It's late. It's been a long day, and a longer one awaits me with the sunrise, but I'm up plugging away at a few things. I need a break, so I wanted to share a few thoughts. The heartbreaking violence in eastern Congo has been going on under the radar of most people for years. Somehow Darfur is a more glamorous genocide--one that has garnered the attention of celebrities and slogan-makers. I am in no way condoning violence in either place, or rejecting the good that press can do for a cause, but the Congo deserves to (at least) be part of the discussion.
This article strikes me because it speaks to the very heart of humanity. A man who has been forced by violence to leave his home and live in horrific conditions is thinking primarily of those he used to protect--the gorillas. He calls them his cousins. If only everyone could consider each other--their fellow humans--the same way Jean-Marie thinks of gorillas, we might have less trouble being peaceful.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Third of many, I'm sure..
So now you've realized I'm obsessed with water. Essential to life, it seems a good place to start development. I met with Michael Webber, a professor here and at the UT Engineering Graduate school, who is going to help me look into water research and an internship for summer 09. For now, I'm going to keep compiling interesting perspectives on water. Sarah Fisher sent this to me, and it is awesome. Whole post, on BLDGBLOG can be viewed here. They mention possible hydro-geopolitical legislation that would include a draft convention on transboundary water. Awesome. 
The map shows where underground freshwater aquifers actually lie, and is part of a newly developed "atlas of hidden water".
The map shows where underground freshwater aquifers actually lie, and is part of a newly developed "atlas of hidden water".
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Go with the Flow
Ok, so my previous post is an op-ed under construction on water rights in the developing world. It's very unlike my usual ramblings, mostly because I wrote it for class so it sounds a bit more uppity and less conversational than usual. It's an important issue which I care about a lot, and to go along with it, everyone should go see the movie FLOW. It's playing in a few places around the country and it comes out on DVD December 9th.
Dangerous Waters
Every Starbucks in America sells bottles of “Ethos” water. Five cents from every bottle goes to help bring clean water to children in the developing world. But wait a minute. 2.5 billion people around the world lack access to clean water and sanitation. And someone is certainly making a profit on those trendy-looking bottles of water. Ethos begs the question: who owns the water?
Many of the developing world’s crippling problems are related to inadequate water supplies. Water-borne disease kills over three million people each year. Hauling water from sources miles from rural homes wastes tens of billions of labor hours each year. Scarcity has introduced a new reason to go to war in places already torn apart by conflict, and privatization of water systems is removing control of a common resource from the people’s hands.
Developing countries that lack basic water infrastructure have become investment opportunities in recent years. Private companies come in, build a water system, and operate it on a for-profit basis. Even in an ideal situation, when privatization increases the number of people who can access water and it remains affordable, government has lost control over a resource from the ground on which it sits. Government control traditionally extends to the land, water, and resources found within a country’s borders, so private control over something as essential as water threatens to undermine fledgling governments.
The problem of water is two-fold. There are immediate health concerns, and there are long-term human rights concerns. UN member states pledged in 2000 to halve the number of people without access to clean water by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals. These goals are an effort to curb extreme poverty, fight curable disease, and empower women. The part of the water crisis that the MDGs fail to address is the long-term human rights question.
The global community is capable of improving sanitation and increasing water access in the developing world. Non-governmental organization support local groups with histories of success through private donations in the construction of simple, sustainable water systems in communities from Bangladesh to Honduras. EU governments continue to finance the planning and implementation of national water systems in 20 countries where progress toward the 2015 goal is slow.
Yet privatization threatens to turn water into blue gold—the better-tasting sister of oil. In a 2007 issue, Fortune Magazine wrote that water “would be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th”. Widespread privatization of water systems will force millions of people to purchase water from a for-profit monopoly. Instead, public investment in water systems must be supported both politically and financially, while funding continues for sanitation projects.
