Natural Gas Lobby and Gasland

The documentary Gasland, by James Fox, helps raise awareness on the issue of drilling for natural gas. Fox accomplishes this goal through his documentary by traveling to the people affected by the drilling, recording their newly acquired everyday troubles. This, however, is not the only way that Fox makes his documentary effective. Fox constantly emphasizes the fact that there are many reasons as to how the natural gas industry is able to continue drilling, even though it is evident that they are physically harming civilians near the rigs. The government, in an attempt to help the people for whom they work, passed certain regulations that would restrict corporations from harming the people. The natural gas (as well as oil) lobbies, however, have been able to influence the legislations, which would have otherwise damaged them.

In particular, the natural gas lobbyists have been very successful in influencing the politicians who draft up and vote on legislations. In February of 2009, natural gas companies responded to the growing public discomfort of their business practices by forming the American Natural Gas Alliance to “push broadly for more use of gas in power generation, transportation, and other fields.” By combining a vast amount of natural gas companies, their lobbying was able to become more united, and thus more effective. The lobbyists aim to emphasize the beneficial factors of drilling for natural gas, while giving very little attention to the main issues that the people have against them. A few of the mentioned benefits include the claims that “gas burns more cleanly than coal, is produced domestically, and relies on existing technology…” These claims not only work towards improving the image of natural gas, but also add a great amount of rhetoric that can be used politically. For example, with the ever-rising issue of energy dependence, it would be hard for a politician to argue against the claim that natural gas is domestically produced; whether or not the pros outweigh the cons, the natural gas industry does have a point, as the drilling would reduce foreign dependence.

Overall, the lobbying of the natural gas industry has been effective in their methods of influencing politics. It helps their cause that benefits of natural gas do exists, and since loopholes and exceptions that work in favor of natural gas drilling are already in place, the lobbyists do not need to concentrate on passing new legislation. Rather, I would think that they needed to work towards keeping the laws already existing in place. By uniting under the American Natural Gas Alliance, lobbyists have made it difficult for politicians to fix loopholes or change the laws already in place, even if it is what many people want.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123552499920765485.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Gasland: 5 Questions

"Gasland" is a documentary by Josh Fox that explores the affects of natural gas drilling on Americans living near the rigs. Throughout the documentary Fox interviews many people, from the citizens effected to important figures in the EPA. Because he will be visiting our school, five questions I would ask him would be:
1. What was the main inspiration for creating a documentary on the subject?
2. How much has the natural gas drilling affected your life and house specifically?
3. Even though the documentary is finished, are you still working to expose the drilling?
4. Is your main purpose of the film to completely halt all natural gas drilling, or to have more regulations to make it safe for the people who live near them?
5. I'm assuming that your film has generated a considerable amount of money. Do you have any plans to invest it in making a sequel or advancing your cause?

News in Europe - Russia Co-operates with NATO

Recently, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, met in order to discuss the rising issue of possible ballistic missile attacks. The members of the organization have agreed on a treaty that would set up a defense system across Europe and North America, where most of the members are located. This treaty would help relations between major nations while protecting themselves from possible dangerous missile attacks from unstable countries. Russia, being the largest country in Europe, is critical to the success of the defense plan, and because its relations with the United States is not very strong, it was very possible the Russia would prove to be a difficult problem for the treaty. To the relief of the members of NATO, Russia, on November 20th, has agreed to “co-operate on NATO’s programme to defend against ballistic missile attacks.”

This agreement could possibly ease relations with Russia, a very advanced country militarily, and according to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, “A period of very difficult, tense relations has been overcome.” Russia controls much of the land and airspace in Europe and with its co-operation it would be able to detect and shoot down incoming missiles that wouldn’t have been able to be shot down had Russia not complied. Not only has Russia agreed to help with the missile defense system, but also to “allow more supplies to travel through Russia… to support NATO’s mission in Afghanistan,” displaying an even more possible future with Russia as an ally rather than as a hostile nation.

