Thoughts About Section 1 of "True Enough"

“True Enough” is a very interesting book.  I don’t usually favor non-fictional literature over fiction, but this book reminds me of a good newspaper article.  It makes me think of the presidential election and what it means to be a good person vs. what it means to be a good politician.  Do the two correspond? Can they ever? (Referring to page 10 of this book)

Fashion Photojournalism at its Finest.

Fashion is a powerful art form.  It has the ability to change our attitudes, our moods, and our interests.  It connects cultures, languages, and perspectives.  We are all unique, and should all have the freedom to express ourselves through what we wear or how we wear it.  What I also like about fashion is that designers incorporate other aspects of pop culture and history into their creations.  They have such influence over the general public, yet they draw influence from the general public. It’s a cycle.

One of my favorite websites is called “The Sartorialist”.  Run by Scott Schuman, the Sartorialist was created to establish a “two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life” (quote taken from the biography page on the Sartorialist website).  Essentially, photographers travel the globe in search of innovative, trendy, avant-garde, and eye-catching fashion found on the street.  An individual photograph is posted each day, each depicting a different kind of outfit, each taken in a different location. The saying, “a picture’s worth a thousand words,” comes to mind when I think of the Sartorialist.  It’s photojournalism for the soul.  Every picture evokes a different emotion, a different reaction.  I feel like I am traveling to a different part of the world through each respective picture. 

The Sartorialist is truly an inspiring concept. And an awesome blog to peruse.

http://www.thesartorialist.com/

My personal favorites today (though I do enjoy so many of the outfits posted in recent months):

1. This pairing is so chic and sophisticated, yet fun (the incorporation of tan and nude makes simultaneously youthful/inviting and mature). http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-via-manzoni-milan-5/

2. So Summer-y and sweet: Happiness in a photograph. http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2011/09/091111grapedress7050web.jpg

3. This picture’s just hilarious. http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2011/09/091111warisahluwalia7372web.jpg

4. Eye-catching. Cool pairing, I like the color/pattern coordination. Very different, though not necessarily the most amazing outfit. Just different in a good way! http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2011/09/091411blueshoes8622web1.jpg

And another shot of the outfit: http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2011/09/091411blueshoes8614web.jpg

5. Awesome color/pattern pairing. A-plus. http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2011/09/90811PatternMix_5670Web4.jpg

More on the status of the Euro

I’ve been following the rise and fall of the Euro.  Though I haven’t particularly been researching and comparing it with the USD, I just read an article about the Euro’s decline in relation to the Yen.  This concept is interesting to me.  China is becoming increasingly more powerful, especially in the financial world.  While I’m not sure whether or not to be afraid of this fact (I don’t necessarily think that China will “take over the world”, but it is sort of unsettling to be reminded that the U.S. is no longer the leading financial force.), it does make me consider just how far the USD has fallen.  I have been thinking of the Euro as such a powerful currency (because of the strength it’s had over the USD for the past half decade or so), but if the Euro is faltering, that’s not a good sign.  What does this mean for the fate of the USD?

I read this in the article: “Europe is heading towards a recession,” said Robert Rennie, chief currency strategist in Sydney at Westpac Banking Corp., Australia’s second-largest lender. “You continue to use opportunities to sell the euro into strength because it’s a hope-based rally. Once that hope starts to evaporate, the euro will start to fall again.”  Should we be afraid that China is “taking over”?

Article I read:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/euro-retreats-against-yen-dollar-amid-concern-at-europe-economic-slowdown.html

Article info:

Euro Drops Against Yen Amid Slowdown Concern

By Masaki Kondo and Monami Yui

Reflection on George Orwell's, 1984

There are many reasons why I enjoyed reading Orwell’s, 1984.  Firstly, it reminded me of a good book I read last summer.  The book was called, “The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” written by Junot Diaz.  While 1984 and Oscar Wao are very different, they are also very similar in that they were both written to seem non-fictional, but both books include fantastical references and fictional concepts.  Take, for example, Orwell’s description of a London that he predicted would come to existence in the year 1984.  Not only did he describe a plausible, very dreary city, but he also predicted a society in which communism and totalitarianism ruled over all.  The “Party” he described as the form of government that existed in this “society” fit the description of later political parties in Europe.  His descriptions of children dressing in “blue shorts, gray shirts, and red neckerchiefs which were the uniform of the Spies” reminded me so much of the brainwashing and psychological manipulation that took place in Europe during times of political turmoil and transition (23).  I often thought of Hitler and his reign while reading about how the society described in 1984 was controlled by a totalitarian government.