First, we must—as a community—continue the projects, investment, and innovation that will allow us to reach the Millennium Goal for clean water access by 2015. It is important that water-borne disease be eradicated and everyone have access to clean water. Second, we must address the long-term human rights issues associated with the water crisis. The privatization of water sources must be stopped. Privatization threatens to undermine the effectiveness of political development by ceding power to third parties. Governments must be able to provide water as a public utility. Successful infrastructure from which the government can earn both revenue and legitimacy will have myriad spillover effects in the developing world. Public water utilities represent relationships between infrastructure and people. This relationship will succeed when governments--ideally those that represent the people--are responsible gatekeepers of water resources.
World Water Day is March 22. On that day, leaders and groups around the world will host meetings and events to discuss another aspect of water scarcity—trans-boundary water. Bodies of water that cross borders are contentious even when the supply is not threatened. Government control over public water utility systems is crucial to diffuse potential water conflicts. Walk for water, support a local event, become involved, and become aware of the danger water privatization represents.
If we cannot reach the goals set forth by the United Nations in 2000, if we do not recognize the necessity of water rights, and if we do not acknowledge the long-term importance of governments’ sovereign control over water resources, then water will replace oil as the most fought-over resource on earth. And while it may seem difficult to imagine a life without oil in today’s America, imagine a world without water.
Many of the developing world’s crippling problems are related to inadequate water supplies. Water-borne disease kills over three million people each year. Hauling water from sources miles from rural homes wastes tens of billions of labor hours each year. Scarcity has introduced a new reason to go to war in places already torn apart by conflict, and privatization of water systems is removing control of a common resource from the people’s hands.
Developing countries that lack basic water infrastructure have become investment opportunities in recent years. Private companies come in, build a water system, and operate it on a for-profit basis. Even in an ideal situation, when privatization increases the number of people who can access water and it remains affordable, government has lost control over a resource from the ground on which it sits. Government control traditionally extends to the land, water, and resources found within a country’s borders, so private control over something as essential as water threatens to undermine fledgling governments.
The problem of water is two-fold. There are immediate health concerns, and there are long-term human rights concerns. UN member states pledged in 2000 to halve the number of people without access to clean water by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals. These goals are an effort to curb extreme poverty, fight curable disease, and empower women. The part of the water crisis that the MDGs fail to address is the long-term human rights question.
The global community is capable of improving sanitation and increasing water access in the developing world. Non-governmental organization support local groups with histories of success through private donations in the construction of simple, sustainable water systems in communities from Bangladesh to Honduras. EU governments continue to finance the planning and implementation of national water systems in 20 countries where progress toward the 2015 goal is slow.
Yet privatization threatens to turn water into blue gold—the better-tasting sister of oil. In a 2007 issue, Fortune Magazine wrote that water “would be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th”. Widespread privatization of water systems will force millions of people to purchase water from a for-profit monopoly. Instead, public investment in water systems must be supported both politically and financially, while funding continues for sanitation projects.
First, we must—as a community—continue the projects, investment, and innovation that will allow us to reach the Millennium Goal for clean water access by 2015. It is important that water-borne disease be eradicated and everyone have access to clean water. Second, we must address the long-term human rights issues associated with the water crisis. The privatization of water sources must be stopped. Privatization threatens to undermine the effectiveness of political development by ceding power to third parties. Governments must be able to provide water as a public utility. Successful infrastructure from which the government can earn both revenue and legitimacy will have myriad spillover effects in the developing world. Public water utilities represent relationships between infrastructure and people. This relationship will succeed when governments--ideally those that represent the people--are responsible gatekeepers of water resources.
World Water Day is March 22. On that day, leaders and groups around the world will host meetings and events to discuss another aspect of water scarcity—trans-boundary water. Bodies of water that cross borders are contentious even when the supply is not threatened. Government control over public water utility systems is crucial to diffuse potential water conflicts. Walk for water, support a local event, become involved, and become aware of the danger water privatization represents.
If we cannot reach the goals set forth by the United Nations in 2000, if we do not recognize the necessity of water rights, and if we do not acknowledge the long-term importance of governments’ sovereign control over water resources, then water will replace oil as the most fought-over resource on earth. And while it may seem difficult to imagine a life without oil in today’s America, imagine a world without water.
