Lesson 2!

Hi everyone!

On Tuesday, I had my first individual oral presentation ever in SMU! I was the first speaker and to be honest, I was really nervous as the last time I actually stood in front of the class to deliver a speech was back in JC 1 for Project Work! I received constructive feedbacks regarding my oral presentation (about me having to refer to my cue cards most of the time and it was rather scripted), I must say it was a good experience and I guess I am one step closer to stepping out of my comfort shell and learn how to speak with confidence! This way, I will definitely be able to engage my classmates better :) Points noted and I will definitely improve myself and do a better job during my group presentation during week 12/13!

I presented on the topic of China's dominance in Africa today and the insights that I have gathered from the article. I shall not bore all of you with the same topic again on my blog! So, moving on...

During the lesson, professor Shahi addressed a great array of issues that are under the two topics of 'Technology, Society and Global Dominance' as well as 'Technology and Human Development'.

Thought-provoking Question!

When professor Shahi asked why do we continue to allow people in today’s modern society to experience EXTREME poverty and die from starvation; it really set me thinking—why with today’s advanced technology and policies being put into the place, do we still allow people from the African nations to suffer and experience chronic hunger? Why do we have such a huge supply of food in America and so little in certain parts of the World? I think the reasons for this calamitous situation ultimately boils down to poor governance, corruption in countries’ leaders as well as ineffective aid provided for them. I feel that if proper aid was provided for these poorer nations, the situation in these countries would definitely improve and that include making sure the farmers in these nations actually sell to their own people instead of exporting the crops harvested across the borders.

I came across a website and I found this:

"I know poverty because poverty was there before I was born and it has become part of life like the blood through my veins. Poverty is not going empty for a single day and getting something to eat the next day. Poverty is going empty with no hope for the future. Poverty is getting nobody to feel your pain and poverty is when your dreams go in vain because nobody is there to help you. Poverty is watching your mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters die in pain and in sorrow just because they couldn't get something to eat. Poverty is hearing your grandmothers and grandfathers cry out to death to come take them because they are tired of this world. Poverty is watching your own children and grandchildren die in your arms but there is nothing you can do. Poverty is watching your children and grandchildren share tears in their deepest sleep. Poverty is suffering from HIV/AIDS and dying a shameful death but nobody seems to care".

This rich-poor disparity is also illustrated in the video “Hans Rosling: The Joy of Statistics” we watched during the lesson. I found this video particularly interesting! I never knew that initially, the world was under the “poor and unhealthy” group with countries such as Netherlands slightly better than the rest. And now, countries such as America, Europe, China and Singapore are in the “rich and healthy” category. He also pointed out that in China, Shanghai was the richest state while Gui Zhou is one of the poorest states. How and why do such a significant rich-poor divide exist within the same country?

Likewise for the Mumbai State in India, why is there a distinct rich-poor divide? Since I am quite familiar with this case study (from JC), I know several reasons and I would like to share it with all of you.

1. Ceasing influence of the ‘Slum Vote Bank’. The poor in India used to be able to rely on the poor for their votes count. However, many politicians do not live up to their promises after securing their policies and the poor are left with no choice. There is a lack of pro-poor policies and as a result, the rich become more influential with their large numbers.

2. Shifts in government. The new forms of government emerged and they are mostly the middle classes. Rich control over city administration at neighbourhood level and basically relocate the slums. These worsen urban duality and socio-economic polarization.

3. “ Vision Mumbai” which has the aim of emulating Shanghai and Singapore. It had the support of the growing middle class and global firms. As such, there was an increase in demand for better infrastructure and space was needed. Hence, they denuded the poor and displaced them from the city centre to the fringe areas.

Perhaps, authorities could implement rehousing policies that emphasize on affordable public housing, instead of getting rid of all the slums. They could also consider setting aside more land for rehousing efforts as well as allow the slums to stay there until housing alternatives have been found for these homeless families.

Another issue that I would like to raise briefly here is the implications of continued research into cloning (the topic which the last speaker of the lesson was presenting). Professor Shahi said that he would not be surprised if human cloning becomes as normal as IVF is now in the future. However, I feel that if one day human cloning is deemed ‘normal’ and no one finds it a big deal, it will be quite frightening. What makes one human? What is the right to be free? Society’s belief that human life is sacred, and that no one really has the right to toy with another’s life. Before we can even contemplate the question fairly, we need to see what actual human cloning can result in. Would a cloned human being obtain human rights? If the clone goes against the laws, would the responsibility be pushed to its creator/parent?