1984 also reminded me very much of Orwell’s other well-known novel, Animal Farm.  While he could not have known precisely how historical events would play out in actuality, Orwell’s predictions of Communism in Russia were incredibly accurate.  I found that his take on the world that would exist in 1984 was also extremely close to being true to the society that would really come into existence.  During the cold war, Europe did, in fact, greatly resemble the society Orwell illustrated.  While many fantastical aspects of the society Orwell predicted were too far-fetched to actually come to fruition (the “though police” did not actually come into existence, though the concept of spying on others in the hopes of catching them disobeying the rules of the government became an actual occurrence), much of what he wrote about in 1984 did exist later in history.  His prediction of a totalitarian, omnipotent force in Europe was accurate. 

Though I’m not a big fan of fiction, I did enjoy the fact that Orwell created a world in which many actual historical events later mirrored by his predictions.  I wonder how he could have guessed how communism and totalitarianism were going to affect the societies they governed.  Orwell’s conclusions about the future nature of European society were amazingly precise.  For me, this factor made 1984 more enjoyable.  The combination of Orwell’s ability to write well and the subject matter he focused on made this novel quite an interesting read.

Response to Preliminary Research on the Financial Circumstances in the EU

Finances and the Economy: My Focus on the Rise and Fall of the Euro

For a few consecutive summers during high school, I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to travel abroad to Europe.  During the year leading up to each trip, I babysat and took up odd-end jobs to save up some “spending money.”  By the end of every school year, I would feel so proud of myself for having saved such a substantial amount of money.  But what I would always forget about the USD was its meager might in comparison to the strength of the Euro.  While in Europe, I’d buy fancy clothes and many meals with my hard-earned cash, and realize later that I’d been spending almost twice as much in USD than I would be spending in Euros.  The exchange rate was a killer.

            After years of going through this process, the Euro has finally fallen.  But, of course, I no longer spend my summers in Barcelona - just my luck that the Euro has weakened during a time when I can no longer benefit from it.  I have, however, gained a breadth of knowledge on the logistics of the European economy, as well as the interconnectedness of the U.S.’s economy with Europe’s.  One of my favorite characteristics of the economy as a concept is its ability to unite the world.  The fact that one country’s respective economy can completely alter that of another’s is just fascinating.

            What I’ve been focusing on for my research, if I hadn’t articulated myself well enough thus far, is the rise and fall of the Euro.  I’ve been reading about instances that have been affecting it (both positively and negatively), and how it stands against the economies of other countries around the world.  One recent article I’ve read about the matter, written by Peter Granham, is titled; “Euro Suffers After French Banks’ Downgrades.”  In it, Granham wrote; “The euro bounced back from a seven-month low against the dollar on Wednesday after announcements of fresh plans by eurozone to hold the single currency together.  However, concerns over eurozone banks deepened and data raised worries over the region’s economy.”  This report informed me of both an aspect of the circumstances of the European economy that proved to be positive for the Euro, and also suggested that the Euro might again weaken shortly.  The article, which I read in the Financial Times, is an example of the kinds of articles that will assist me with my research on the rise and fall of the Euro.

 

My take on Section 1 of 1984

George Orwell's, 1984, is a fantastic novel.  What I liked about 1984 was its correlation to actual historical events.  I think it's simultaneously very funny and amazing that Orwell predicted so many aspects of a society that actually came into existence.  Though I've read this book before, I picked up on many minor details I could never have been aware of before taking an AP European History class and an AP English class this past year.  I picked up on so many of Orwell's references that I might not have noticed when I read it years ago.  Thus, it was a more enjoyable read.

Finance/Economics Ambassador

As one of the “ambassadors” of the topic of finances/economy, I will mostly be focusing on global economics.  What I like about international economic affairs is the ability of a concept (in this case, finances) to connect the differing cultures and countries of the world.  It’s amazing how an event that affects one country’s economy has the potential to greatly affect many other countries.  Countries rely on one another to maintain their respective economic circumstances.  Our world is so intricately connected in this way. 