While the treaty has been agreed upon among NATO members, it still is faced with the challenge of passing the United States Senate, or else the United States would not take part. A passage of the treaty would call for the United States and Russia to both reduce their nuclear arsenals and allow the countries to inspect each other’s nuclear facilities. I would think that this could prove difficult for the Senate to pass because of the fact that current relations with Russia aren’t very good. According to Medvedev, “Our (Russia’s) participation has to be a full-fledged exchange of information, or we won’t take part at all,” which could end up supplying Russia with valuable information. That aside, I think that this treaty looks like it could be successful if managed appropriately and could also greatly improve relations with not only Russia, but also other important European nations.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11803931

The G-20 Summit

The G-20 Summit that is occurring in South Korea, while many may not know much about it, is very big and important news. In the G-20 a select group of countries that have large influences on the world economy get together to discuss the future of the global economy. In a way, it is almost like the United Nations only that it involves 20 countries and focuses on economics. The big issue surrounding the summit is without a doubt the trade/currency war, which is threatening the entire global economy, much like the one that occurred right before the Great Depression. According to an Article on the Associated Press, the summit is not in a very promising situation. China is under fire from other nations of the G-20 because of the Chinese government intervening in their currency, the yuan, with the purpose of keeping it devalued compared to other world currencies. Having a weaker currency relocates jobs from countries with stronger currencies to those who have weaker ones, such as China. With unemployment in the United States at 9.6%, Americans need the jobs that are being taken by China. The summit does not seem to be going smoothly, as “leaders of 20 major economies on Friday refused to back a U.S. push to make China boost its currency value,” showing that for the U.S. to leave the summit successful, compromises must be made.

In the meantime, with China refusing to allow the Free Market to determine the value of its currency, the United States had to take action. By pumping $600 billion dollars into the economy, the United States hopes to devalue its currency, which in effect would be the same as if China revalued theirs. Ironically, China greatly disapproves of this, claiming how the United States is artificially changing their economy to benefit themselves; although it was China’s intervention to keep its currency low that pushed the U.S. to do the same. This action of the United States also “undermines” its position to stop “competitive devaluation” in the eyes of other nations, displaying a weakening influence of the United States. Overall, it is clear to see just how complicated the economic issues involved are, and how difficult it will be to find an effective common ground between the 20 countries involved.




http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gtjTj_CqBCJ-Ta9d_OpDh-ATPNmg?docId=08eb0319cd654699bc1fd95a727d3862

Education in Japan

The education system in Japan is very rigorous and competitive, but helps result in a strong overall education for Japanese civilians. When Japanese students begin middle school, usually at age 12, 5.7% of the students attend private schools since it helps being accepted into high school. For example, some private middle schools are affiliated with high schools, which are further affiliated with universities; enrollment in certain middle schools will allow for direct enrollment in the affiliated schools. Parents who choose the option of private middle school want to secure a position in a good high school of their choice, since the race to be accepted into private high schools is incredibly competitive. This displays just how intense the education system is, which is directly related to how much importance the Japanese place on education. Furthermore, 90.8% of parents send their children to cram school, or juku/gakken, where they can further enhance their studies. These cram schools are basically after school study sessions, which prepare students for the high school entrance exams. With the education system being of utmost importance, many Japanese have a fair amount of education under their belts. For example, in 2002 97% of students advanced into senior high schools, as in the Japanese workforce, a high school diploma is widely considered a minimum for basic job opportunities.

The Japanese curriculum is fairly similar to that of the United States, with moral values, academics and arts being taught in elementary schools. Japanese middle schools are tough, with the teachers moving at a fast pace and sticking to the textbook in order to prepare their students for high school entrance exams. While the curriculum tends to be similar among elementary schools and middle schools across Japan, the high schools differ by type (most prestigious to least): Elite academic high schools, Non-elite academic high schools, Vocational high schools, Correspondence high schools, and finally Evening high schools.

