My Manifesto

Maria Daniela Camargo Niño

May 4, 2014

Ms. Sierra and Mr. Patterson

Senior Final Assignment

My Manifesto

I remember my first day of school. I was the new girl who did not have a uniform yet. As I arrived to my new classroom I could not stop crying, I did not want my mother to leave me there with all of those strangers. I was really scared.  As I entered the room, I was really nervous but I knew I would eventually be all right. As the days past by, those strangers became my friends. Since that moment I have had wonderful experiences with them in school, I also have incredible and endless amounts of memories with them. This cycle of my life is coming to its last days now.

A new cycle in my life is about to begin. Sometimes it scares me to think what my life will be. I am starting all over again. However, from my previous experience I know that being nervous at first is okay, and that eventually it will go away and I will enjoy this new step in my life that is university.  Sometimes I feel like I am not ready for it, but then I look back and remember that all of these years in school were meant to prepare me for this moment. That is how I assure myself that it is time to move on and begin my grownup life. I now I have everything I need to go after my dreams.

            Since I was very little I knew for sure I was going to finish high school and then enter a university. At that age, I already knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. My dream has always been to study Medicine at an excellent university. Then, I will specialize in Pediatrics.  I desire to be a successful Pediatrician. I have always wished to form a family one-day and have kids. Although, my first goal is to become a professional, the rest will eventually come along. My family has always persuaded me to fulfill my dreams. From them I learned to never give up. Even if the road is hard, things will turn out just fine. I will not quit on my dreams. Aristotle Onassis once said, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light” (Onassis), this means a lot to me because it says that when we think that there is no way out, when we are giving up, we must remember why we are there. We must remember what we want and focus on it to keep going. I know I will find different obstacles through my life, but I also know I will be prepare to overcome them.

I plan to be a Pediatrician in order to help and assist all the kids I can. My inspiration to do this has always been my uncle Ulises. He is a pediatrician, one of the best. I can see how much he loves his job, his always saving lives. He does what makes him happy. I desire to be happy; I want to love what I will do for the rest of my life. I also want to do what I can to make others happy.

Today I declare that I will follow and fulfill every single one of my dreams. I will study at the university I desire and graduate as a Doctor. I will specialize as a Pediatrician. I will serve the people and specially kids that need assistance. I will do my best to make people around me happy. I take care of myself on order to be able to take care of others. I will love my life, every single part of it. I declare I will be happy from this day on.

I will share everything I know and have with that people that surround me. I will help that people in need. I will be the best version of myself. I will be grateful for everything I have and how blessed I am. I will be confident and I will trust myself. I will be able to do anything I propose or intend to do. I will inspire others to be happy and follow their dreams. I will be remembered. I will leave a mark in someone. I will love myself and the people in my life. I will make a change.

            This is my declaration. Today I am a student, but someday I will be a professional and who knows, even a mother. These are my dreams and aspirations. They might take time but I will be patient. I will do my best to reach each and every single one of them. I will perform all of this accompanied by God every day. I am starting this new cycle of my life anxious for the new experiences to come.  I am ready to take this new step.

Works Cited

Onassis, Aristotle. “Aristotle Onassis Quote”. Brainy Quote. May 4, 2014.    

 http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/aristotleo119068.html

The Lightbulb Conspiracy

              The lightbulb conspiracy is a film that talks mainly about planned obsolescence. Planned obsolescence is when something is designed to be broken or damaged in order for it to be replaced. This means that an object will be working for certain period of time and then it will have to be replaced. The best first example of planned obsolescence was the lightbulb. A man created a lightbulb that lasted a long time. In fact, that lightbulb is still working today and it is more than a hundred years old. This was not good for economy. So then, they decided they would create lightbulbs that break easily and last a short period of time.

              There was one man that gave the idea of having planned obsolescence in order to maintain economy. He was not heard and his idea was not legalized. However, years later the idea was becoming famous and people were beginning to practice it and it was not even legal. A great example of planned obsolescence is Apple. This company designs its product to last a short period of time and then it has to be replaced. The company has been sued multiple times, however people are still buying their products and being part of this never ending chain.

Four Horseman

                In the film the Four Horseman there is a prediction of the American Empire collapsing. This means that the U.S. will eventually fall. Although it has been strong for many years, this is not a very good sign. Some reasons that led to this prediction are that it has been powerful and strong for more than 250 years now. The greatest empires are estimated to last around 250 years only. Other reason is that it is in such a point were people are exaggerated with luxury and things. This is due to the fear of not having enough because they feel the end is coming. There is already decadency in the American Empire.

