Editorial

Globalization: making the world stronger or weaker?

6/8/17

Globalization is making the world stronger. It helps people coordinate to accomplish many things they could not do without help. Companies can be more successful, and the workers can benefit from it. In some lower developed countries, the companies pay the workers less, since they only need a little to survive. Although the conditions of the workers are not great, anything is better than digging through trash for food. Also, goods are able to circulate better, and they will be more affordable in different countries. Information will also travel quicker, and more effectively as there are many more ideas and opinions going into a plan. There may be some competition, as some products may be cheaper, therefore more people will want to buy one thing as opposed to others. Competition could be good, though, because more countries could get more money for more important things. Countries can work together because if one country is good at making one the, like a lollipop, and another country is good at making lollipop sticks, they can work together and get a lot of money. This may be difficult to sustain for a long time, but if it works, globalization could be a revolution for the future.

Climbing the tallest mountain in the world: is it worth the risk?

6/2/17

Climbing Mt. Everest is a very dangerous feat that is not worth the risk. Statistics show that about 4% of people who brave this journey never make it down the mountain. People who do not survive die for a variety of reasons, some including hypothermia — when a person's body temperature gets dangerously low due to the freezing conditions on the mountain — if an avalanche crushes the person, or if the climber dies from altitude sickness. Altitude sickness on the mountain is not something to be taken lightly, seeing as many climbers have died from the lack of oxygen on this 29,035 feet tall mountain. Furthermore, these are only the people whose bodies have been recovered! About 223 people who died on Mt. Everest are still on the mountain, their bodies never found. Natural disasters are unpredictable, and one cannot prepare for one that is really deadly. In addition, the cost of climbing Mt. Everest are very high. Private guide services, useful so that climbers don't take any wrong turns, can cost up to $70,000 per person! A typical climber can spend an additional $8,000 to $20,000 on personal gear and airfare. Since there is a growing problem with the amount of trash on the mountain, climbers will also have to make a $4,000 ‘garbage deposit’ with the government. If they don't carry their trash off the mountain, they lose that deposit. People pay all this money to climb Mt. Everest, and some don't even benefit from it if they die. Would you want to spend nearly your life savings just to lose it if you die? Sure, if you survive the climb and reach the summit, you could get fame and pride in your achievements, but when out in perspective, is it worth the risk of life changing injuries or even death to climb a mountain?

Bucket List

Q & A

How might having a valuable resource affect a region?

5/5/17

Having a valuable resource will benefit a region in many ways. The population of the region might go up because there is a valuable resource in the region, so more and more people will want to come and get this resource. Having a resource in the region will also provide more jobs for people, so they will be able to have a better future with more money. The region will get a lot of money from selling this resource. Since not many countries have this resource, for example, oil, everyone will have to buy oil from that region, which will give the region money. This is good because the per capita income, which is the average amount of money a person makes, will go up because there are more jobs available. In addition to this, the life expectancy may go up because there is more money for health care, and the infant mortality rate may go down for that same reason. This will also make more people want to live in this region. There are many things a region will benefit from when there is a valuable resource there, and the region will become a more ideal place for people to live.

How do people adapt to living in a desert region?

4/11/17

People adapt to living in a desert region by shifting agriculture. When residents of the Sahara and Sahel plant the same kind of crop over and over again, the soil could eventually dry out. This is important because some families make a living through selling cash crops, and if their land dries out, then they will not be able to make money. Because of drought in deserts, people will also have to learn to conserve water. In some areas of the desert, settlers never know when they will get rain, so they have to save their water in case they need it in the future. People living in the desert have to adapt to the dry climate and learn how to survive.

What forces work for and against supranational cooperation among nations?

3/3/17

There are several centrifugal forces that work against the supranational cooperation among nations. One example of a centrifugal force is that not everyone in the EU speaks the same language. It is hard to communicate with other countries, and when one country has to make a big speech, they would have to translate it into 24 different languages in order for everyone to understand it. Another example of a centrifugal force is that political cooperation in the EU is hard. Some countries don't like the idea of having to give up some of their power, and if they do join the EU, countries don't always agree on the economic decisions made. There are many challenges when people try to take many different countries and make the countries into a union.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIMITED AND UNLIMITED FORMS OF GOVERNMENT?

2/7/17

A limited government is when there are certain rules in place that limits the power of the government, and an unlimited government is the opposite, there are no limits on the government so they can do whatever they want. For example, North Korea has an unlimited government because the one leader, or dictator, has all the power and control, and there are no rules that limit what he can or cannot do. This could lead to chaos, or anarchy, because the dictator could do something dangerous to the citizens and they would not have any way to stop the dictator. On the other hand, Brazil had a limited government because they put certain rules in place that limits the power of the government. The government cannot do certain things because the constitution, a rule book for the country's government, does not permit them to do. Since there are limits on what the government can do, it is highly unlikely that any sort of chaos can break out because of something the government did. In all, it is important to limit the power of the government so that anything unnecessary or dangerous will not happen.

What does it mean to be a good citizen?

2/1/17

Being a good citizen means many different things. One example is that citizens have the responsibility to pay taxes to the government. This is good because the government has authority over citizens, and if citizens don't do what they say, they could punish them. Also, the money in taxes go to good things that will help the community, like fixing roads, new schools, and others. Another example of being a good citizen is to vote. Voting is good because citizens have the right to vote for whoever they want, and other people can see citizens’ opinions and take them in consideration.