In order to research this topic, I will utilize both the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.  I will also be following some blogs on similar topics, and will hopefully discover new resources as I conduct my research.  

Response to Article, "After Class, Skimpy Equality," by Lisa Belkin

Last year, I took a class called “Leadership in a Diverse Society.”  In that class, we discussed many social divides, including those that exist between men and women.  I am not naïve about that topic.  I feel very strongly about female empowerment, especially because I want to be taken seriously both in an academic environment and in social settings.   This article was both appalling and fascinating to me.  I find it interesting that women have progressed so greatly in the past twenty years, in terms of overcoming obstacles in the academic realm, yet so many aspects have remained consistent in the dynamics of male-female relationships. 

            This article made me reflect on my own experiences with the concept of receiving respect in the academic realm.  I was in an advanced placement European history class last year, in which I was one of three girls in a class of thirty students.  The boys constantly challenged my contributions to class discussions, and I came to the conclusion that, for the most part, the boys in my class did this only to make themselves feel like they could match me (or beat me) intellectually.  So I started to wonder – why are boys so intimidated by intelligent women?  Is it because intelligent women make boys feel lesser?  Boys are generally physically stronger than women, so do boys assume that this physical quality automatically entitles them to the right to be “stronger” in an intellectual sense?

As this article also examined, women do tend to tear each other down just as much as they belittle themselves.  The subject is complicated – while I agree with the statement that women use their sexuality to their advantage, as Jared Griffin commented in his interview for this article, I also think that men present women with unfair social expectations.  These are standards that cause women to target other women with snide remarks and behind-the-back, hurtful comments.  From my perspective, many of these comments are fueled by jealousy.  Women tend to want to out-do other women so that they can be seen as more desirable to men, but in doing so, many women degrade themselves in the eyes of men.  So, evidently, a horrible cycle is exists in our society.  I hope, though I don’t know when this might come to fruition, that this cycle might someday be broken.

Response to Question 3 - "Mountains Beyond Mountains"

Many aspects of Paul Farmer’s childhood shaped him into the compassionate, hard-working person that he is today.  Above all things, the fact that he was raised in poverty helped Farmer appreciate the value of hard work and moral integrity over physical possessions and excessive wealth.  His family encouraged him to do well, and expected him to accomplish only the best.  They provided him with a sense of community that he otherwise lacked in his life, as his family was not stationary in one location for much time, and Farmer was often too precocious to relate to his contemporaries.  “Farmer’s childhood was good preparation for a traveling life,” as he was able to find comfort in virtually any living situation as a result of his ever-changing surroundings (“he could sleep in a dentist’s chair, as he did at night for most of one summer in a clinic in Haiti, and consider it an improvement over other places he had slept”) (P.54).  “He allowed that growing up as he did … probably relieved him of a homing instinct” (P. 54).  In its stead, Farmer was able to establish connections with the places where he did the most work.  When he came upon Cange, Haiti, Farmer concluded that he had found his hometown.

             Farmer’s impoverished childhood led him to be able to focus in hectic environments.  As a result of being raised in cramped quarters, Farmer formed the ability to work in the midst of havoc early on.  This, in turn, is most likely provided him with the ability to perform well in the ER, and the ability to treat patients in Haiti under noisy and crowded circumstances.  

            Growing up, Farmer was always assigned many chores.  This instilled in him the need to constantly be accomplishing something. Even when he went through a temporary, transitional character phase in college (his attitude changed when he was surrounded by such immense wealth at Duke), he returned home on school vacations to chores and responsibilities.  When he referred to himself as someone who could not wear clothes other than “preppy clothes,” his father’s response to his son’s behavior was that “[Paul] the preppy [could] still clean the bilge” (55).  His family kept him grounded.

            As a result of his humble upbringings, Farmer possessed more moral integrity and appreciation for the value of hard work than he would have had if he had been raised in a wealthier environment.  He was not coddled or spoiled with possessions as a child.  Instead, he was constantly encouraged to pursue his academic interests, to work hard, and to appreciate the good things in his life.  He was only able to adapt to the demanding lifestyle that accompanied his position as a doctor for the masses of an impoverished Haiti because of the circumstances in which he was raised.