Monday, November 10, 2008
What 4:30 feels like
A.M. that is. I spent last night in the library, pulling my first extremely late night of the semester. It felt good because I was genuinely interested in what I was working on. Nerd City, as Nicole, Sarah and I refer to our often tragically academic lives. However unfortunate it is that I find myself combing piles of abandoned articles at the printer for entertainment, the point is that I have found something that I enjoy doing until 4:30 in the morning. I wanted to be reading about human rights and writing about water. As painful as this morning has been, I think I am lucky to be so utterly consumed by what I am studying. A lot of people probably wait far longer than 23.5 years to find their passion. There is certainly volumes more for me to know and learn, but I'm happy and motivated. Like my birthday twin said yesterday, we have to do what we have to do. I'm focused--let's do this.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Election Hangover
I'm still reeling. Every time I read a story in the New York Times or a Sullivan blog post, I become overwhelmed all over again. I can't stop thinking about it. I don't want to stop talking about it. And I'm so happy to be living it. The image that appeared of Barack, Malia, Sasha, and Michelle on the stage in Chicago Tuesday night blows my mind. That is our next first family. A black family is moving into the White House. I did not experience the darkest days of racism in this country, but my parents did and I have an appreciation of it beyond reading about Selma and Montgomery.
Barack Obama represents an opportunity to leave behind the history of discrimination and bias. He also brings a sense to my generation that our entire political life does not have to be defined by what is our own darkest day, September 11th, 2001. We can experience something positive--we have experienced something positive--and we can move forward into a world where challenges beget nuanced and hard-thought solutions.
Barack Obama represents an opportunity to leave behind the history of discrimination and bias. He also brings a sense to my generation that our entire political life does not have to be defined by what is our own darkest day, September 11th, 2001. We can experience something positive--we have experienced something positive--and we can move forward into a world where challenges beget nuanced and hard-thought solutions.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
It's breezy in Texas
In a room full of young democrats, most of whom have spent their entire politically aware life under the Bush Administration, Ben Barnes made me cry for the third time of the night. He spoke about LBJ signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and looking him in the eye to tell him he was young enough that he would see a black man elected president. And so it has happened. It is still sinking in for me, and I don't think I can do justice to the way I feel right now, so I will just go through the last 24 hours. . .
7:00 a.m. Alarm goes off, hit snooze
7:40 a.m. Out of bed, dressed, and NPR is on the radio. They're talking about how Jim Steinberg, Dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs has the potential to be the most influential Texan in an Obama administration. I have 4 texts from people back east who have already voted.
8:40 a.m. Arrive at school for my first Writing 2 class. Coffee in hand, I'm reading blogs and hoping. Just hoping.
12:30 p.m. Eating lunch with a few girls from school, and Aaron Piersol walks by. He's good looking. We talk about Obama, Prop 8, and that this is a great day.
5:03 p.m. Kuperman tortures us with a midterm review, I get an A-, then we talk about the environment. Kendra and I, dressed like twins, help spread 4th of July like decorations around the TCC, and I try not to vomit with excitement.
7:00 p.m. People trickle in, I meet Ben Barnes, and we start drinking. Open bar + election excitement = slow, steady stream of gin and tonics. Shortly after, it's 8-3 McCain. Damn you, Kentucky.
7:53 p.m. They're projecting Shaheen to win in New Hampshire, along with Barack. Dad sends me a text that makes me cry, 'Mom and I may have made a difference'.
8:18 p.m. I get a text from JMo that just says 'Ohio!!!' We're watching CNN, who hasn't called it yet, but I spread the news that Fox painted Ohio blue. Dad sends me a message two minutes later that says 'Ohio! Yes! Kick ass Obama!'. I love my Dad.
8:44 p.m. Sarah Fisher asks me for my outlook. I'm confident.
9:30 p.m. Dad sends me a message that makes me wish I was in Scituate. I had sent him something snarky about Mississippi being red and that we were giving the kid who had the same major at the same college 40 years after him a hard time. "I'm watching TV with the sound off and watching Monty Python videos on youtube. Don't give the kid from Milsaps a hard time". UNreal.
9:52 p.m. Virgina turns blue. California plus the other gimmes are going to do it.