               If the American Empire collapses it will also affect us in some way. It would not affect us as much as the people in the U.S. but it will still have a significant impact on us.  Many things in our life's would change. The benefits we receive somehow from the U.S. would no longer exist. The relations with the U.S. would totally change too. I think most countries in the world would be affected by the fall of the American Empire.

Colombian Monetary System

The Banco de la Republica is the only bank in Colombia in charge of providing legal money around the country. It regulates the amount of money that can be circulating according to the economy. It is in charge of regulating the inflation and unemployment of the country. The clients of the Banco de la Republica are other banks that exist in Colombia. These banks give money to the Banco de la Republica in order to keep their money as a reserve in an account they have in it.

All of this different entities work together with the Banco de la Republica to create the Colombian Monetary System. They are all essential in keeping the balance and regulating the money use. The Banco de la Republica policies are the strategy of inflation, and taking decisions according to the actual state of the economy. These bank is similar to the U.S. monetary system because when the money goes through the bank it becomes legal. It is the only way it is legalized. What might be different between the Colombian Monetary System and the U.S. is the central bank is different and both have different methods.


"Politica Monetaria". Banco de la Republica de Colombia. Banco Central de Colombia. Colombia. April 4, 2014. http://www.banrep.gov.co/es/politica-monetaria

"Funciones del Banco de la Republica". Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango. Bogota. April 4, 2014. http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/ayudadetareas/economia/econo85.htm

Fractional Reserve Banking System

The fractional reserve banking system consists of four main steps. The first step is the central bank, who creates the paper money. The second, is the government putting the money in the bank and this way legalizing it. The third one is the bank giving loans to people. The fourth is people having to pay the loans at a bigger price due to interests. Then, the cycle repeats.

The central bank also receives more money than what they lent. It is possible because the cycle is never ending. Th U.S. government will always be paying the central bank and will never end paying because the money that is created is what the give back. The will never have more money than what it exists. This is why the cycle is never ending. The people also have no pay more than what they receive. If there is no debt it means there is no money. This means that there will always exist debt.

Kenya's Deadly Explosion

           In Kenya there was a huge explosion that caused death the death of at least five people. There were two different explosions that were located really near. It was not a grenade, it was way bigger. A restaurant collapsed and fell after the explosion. The are has already been secure for the protection of the people nearby.

         I think this is a very tragic news because it is about a terrorist attack. People were hurt by it, some lost their families. This should not be happening in this place. Security wont assure it will not happen again. Many people can be affected by an explosion. People should have the right to live a peaceful life, not worrying about any minute being an explosion and fearing their lives.

MLA
Kenya's Capital Hit by Deadly Explosion". Al jazeera. March 31, 2014. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/03/kenya-capital-hit-deadly-explosion-2014331193746182474.html

Relation Between Food Inc, Economics and Race

          Food Inc has a very strong relation with economics. It is by far one of the biggest income producers in economy. Although it might a beneficial relation for economy it is not the best way of production and the healthiest. This relation might be dangerous at times. Economy only wants and cares for the benefits  that the food industry provides. It does not care about the costumers or their workers.


        The Food Inc is in some way related to race too. Some people are abused because of their "race" or just an idea they get just for the skin color of a person. In the Food Inc, thousands of farmers are constantly abused by important and recognized companies. They are forced to work for them under horrible circumstances in order to pay them the money they were lent for the growth of their farms. In both race and Food Inc they are abuses and bad relations.

MLA
Kenner, R. "Food Inc". Independent Movie Database. June 4, 1995. March 31, 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/

Global Military Expenditure

One of the main global issues is the military expenditure. Every year that goes by governments are expending more and more money on military and weapons. A high amount of the world's money is being invested in this. This money could be used for other issues such as ending poorness or at least a good amount of it. The USA spends about the half of all the global expenditure on military.

This is an issue because this many could be used for other beneficial causes. This could only lead to other greater issues such as a world war, causing more damage than usual. The year with the highest expenditure was 2012. This could be a risk, it is not safe at all. There should be a shortage to the world military expenditure.