Overall, I find the Japanese school system to be very effective. With 90% of students graduating from high school and 40% from a university or junior college, a large percentage of the Japanese people are well educated. While the competitive aspect of their system does contribute to a large amount of stress, I feel that that is why a vast majority of the Japanese have completed a high school education. It is also interesting to note that the Japanese believe that their education system allows for equal opportunity to move up in the social ladder. Many believe in the notion that entrance into good schools is based on merit and long hours dedicated to educational life. The Japanese school system definitely must have its flaws, and some could say that dedicating years of childhood experience to possibly be admitted into a superior high school isn’t right. There also is less importance on critical thinking and thinking as an individual, since many years of schooling is just to prepare for entrance exams. Nevertheless, I find the Japanese educational system to be very impressive and respectable.



http://www.education-in-japan.info/sub1.html

Veterans

Today is Veteran’s Day, where the United States honors those who defended our country in active duty and who are now retired. Veteran’s Day is always on November 11, for the reason being that the armistice ending WWI was signed at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, on the 11th month in 1918. While many veterans are thanked for their service when they return home, recent veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan face many troubling issues. For many soldiers returning from war overseas, it’s incredibly difficult to assimilate back into civilian life. Many return home because of injuries that prevent them from fighting on the battlefield, and if they don’t have family that can take care of them they are faced with a really difficult situation. A significant amount of veterans return home suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and undergo treatment at various Veterans’ Hospitals across the country. Veteran Hospitals in comparison to other civilian hospitals are in very poor conditions, and they will only get worse when more and more soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan return home. According to ajc.com, 49% of the 1.2 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have obtained VA healthcare from 2002. Because of the state of the economy, more veterans are losing their healthcare and turn to VA healthcare supported by the government instead.

While America clearly cares for its veterans by providing them with special healthcare benefits, the care they are receiving isn’t the best it could be. Some think that the government should spend so much money on special care for veterans, but I don’t think they aren’t spending enough. It is in American culture to care for our veterans to such a great extent, and it’s one aspect that, in my opinion, makes us unique. Americans will always honor the soldiers who fight to protect our freedom, so I think it’s necessary to give them the utmost care.



http://www.ajc.com/news/rising-tide-of-veterans-736523.html

Political Culture and Socialization Project: Japan, Part 3

Which term is the greatest political strength in your individual country?

The term that has the greatest political strength in Japan would be the political socialization of its citizens. The Japanese have been able to retain their strong cultural heritage while transforming into a modernized world power, as shown by the presence of an emperor. Another huge aspect of the Japanese culture is that of respect for elders and those in a higher position, shown by the extensive use of honorifics in the Japanese language. This type of socialization is why high education is such a strong agent of political socialization just after the family. As many people already know, the Japanese stress education to its full extent and are in constant interaction with either teachers or peers. Overall, this displays just how strongly the Japanese are socialized to absorb political opinions based on their experiences in higher education. This also plays in with the aspect of honor in Japan, since students have great respect for their teachers and professors and thus take what they teach as fact. Thus, political socialization is the greatest political strength in Japan seeing how it is connected with their strong cultural heritage that has survived to this day.

Which term is the greatest political weakness in your individual country?

The term that has the greatest political weakness in Japan is the political subculture. In Japan, there are two major parties, the DPJ and the LDP. Because of the general Japanese distrust of government, many Japanese are trying to distant themselves from party affiliation. Unity among party members is slowly deteriorating as more scandals are revealed, which in the end could be negative. For example, without two defined political parties, such as in America, it could be harder for compromise in the government concerning important issues. This also creates problems in the legitimacy in the government as more and more Japanese see their party system as ineffective. Another subculture issue is the issue of diversity in Japan. With 99.8% of the people in Japan being of Japanese descent, the large amount of minority groups experience racism and xenophobia (not to be taken as saying the majority of Japanese are racist). There also are some minority groups, such as the Burakumin who were descendants of “outcast communities during the federal era,” who are also discriminated against. Interestingly, ethnic matters are of very little importance in the Japanese government and there is currently no legislation that enforces the civil rights of citizens, thus allowing discrimination to continue with little penalties.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/rc20100128a1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_issues_in_Japan