9:59 p.m. We count down to 10 like it might be New Years and the TV says Barack Obama elected President. We scream, we hug, we cry, we shout. My phone blows up. It's Dad. Screaming, "It's a fucking black guy, Sarie! It's a black guy! You kids did it". He's crying. I can tell. I'm crying. Erica, herself half black, is sobbing. Katie, who just lost a friend to cancer, is sobbing. I'm sobbing.
10:12 p.m. Jared sends me a text, "That just happened". I know. I can't believe it either.
The next hour and a half or so is spent watching McCain's extremely dignified concession speech and waiting for Obama to speak. When he finally does, it's incredible. He channels Lincoln, JFK, and MLK. He's every bit confident, dignified, inspiring, and eloquent. He's teary. I'm teary. Everyone's teary. Then we head downtown. There are people in the street, I'm still getting texts from the east coast. We do Obama shots. They're terrible, but I don't care. Everyone is elated. And it feels so good. I get home and fall asleep around 4am. Waking up this morning was incredible. Sarah Fisher's 11:27 text said "We live in a new and amazing world". She's right.
7:00 a.m. Alarm goes off, hit snooze
7:40 a.m. Out of bed, dressed, and NPR is on the radio. They're talking about how Jim Steinberg, Dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs has the potential to be the most influential Texan in an Obama administration. I have 4 texts from people back east who have already voted.
8:40 a.m. Arrive at school for my first Writing 2 class. Coffee in hand, I'm reading blogs and hoping. Just hoping.
12:30 p.m. Eating lunch with a few girls from school, and Aaron Piersol walks by. He's good looking. We talk about Obama, Prop 8, and that this is a great day.
5:03 p.m. Kuperman tortures us with a midterm review, I get an A-, then we talk about the environment. Kendra and I, dressed like twins, help spread 4th of July like decorations around the TCC, and I try not to vomit with excitement.
7:00 p.m. People trickle in, I meet Ben Barnes, and we start drinking. Open bar + election excitement = slow, steady stream of gin and tonics. Shortly after, it's 8-3 McCain. Damn you, Kentucky.
7:53 p.m. They're projecting Shaheen to win in New Hampshire, along with Barack. Dad sends me a text that makes me cry, 'Mom and I may have made a difference'.
8:18 p.m. I get a text from JMo that just says 'Ohio!!!' We're watching CNN, who hasn't called it yet, but I spread the news that Fox painted Ohio blue. Dad sends me a message two minutes later that says 'Ohio! Yes! Kick ass Obama!'. I love my Dad.
8:44 p.m. Sarah Fisher asks me for my outlook. I'm confident.
9:30 p.m. Dad sends me a message that makes me wish I was in Scituate. I had sent him something snarky about Mississippi being red and that we were giving the kid who had the same major at the same college 40 years after him a hard time. "I'm watching TV with the sound off and watching Monty Python videos on youtube. Don't give the kid from Milsaps a hard time". UNreal.
9:52 p.m. Virgina turns blue. California plus the other gimmes are going to do it.
9:59 p.m. We count down to 10 like it might be New Years and the TV says Barack Obama elected President. We scream, we hug, we cry, we shout. My phone blows up. It's Dad. Screaming, "It's a fucking black guy, Sarie! It's a black guy! You kids did it". He's crying. I can tell. I'm crying. Erica, herself half black, is sobbing. Katie, who just lost a friend to cancer, is sobbing. I'm sobbing.
10:12 p.m. Jared sends me a text, "That just happened". I know. I can't believe it either.
The next hour and a half or so is spent watching McCain's extremely dignified concession speech and waiting for Obama to speak. When he finally does, it's incredible. He channels Lincoln, JFK, and MLK. He's every bit confident, dignified, inspiring, and eloquent. He's teary. I'm teary. Everyone's teary. Then we head downtown. There are people in the street, I'm still getting texts from the east coast. We do Obama shots. They're terrible, but I don't care. Everyone is elated. And it feels so good. I get home and fall asleep around 4am. Waking up this morning was incredible. Sarah Fisher's 11:27 text said "We live in a new and amazing world". She's right.
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