Jared Diamond

According to Jared Diamond, his research has shown that it is geographic luck that determines whether or not a civilization grows prosperous. He believes that there is a direct correlation between animal and plant domestication and the ability of a culture to advance. Great civilizations have been known for greater advancements in technology and larger population growth. He discovered that it was because of animal and plant domestication that led to these great civilizations. However, these two variables depended greatly on the geography of the land. This factor was determined to be all luck. Civilizations that had to hunt and gather their food took more time and energy than civilizations who could farm and easily produce their food. The environment was a crucial factor in determining specific local foods. Some regions of the world could only grow certain produce that wasn’t nutritious. This food lacked necessary nutritious value, which didn’t allow civilizations to grow in the number of people. Farming was another key aspect that led to larger civilizations. Farms that could grow nutritious and beneficial food would have the opportunity to provide healthier food to their people. Farming could also provide a larger quantity of food allowing more people to be fed and therefore growing the population within a given civilization. The domestication of animals also allowed for such goods as milk (high in protein), skin and fur for warmth, leather and hide. Large animals could also be used for different things such as farming. Therefore, regions with larger animals had the opportunity to use these animals to their advantage. In conclusion, geographic places with fertile land, the right plant domestication and animals made it easier for civilizations to grow. These factors seemed to hugely contribute to and impacted whether or not a civilization would grow and prosper in size. When a civilization became larger in size they would then continue to prosper and have greater advancements in technology.

Speaker on Afghanistan

The presentation that I attended was about life in Afghanistan. Roy Glover was the key note speaker who spoke about his time as a public diplomacy officer in Afghanistan. He began his presentation talking about his life and how different events affected his career path. He also explained the detailed process of how he became a public diplomat. His duties as a public diplomacy officer were to work with the people of Afghanistan and to inform them of certain U.S. policies. Mr. Glover also worked with the news media to try and promote U.S. interests with the people of Afghanistan. Another part of his job was informing Washington about what people thought about different U.S. policies. Roy Glover worked in a couple different countries before being sent to Afghanistan. He talked about the extensive bidding process that people go through to apply to work in different countries. He was granted access to work in the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. While he was in Afghanistan he spoke about how life there was very secluded and protected. In his PowerPoint, he showed many pictures of where he lived. His living corridors were very small, similar to that of a freshman dorm room. Mr. Glover was there during the war and spoke about how that influenced his work and lifestyle. He talked about how much security was there and the many different precautions they took. He lived inside a community surrounded by large cement walls with guard posts protecting 24 hours, 7 days a week. Mr. Glover didn’t have many opportunities to go out and experience the culture of Afghanistan because of the many limitations due to security. Even though he was limited in his ability to really explore Afghanistan he was still able to share with us what life was like to live in Afghanistan during the war. It was also interesting to hear about how his duties as a public diplomacy officer shifted day-to-day depending on what was going on in the world. It seemed like a very interesting job because every day he woke up not knowing what was going to happen next. It was interesting to hear personal stories from someone who was exposed to the war and how it affected his life and job.

Images courtesy of: http://www.apakistannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/kabul-map.gif and http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200709/r176882_674459.jpg

Genocide Presentation-Reflection

Dr. Kennedy’s presentation on genocide was very eye-opening. Genocide is a very dark and depressive subject, but needs to be talked about. I thought that the way Dr. Kennedy presented the information was very illuminating and interesting. She began her presentation by making the information relevant and easy to relate to by telling a story, comparing her daughter and another girl her same age from Rwanda. This story was very sad, but it got the audience’s attention about the subject. It is very interesting to compare and contrast the two girls. They were very similar individuals, however the major difference of course was where they were from. It is scary to think that anyone of us could have been subjected to those conditions. We are very lucky to live in a free country where genocide does not take place. However, like Dr. Kennedy said we have an obligation (being humans) to help to try and prevent things like this from happening. It is very sad to think that genocide can still happen in the world today. Throughout the presentation Dr. Kennedy provided the history of genocide in which she gave statistics, pictures, locations, and prominent figures associated with each tragedy. She also provided reasons and insight to why certain regions of the world were subjected to genocide. I thought that her presentation was very moving because she did more than just give out facts and statistics about genocide. Dr. Kennedy was able to share the stories of the people of Sudan and show us the faces of those who have suffered from these horrible conditions. Seeing the faces of the people who were impacted by these conditions makes it more powerful and has a greater impact to me. Dr. Kennedy ended her presentation with a powerful message that genocide needs to be stopped and there are things we can all do to help prevent genocide. One of the major things that we can do to help prevent genocide is to create awareness of this issue. By informing the public we can create a stronger argument for the government to act and to get involved. We can all make a difference in this world and if we can come together as a nation I believe we can help to put a stop to genocide. This can help to save the lives of those who are enduring this atrocity.