This link shows a list of the worlds 6 greatest military investors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures


"World Military Spending". Global Issues. March 24, 2014. http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending

Consequences of Economic Hit Men

Economic Hit Men usually try to persuade the leaders of undeveloped countries to use lent money from world bank for example, and then the country has to pay back the money and even more. It is kind of like fooling undeveloped countries. In the interview we saw, John Perkins, the author of the Economic Hit Man talked about the impact of Economic Hit Men in global context and also in specific regions or countries. The global impact its the controlling of the economy by using undeveloped countries and benefiting from them.

An example of a regional impact of Economic Hit Men is the death of the leader of Panama. Whenever a president of a country or the authority refuses to accept the deals offered by economic hit men, they are often killed or persecuted. Panama lost its leader in a supposed plane crash a few months after rejecting the deal.


"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions." Democracy Now! March 24, 2014. 
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/11/9/confessions_of_an_economic_hit_man

Power Privilege

Sadly, the power privilege has always been owned by the white people.  Racism towards black and asian people comes from a long time ago. White people have always been known as "superior". In the film The Power of Illusion we saw that race has mistakenly been defined by skin color. Black people have always been at the bottom of the caste system. I think this attributions that white people have taken are not correct.

White people see people with  other skin color as inferior to them. They believe being white gives them authority and superiority over the rest. In the film we can see that black people have always the worst economic conditions compared to white people. White people are ten times wealthier than black people. This is not something from the past, it is still seen today. White people are considered privileged based on their skin color and this is not fair.

Adelman, L. Race- The Power of An Illusion. California Newsreel. April, 2003. Online. March 16,                           2014. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm 

What is Race?

Race is an idea that people have in order to organize society. Most of
the times people think race is defined by skin color but it is not. In
the film Power of Illusion we saw that people are not even able to
define what race is, the first thing they think about is skin color.
We all have a wrong perception of race. Race is just an idea we have
been taught through time, but it is not accurate.  Race is used to
classify people.

When we talk about race we are talking about culture more than skin
color. Race is a compilation of different traits that are part of a
person. In the film we see that race is not biological, for me this
means that race is more about where a person is raced and his beliefs.
Not necessarily the person's ancestry. We have been mistaking the
definition of race a long while ago.

Adelman, L. Race- The Power of An Illusion. California Newsreel.
April, 2003. Online. March 16,                           2014.
http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm

Defense Wall in Palestine

I am sharing a link of a video about the Defense wall in Palestine. It shows the division between Israelis and Palestinians. It shows the isolation of the Palestinian communities. Separation from a land that used to be their home. The cities that this wall affects the most are Jerusalem and Bethlehem. This wall cut of Palestinians from their city and their life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0zNd87MCfM

It is really sad to see people taken out of their homelands. This is a drastic life change for people. They are being separated from everything they know. They are depriving palestinians from their land. This is an injustice. Imagine being taken out of your country, not being able to go back. Leaving behind evrything you have ever known. Starting from zero in a place you do not know.

Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree is a movie that shows the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians. It shows the division of the two sides. It also shows the conditions in which each side lives in. Jews are privileged and have power over Arabs. They can sometimes be abusive and unconscious  towards the Palestinians. The movie is about the fight between a Palestinian woman and the Israeli prime minister over her lemon trees. The trees are to be cut down for security reasons in terms of the prime minister. They take the case to the supreme court and of course, the Israeli prime minister wins and the trees are cut down.

This movie teaches different things about the conflict. The division of power between both sides, the division of power between each one of the sides. It shows all of the injustices that are going on in this conflict. It also shows how people of both sides feel about it and about each other. This movie made me feel different things about the conflict. It also inspired me because it shows perseverance and love. It shows that we have to stand for what we want and fight for it. We have to stand up for what we believe and love.

Israel-Pakistan casualties.

I share this link to a webpage called United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory. http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/CAS_Aug07.pdf  It is a very interesting webpage because it has tables an charts about the casualties in the Israel-Pakistan conflict. It also has a lot of background information and I find it very useful.

Article on Palestine and Israel Peace

Steven J. Rosen is a journalist for Foreign Policy Magazine. This magazine focuses mostly in the Israel - Palestine conflict. In the article named "Palestine's Peace Bomb", Rosen writes about the growing of Arab population in the West Bank. This as he said, might lead to a bi-national state. Rosen exposed that   the only solution for this conflict is an agreement from both sides. He calls this a "two state solution".

