making -> it’s human nature. and to take away access to family planning and birth control is more harmful to the poor than it is helpful.

a Census Taker’s encounter

recipient:

U.S. Department of Education/ PO Box 530260/ Atlanta, GA 30353-0260

sent:

Saturday Night Live: Census Taker with Christopher Walken

more about “Hulu – Saturday Night Live: Census Taker“, posted with vodpod

reasoning:

-> reason why becoming a Census taker is a last last resort for me. as much as i love ‘population’, the census bureau, and what counting all the numbers can mean for so many other parts of America: the economy, race, wedding trends, immigrant status, etc. after the summer of 07 experience, i can’t conceivably go back to door-knocking unless something or someone close to me was in immediate danger. i’d also like to stay in DC for a bit, though my travellust is getting so insatiable, i almost wouldn’t mind doing field work if that meant i got to go around america, meet people, take in all the americana tourist sites and culture (think: chicken-fried steak, and  grand ole opry). but living out of a suitcase and encountering the bad/frustrating of america would also get me down rather quickly, if i can develop/redevelop the chops to take the bad with the good and optimistically have the good outweigh the bad, maybe i will pack up my stuff and head out of DC onto the road. it’s a position my director at MPI highly recommended, if anything just for the potential good blog posts.

the new white minority

recipient:

Discover Card/ PO Box 15162/ Wilmington, DE 19885-9508

sent:

Tony Auth political cartoon along with Washington Times “Immigration: ‘Demographic divide’ on the rise”

reasoning:

i don’t think the concept that america is becoming more racially diverse and ‘multicultural’ is a surprise to anyone living here. i think the big news here is how fast it’s happening, much quicker than originally predicted. and we’re already starting to see the effects. the focus on ‘illegal’ immigration, along with the bad economy and outsourcing has given rise to tremendous racial hostility, there’s going to be more xenophobia and strife before this gets better.  in a way, i don’t blame a lot of the working class americans who live in small towns that are having difficulty adjusting. it’s become more difficult to just work hard and make an honest living, and the most obvious reason may actually be the undocumented workers in the town willing to receive much less for just as much labor. there needs to be more proper and respectful efforts of integration, it’s frustrating when legislators and politicians are scapegoating latinos and instituting expensive band-aid solutions like building a giant wall. i like this cartoon’s point of showing how mccain’s campaign of showing how ‘american’ he is, actually demonstrates how far detached he and his image are from what is really going on in the country.

maybe even cute and cuddly can’t save us…

recipient:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services/PO Box 396/Harleysville, PA 19438-9902

sent:

Slate First Housing Bust, Now Baby Bust article, penned by Daniel Gross

reasoning:

Something that separates the North/South, rich/poor dichotomy in terms of population rates is that in industrial societies, most people have the option to choose how many children to have and when, whereas in developing areas, children are just as much created out of love, and to build families, but can also be another source of income for the parents. in the US, having more children is seen as being more expensive than for family sustainability. there’s probably some relevance to our child-labor laws, and mandatory schooling till 8th or 12th grade for each child. like the trends in Italy and Russia (recently Putin offered a significant chunk of money to couples to have a baby in the coming year), despite the 2006 Washington Post reports, the American birth rate appears to be slowing down and decreasing.