Political Culture and Socialization Project: Japan, Part 2

What are the most significant agents of political socialization in your country?
According to Political Women in Japan, the family, which is the most significant agent in America, is relatively weak in Japan. The book also states that the most prominent agents are those that come later in life, such as “higher education” in particular. Higher education plays a large role because of the fact that “in a subculture where experimentation is accepted and even valued,” an educated person is able to discuss their different beliefs and change their views when discussing issues with other educated people. I would infer from this information that the Japanese people tend to be more open minded when it comes to the smaller, more specific issues.
http://books.google.com/books?id=vR83saYJhgUC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=Agents+of+political+socialization+in+Japan&source=bl&ots=3Ek1WdvWH-&sig=h8yK4kfpF_2e69cmpJSEk7NXkvw&hl=en&ei=NRPUTNP-Esmr8Ab6ltz6DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Agents%20of%20political%20socialization%20in%20Japan&f=false

What is the basis of government legitimacy in your individual country?
When speaking about the general Japanese feeling towards political legitimacy, Carmen Schmidt, author of Japan’s Circle of Power: Legitimacy and Integration of a Nation Elite, states that overall, there is a general mistrust of politicians and thus the legitimacy of the government. The author first points out that the Japanese people aren’t represented in a fair manner because of the corrupt election districts, which “are not proportionate to the population size.” Also, while elected officials are considered to be legitimate, there are many “elite groups” that aren’t elected (thus illegitimate) which have a strong influence on the elected politicians. Schmidt proclaims that another cause of general mistrust has to do with the mass media. Journalists are required to be members of “kasha kurabu” or “press clubs,” which “function as the primary conducts of official information.” The mass media, while it cannot be considered a pure source of propaganda, doesn’t act to restrict the power of the elite. Percentage-wise, the newspaper Yomiuri Shinbun found by polling that in December 1998, 17.7% had faith in the Japanese political system as a whole.
http://www.asienkunde.de/content/zeitschrift_asien/archiv/pdf/Schmidt96.pdf

Political Culture and Socialization Project: Japan, Part 1

Agents of Political Socialization
Agents of political socialization refer to the separate factors that influence a person’s political opinion. In Japan high education, family, religion, and the media are agents of political socialization.

Legitimacy
The Japanese government gains its legitimacy based on their Constitution, which was ratified in 1947. Because of the strong cultural heritage of the Japanese, there also is a constitutional monarchy that includes an emperor; currently Akihito. The monarchy aspect of Japan is, of course, hereditary while the parliamentary aspect is controlled under democratic elections.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html

Parochial
Parochial political culture is a part of political culture in which citizens have little awareness of the presence of a central government. Because of the large Japanese population as well as the relatively small size of the country, there isn’t an abundance of communities not aware of their government. It’s possible that there are small tribes or villages on the remote islands surrounding the mainland, but as one of the most advanced nations in the world, the amount of people unaware of government is insignificant.

Participants
Participants are a part of the political culture in which citizens take an active role in their government and thus are not only active in the output of government, but the input as well. Like the United States and other major democracies, the number of participants is particularly high.

Subjects
Subjects are a part of the political culture in which citizens obey the government and its laws, but don’t participate in the government. Around 30% of Japanese citizens are subjects, according to the graph provided by Sean Richley, Ph.D. This is actually an improvement from data collected earlier.
http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-plaza/e-sdialogue/03_data/Dr_Richey.pdf

Political Culture
Political culture is “the traditional orientation of the citizens of a nation towards politics, affecting their perceptions of political legitimacy.” The political culture in Japan is fairly different from that in western nations as Japan has been able to modernize while retaining its historical culture, which “remains manifest in Japanese politics and economics.” One large aspect of the political culture in Japan is how it is taught that the group should come before in individual, which I find interesting considering Japan is a democracy.
http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_roskin_countries_8/0,8011,842019-,00.html

Political Socialization
Political socialization is “a concept concerning the study of the developmental processes by which children and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes and behaviors.” In Japan, the most influential agent that affects socialization is without a doubt higher education.