The link to this article is: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/01/31/palestine_israel_peace_bomb_demographics

MLA Citation: Rosen J, Steven. "Palestine's Peace Bomb". Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy Magazine. January 31, 2014. Web. March 2, 2014.

In this article Steven points out that the solution is a two state solution. I agree with this because if the is not an agreement on both sides, there will never be a real solution to the conflict. There would always be disadvantage in a side. The two state solution would implicate an agreement on with both of the sides are benefitted in the most similar way possible.

Article on Israel and Palestine

Massoud A Derhally is a Middle East reporter that writes for Aljazeera. He wrote an article named "Israel and Palestine: Shifting Paradigms."In this article he wrote about how Israel hates to be compared to the South African Apartheid System. However, he writes about all the similarities the Israeli government has with the apartheid system. Both of them had segregated roads and places. Prohibition of Marriage between Palestinians and Israelis, as well as other segregation conditions.
The link to this  article is: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/02/israel-palestine-shifting-parad-201421671916362633.html

MLA Citation: A Derhally, Massoud. "Israel and Palestine: Shifting Paradigms."Aljazeera. Feberuary 17, 2014. Web. March 2, 2014.

In this article I agree with Massoud's point of view because in Israel there is segregation even though they do not accept it. There are many resemblances between Israel's government system and the apartheid system in South Africa. How people view this conflict can vary. Most of the times,  there is only one part of the story shown. i think it is necessary to know both in order to take an accurate position towards the conflict. I agree the there is going to be a shift in this conflict and that it's end might come sooner than later, but not under the best conditions.

Origins of Conflict

Conflict is commonly known as the contradiction or disagreement between people from a same group, or different opposing groups. An easier way to define conflict is to say it is like a fight, battle, struggle or war. The main reason of the existence of conflict in any case, is discordance in opinion, ideas, beliefs or principles. This means people not sharing or thinking the same way. When the conflict is within people of a same group it is known as intergroup conflict. Conflict can be also known as a tension.

In a conflict, the opposing sides are consistently trying to hurt the other in order to prove or get what they desire. There are different kinds or types of conflict. The three types are process, task and relationship conflict. The process conflict consists of disagreement in methods to obtain or do something. The task conflict consists mainly in the difference of opinions or beliefs towards something specific. The relationship conflicts are just interpersonal incompabilities between people or different groups. Some people say that process and relationship conflicts are very prejudicial and negative. In the other hand they say that tasks conflicts can be beneficial some times due to the diversity of opinions.

There is always a reason behind a conflict. A struggle is not created or began just because. There is something that leads to a problem. Some of the main or common reasons why a conflict is originated are superiority between one another, injustice in the proceedings of something or someone, vulnerability, distrust or lack of confidence between people or groups. There can be endless reasons to start a conflict but most of them relate to one of these reasons.

Conflict has existed a long time ago all around the world. A simple example of conflict is animals fighting over food. In class we have been studying conflicts that exist today. Most of them in Middle East Asia, although they are around the whole globe. We have been focusing in the Syrian conflict and also the Sudanese. These conflicts come from quite a while ago and have not been ended yet. As a result of it, many people have suffered negative consequences such as death, or injury. Others have fled their countries in search of refugee. Conflict the majority of times brings negative effects. It is only a few times in which the resolution of the conflicts brings benefits for both sides.

Citation:

N.p.. “Conflict”. Wikipedia. Wikipedia foundation, inc. Web. 23                                  

          Feb2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_(process)>.

Syrian Conflict

It is well known that the Middle East has been having different internal and external conflicts throughout time. However, the Syrian conflict was the one that caught my attention and interest.  It is also known as the Syrian Civil War. This conflict draws back to about 20 years ago, but is commonly known to be going on since 2011. It all began with protests. Syrian protestors were claiming an economic and democratic reform. The Syrian army took action against them. After a while the protestors became armed rebels.

Both sides of the war have different external countries supporting them. For example, the United States, Qatar and Saudi Arabia transfer weapons to support the rebels. Today, the Syrian conflict is still going on. It has caused many people to run away from Syria and find refugee in other countries. The life conditions in Syria have become very difficult. There is an estimate of about more than 100,000 casualties in this war. It seems that the end of this conflict is not coming any time soon.

My name is Maria Daniela Camargo Niño. I am from Bucaramanga, Colombia. I am 17 years old. I have two pets; a dog named Thomas and a cat named Otto. I also have a little baby brother called Jacobo. I love spending time with my family and friends.