Environmental Change

Examine the growth of environmental awareness as a consequence of these global interactions.

               Human activity always uses the natural resources that the planet has to offer. Whether it is wood, oil, or other raw materials, all of this is used to aid in the growth of human society. However, even though these may benefit humankind greatly, many activities can take their toll on the planet. Factories, automobiles, fertilizers, chemical wastes are among the few things that cause the surrounding environment to degrade. Such factors led to today's problems such as global warming, melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels. Initially, humans were oblivious to why the Earth's condition was deteriorating, but with the fields of science coming into play, that is when humanity started to realize how it happens and how grave the matter is.
             Today, humanity is taking steps to live life in a more mutual manner with nature. There are the inceptions of environmentalist groups, bans on certain materials, and revisions of daily procedures to ensure that the planet does not die. People are becoming aware of how the environment that they once took for granted actually helps them survive. If nature dies, humanity dies. Though there may be the burning of fossil fuels, among many things, at least humans are made aware of the consequences of even their tiniest actions.

Success of call centers in the Philippines

             One thing I found interesting about this subject is how the Filipinos' amiability is one key factor to their success. I believe that besides having any of kind of effective gimmick for a business to work, having a friendly and approachable disposition can guarantee success, especially when it comes to ICT. In this case, when foreigners use call centers and encounter Filipinos on the other end of the phone, the Filipinos are essentially setting a good example of how a business should operate, and not just through effective strategies. Everyone can practically depend on a person who is always true to their word and is diplomatic in every approach in their work.
        To conclude, is it truly effective to have a friendly disposition when operating in a direct-contact business such as ICT to ensure maximum prosperity?

Ukraine crisis

Pro-Russian activists have also taken to the streets in the south-eastern city of Donetsk in recent days
 


















 Main points

• 97% of Ukrainian population support separatism of Crimean peninsula from Russia
• Russia launched an incursion on Ukraine
• EU published an official list of 21 sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials

 My thoughts:

           This story just shows how politically unstable these European countries are. I heard that politics and any matter or opinion relating to the subject is extremely sensitive and that people may be offended at even the slightest implication of opposition. For both locals and foreigners, this type of situation is extremely dangerous and can be a frightening ordeal especially when violence and bloodshed are involved.

Socio-cultural exchange: Cultural diffusion

         Cultural diffusion is when one culture willingly accepts the ideas and beliefs imposed by another culture. This can take many forms and one of them is through transnational corporations. Depending on the country of origin, when a company presents their ideas and/or inventions, they are essentially bringing their attitudes to the rest of the world. Two famous transnational corporations are Apple and Dior.
         Apple is an American technological company founded in April 1, 1976. As time passed on under the leadership and ingenuity of Steve Jobs, the company flourished into a grand business empire that extended beyond the United States. Almost every country is a customer for Apple and they follow the corporation not just for their products, but also for their ideology. Many technological businesses like Apple have every intention to try and modernize and improve the people's lives for the better. Since humans tend to desire convenience and comfort so much, they often put their faith in these companies with the hope that their expectations will be fulfilled.
           Dior is a French fashion company in December 16, 1946. With the company's own ingenuity, they were able to capture the attention of their with their idiosyncratic perception of style and beauty through their clothing and other accessories. When Dior spread across the world, this gave birth to a new culture comprised of "fashionistas" or passionate individuals who believe that looking attractive or fabulous is important. A common ideology for fashion companies like Dior is that humans always want to be better than the other and often say that committing sins to a certain extent is acceptable. One way is through physical, external appearance, or being proud of one's own vanity.
            Transnational corporations are major catalysts of cultural diffusion for promoting consumerism. The companies often strive to protect the interests of their customers in hopes that they can grow from the profit and spread their ideologies to the rest of the world. The people who run these companies deliberately do so because they believe they are benefiting humanity and winning their love and respect, especially for their own gain.

Pros and Cons of Globalization

 Pros

• Allows ingenuity from outside countries (Philippines and Apple)
• Sharing of cultures (US and Japan)
• Social tolerance and appreciation (Philippines and Dior)
• Less travel time (aerial travel)
• Contributions to global economy (EU)

Cons

• Technology used for illegal trading of goods via black markets (online drug trading networks)
• Can promote political discord like money laundering, corruption, and governmental subversion
• Exploitation of humans (older men talking to pre-teen girls via social networking.)
• Elite jobs are vulnerable to abroad operations.
•  Companies only focus on profiting instead of fulfilling public missions (Inhumane working conditions for Amazon company workers)

Earthquakes

         Earthquakes are among the world's most destructive natural disasters. They strike without warning and cause damage on enormous scales. The cause of earthquakes is the strong geological activity beneath the planet's crust and volcanic activity. In fact, 80 percent of earthquakes occur around the Ring of Fire, a circular region around the Pacific Ocean which includes Southeast Asia, south of the Northern Arctic region, and the west of North and South America. Two notable locations where earthquakes are very frequent are the Philippines and California of the United States.
         The Philippines is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world. The country experiences tremors all the time whether it be miniscule or gigantic. But its most famous is the one that occurred before the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. It happened on July 16, 1990, and measured 7.8 on the Richter scale originating 100 km north of the volcano. Local villages surrounding the area could feel and hear the ominous rumbling of the tremors. This went on until June 7 of the following year, moments before the eruption. This is just one example of how dangerous earthquakes are.
         Another is the American state of California. This is also famous to the country for being situated directly on the San Andreas fault. Its most recent earthquake was the 2010 Easter Earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale starting at the very border between the United States and Mexico. After the main tremor, there were three aftershocks measuring 5 on the Richter scale. As a result, casualties, power outages, and residential damage were experienced, but Mexico was hit much harder.
        Earthquakes are a natural disaster that may go along undetected and may strike with shocking power. Although most earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, they can also happen anywhere in the world. No human settlement is ever safe from even the smallest shaking, as even a minute can have disastrous effects.