Political Subculture
The political subculture in Japan is, like in America, broken down into various political parties. However, as of late more and more Japanese have tried to distance themselves from political parties. The two major parties are the Democratic Party (DPJ) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The ethnic subcultures in Japan are divided as follows: 98.5% Japanese, 0.5% Korean, 0.4% Chinese, and 0.6% other.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Japan

Topic Ideas

Topic 1: Nuclear Weapons
1. Iran nuke development
2. Effects on the world's security
3. Nuclear war
4. U.S. nuclear relations
5. Russia's nukes
6. Should Iran have nukes?
7. Demilitarization of nukes
8. Should the U.S. stop/ease development of nukes
9. Different country's positions on nukes
10. Past nuclear bombs (Hiroshima, Nagasaki)
11. Nuclear weapons and the Cold War
12. History of how nuclear weapons were invented and put into use
13. General information of nuclear weapons and how severe they are
14. Medical effects of nukes on the human body after an explosion
15. Side supporting nukes, side opposing nukes

Topic 2: Global Economy
1. Currency war
2. World inflation/deflation
3. Comparison of different economies of the world
4. Global economic growth - what is it, how is it determined
5. Global imports/exports
6. How nations deal with debt
7. Troubles with the Euro
8. Idea of single global currency
9. U.S. dollar as world reserve
10. First world vs. Third world economies
11. Major types of economies in use- Smith, Keynesian, Marx
12. Country trade relations
13. Compare standard of living with different economies
14. Unemployment
15. How different countries spend their budget

GE- Currency War

What many people tend to not notice is while there are wars going on in the Middle East, a war is occurring that is affecting the entire world and could drastically change the United States- the currency war. While there aren’t actually people who are being killed, this type of war is in essence the same as a cyber war, in which certain aspects of a nation are attacked, pulling it into chaos, rather than attacking an army or citizens directly. In order to understand what exactly the currency war is all about, it’s vital to have a basic understanding of economics and how it plays into the collective world economy. First, you must understand that there are two types of countries when it comes to the economy: deficit countries such as America and the United Kingdom, and surplus countries such as China and Japan. The main distinction between the two is that deficit countries run on, of course, a deficit, which allows them to take in more than they put out when dealing with international goods. Surplus countries are the exact opposite; according to Laurence Knight, “they lend to other countries to help finance their exports.” This makes sense, considering America is a large buyer of foreign goods, and China produces a handful of cheap goods. In affect, the deficit spending allows countries like America to have a high value attached to their currency, in this case the dollar, while having a surplus will keep a country’s currency low in value, such as the Yen and Yuan. Economists who are familiar and knowledgeable about the former currency war, which occurred in the 1930s, are predicting that if the currency war as it is continues, then history will ultimately end up repeating itself.

The financial crisis in 2008 was in large a trigger of the current currency war. With not as much money to spend, deficit countries haven’t been able to purchase foreign goods, which in turn reduces the amount of exports that surplus countries are able to sell, causing a worldwide economic downfall. The situation becomes much more complicated when it comes to the recovery. According to the article on BBC.com, “The U.S. says it wants to export more, to help its economy recover. But the surplus countries don’t want their exports to lose their competitive advantage.” This last sentence outlines the main idea of the currency war- countries are racing each other, trying to get their currency to a lower value so other countries will buy their cheaper goods, thus improving employment rates in the country that is exporting the products.

Another main issue with the currency war is how it affects the citizens of any given country. In America, for example, we are faced with unemployment close to 10%, and a falling dollar. Before the financial crisis of 2008, Americans, living in an extremely deficit-run country, enjoyed an extremely high standard of living. This was because Americans had access to very cheap goods exported from surplus countries, allowing the dollar to have a large purchasing power. Meanwhile, in countries such as China, whose government has been seriously manipulating the Yuan to keep it artificially low, the Chinese citizens experience a much lower standard of living than Americans do. This gives the U.S. options of how it wants to deal with the issue. With the Fed’s main job being unemployment and inflation, many think that the dollar, as well as other currencies, will continue to weaken. If the U.S. is able to lower the value of the dollar relative to other currencies, job creation will boom in America, as we transform into an export-run country; one the other side, however, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy as much luxuries produced in foreign countries. If, however, the dollar remains higher in value in relation to other world currencies, even if overall the value drops, we could still have the same purchasing power, which might not change much.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11608719