Some scientists argue that human cloning can save peoples’ lives- especially those who have failed organs and that these clones can be created to donate their healthy organs to the sick. On the other hand, I feel that when a clone is created, it is like a human being. Hence it will have the right to choose if it wants to risk its life to save the ‘sick’ it was created for.

All in all, I would rate the lesson 8/10 today. It was quite intense and a great deal of information overload! However, it was once again a very enjoyable lesson and I am sure looking forward to the next one! I hope the issue of what negative implications technology can bring to mankind and how it can be minimized can be discussed in the next few lessons!

Thank you!

TWC Session 1

Hello Everyone!

Just a brief introduction about myself: My name is Cherie. I bidded for this module because the topic intrigues me and I find that it is vastly relevant to our present day society. As the name "Technology and World Change" suggests, I believe I will be able to learn more about how rapidly the world has changed and advanced over the past few decades due to factors such as technology. Moreover, I had a strong appreciation of Human Geography back in JC and I think this module is closely related to what I have learnt previously. I hope to be able to grasp and understand the concepts in depth by the end of the semester! :)

Lesson 1

To be honest, I was quite overwhelmed by the influx of ideas and information presented by Professor Shahi yesterday. (I am not used to attending lessons now due to the 9months break after A Levels!) Nonetheless, the extensive range of knowledge and concepts that he mentioned during class today set me thinking and made me realize how amazing globalization and constant innovation in today's world has drastically affected us in both positive and negative ways. Then, he did an introduction to the module and talked about technology and the Rise of Civilizations which included how USA is number 1 today and how China is rising to the top and may be number 1 in the next 5 years. I believe that this phenomenon will definitely occur given China's global dominance in many aspects such as the economy.

Following which, he screened a few videos relevant to the topic. One which really caught my attention was the video which stated facts and figures of various Multi-national corporations that have commodiously impacted the world and how social networking has brought about a revolutionary change in peoples' lives ( e.g If Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest country in the world). He also raised the question "who doesn't have a smart phone in this class? " and only one or two students raised up their hands. This response struck me like a brick to the head - who doesn't have facebook/twitter/myspace or own a smart phone like the iphone/blackberry/android phones? Even if they do not own or use one now, they may most likely own one in the near future so as to keep up with changes and not be left behind.

Personally, I agree with Professor Shahi that Facebook has become such a powerful platform for social networking. It does not only connect you together with your friends and family, it also allow companies, be it large corporations or smaller enterprises, to advertise and improve their businesses. Furthermore, it is extremely efficient as the technology involved in loading your Facebook page in a blink of an eye has brought about great convenience to users and this makes Facebook all the better. One can also set up groups to discuss issues ( such as the one we have on TWC) and just by sitting down and facing the computer/smartphone/tablet, one can communicate with the rest of the world without having to stand up and commute to where another person is to relay a message. Indeed, technology has become so overpowering and fast-progressing that no one can really predict what is going to happen in the future. Perhaps one day teleportation will be possible and we do not need buses/trains/planes to travel around anymore! On a side note, wouldn't that make people fatter than they already are?!

This brings me to Professor Shahi's slide on "The Future of Human Race?" which really depicts the direction mankind is heading. We face social problems such as obesity where movement of mankind has been minimized and surplus of food is available with mass distribution. With technology, easier methods of transportation have been invented and we have become incredibly lazy to commute from one place to another. Both these inventions and innovations have the common aim of increasing efficiency and increase the level of convenience to mankind-- which I feel is both positive and negative. On one hand, we benefit because now we can travel from one country to another in mere hours, whereas in ancient times we would have taken many years. This saves a great deal of time and more time can be better spent in other areas. On the other hand, it is a bane because our health is being compromised and we may end up being less efficient as it cultivates 'lazy' attitudes and people may just opt for the easier option of walking a few steps to the nearest fast food joint. That then brings us back to issue where one's mindset is responsible for his or her own's health. With technology, knowledge about better diets and sleeping patterns are easily accessible and I believe with the right attitude, one can manage his or her own health situation.

There are so many issues that we can discuss but I hope to learn more about the history of revolutionary change in the world from the ancient times and the reasons behind the westerner's success and how they gained the advantage of having more goods and services compared to citizens living in countries like New Guinea and China. (The great rich-poor divide in the world in the past and present) The problem of urban duality also exists within countries like India. In Mumbai, 60 % of the population live in slums and squatter settlements while the other 40% live in high-rise apartments above the poor. It would be more beneficial if we have the chance to look into that issue as well!

All in all, yesterday's session has been very informative (rate 8/10) and I look forward to learning in great detail about the various upcoming issues concerning Technology and World Change during the semester! :)