Blog 24 - Integrating a Quote 1

Integrating a quote.

After reading the paper, ‘Human Trafficking in Burma and the Solutions

Which Have Never Reached.’(Thanawat Pimoljinda & Apiradee Thianthong), I have a clearer picture of the situation in Burma.

As the name suggests, the paper covers the problem of human trafficking in Burma. It explains the circumstances that led to the development of the human trafficking and considers the economic and political implications.

The ruling junta in Burma discriminates against ethnic minorities in the region and pushes them to try and leave the country by any means possible. These minorities end up being exploited because they take jobs other people would not and at the end of the day, most agree to trafficking as a way to stay alive. The paper addresses an interesting problem:

‘It can be argued that the existence of laws that prohibit sexual offenses and provide strong punishments does not mean things are adequately, or sometimes really enforced.’

It talks about how the organizations put in place to make sure that human trafficking is eradicated have failed. According to the paper, when organizations such as the Myanmar Maternal and

Child Welfare Association (MMCWA) were set up, there was hope that they would bring an end to the situation. They were set up to maintain the welfare of women and children, and to improve their social standing by making them more involved in the society (Page 7).

The practices of the junta, however, continue to thwart their efforts. Through practices such as forced relocation, destruction of property and extra judicial killing, they push these unfortunate people right back into situations where they are taken advantage of or trafficked (Page 7).  

As the quote above says, while the laws, or in this case the organizations are put in place, it does not mean that they are always effective. Because the junta is in charge, it can decide which laws decide to be implemented. The government cannot be seen disobeying its own law and so decides not to enforce the laws it breaks.

Blog 21 - Friendship Research paper 2

Today I read a paper titled : Relationships Among Teamwork Behavior, Trust, Perceived Team Support, and Team Commitment. The authors are Chieh-Wen Sheng,  Yi-Fang Tian and Ming-Chia Chen. The paper talks about the importance of trust and good relationships between members of a group.

According to the paper, teamwork is very important. When people work together, they group as a whole performs better. They tend to be more productive, and a healthier workplace attitude is adopted. People want to come work because they just don’t have coworkers, they have friends who they can trust and relate with easily.

Trust between people is a serious motivating factor. In any team, only one person cannot accomplish all the tasks given to the team. But when the team members trust each other and work together, each person contributes his quota and is sure his fellow team member will do the same. If the team does not work together, they will fail ultimately.

People who trust each other value each others’ opinions and efforts. When someone feels that their opinions are valued, they will try even harder to make other members of the team think more of them. Every human being wants to impress others. This drive to impress co-workers makes every member of the team more productive than if they had bad relationships.

From these instances, it is clear that trust and friendship between coworkers can only lead to good things. There will be no petty squabbles or power struggles if everyone works together and looks out for each other.

Blog 20 - Friendship Research paper 1

Today I read a paper titled ‘Another Level: Friendships Transcending Geography and Race.’  by Timothy J Peterson. The paper tells the story of a group of men who managed to transcend all the social boundaries of age, race and among others.

The paper explains that the process of just ‘hanging out’ and having constructive conversations unconsciously breaks down any social prejudice or barriers that may have existed between a group of people. The more people relate, the more they learn about each other and most of their old assumptions about people from that circle are washed away.

The bonds we build with others also have to do with trust. In the Another Level group, there were some rules laid down, one being that no one would try to gain some business at the meetings. This rule fostered a sense of trust between the men and allowed them to drop their barriers and relate freely.

We are all in college now, some people close to home, some people very far. We are all on unfamiliar ground, and have to adapt to the situation. The people we meet and relate with during this period will most likely change our lives forever. We will be limiting our experiences if we choose to relate to a certain kind of person. The more diverse our crowd is, the more we are likely to gain from our relations. No matter who we are or where we come from, we can form bonds that may define our lives with the most unlikely of people.

Blog 17- The Make up Blog

This marks my return to the blogosphere after an unplanned 3 days absence. In that time, I have tried to come out with what I plan to write for my Analytical Paper and come up with scholarly sources to back it up.

At this point, I am pretty sure I will be discussing the issue of discrimination and equality. I feel that is relevant in the times we live in. Discrimination, though reduced, is not really gone yet. It still rears it’s ugly head in many circumstances of everyday life.

People it seems, are hardwired to discriminate against each other. We cannot help but look down on people we feel are not as opportune as us. I intend to discuss why we discriminate against each other and hopefully offer some solutions to this problem.

I have only begun to search for sources that are relevant and so I’ll list a few I think apply:

1.       Reference Points in Men's and Women's Judgments of Progress Toward Gender Equality.

Authors:Eibach, Richard,Ehrlinger, Joyce

Source:Sex Roles; Dec2010, Vol. 63 Issue 11/12, p882-893, 12p

2.       Creating a Culture of Equality as Witness to the Truth: A Philosophical Response to Gender Difference.

Authors:CRAMER, DAVID C.

Source:Priscilla Papers; Summer2010, Vol. 24 Issue 3, p18-22, 5p

3.       Gender (In)equalities in the Knowledge Society.

Authors:Mósesdóttir, Lilja

Source:Gender, Work & Organization; Jan2011, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p30-47, 19p, 1 Chart, 1 Graph

4.       EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION -- CONGRESS CONSIDERS BILL TO PROHIBIT EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY -- Employment Nondiscrimination Act of 2009. H.R. 3017, 111th Cong. (2009).

Source:Harvard Law Review; May2010, Vol. 123 Issue 7, p1803-1810, 8p

5.       Discrimination Hurts: The Academic, Psychological, and Physical Well-Being of Adolescents HUYNH AND FULIGNI DISCRIMINATION HURTS.

Authors:Huynh, Virginia W. ,Fuligni, Andrew J.

Source:Journal of Research on Adolescence (Blackwell Publishing Limited); 2010, Vol. 20 Issue 4, p916-941, 26p, 2 Charts

Hopefully after going through all these I would have come up with enough material to make a compelling argument.

Blog 14 - Firefly ep 11

In the eleventh episode of Firefly, Mal and Zoe receive the remains of one of their old war buddies. He leaves a message asking them to please deliver his body to his parents. On their way to fulfill his last wishes, however, they end up being chased by an alliance official who wants the body.

As they try to find out what is so valuable about the body, they realize that the ‘corpse’(called Tracy) is very much alive. One thing that struck me is how medicine has advanced to such a stage that they are able to replace a man’s innards completely. The crew of the Serenity is not really surprised by Tracy’s story.

Another thing that struck me is how Mal, Zoe, and the whole crew for that matter, decide not to give Tracy up. Tracy ends up thinking the opposite however, and tries to escape, taking Kaylee hostage. In the process, he ends up getting fatally wounded. Even after all Tracy has put them through, Mal does not give him up to the officer. The crew manages to intimidate the officer and his men, and they leave.

Mal and Zoe still regard Tracy a friend even after he threatened to kill them. They carry out his last wishes, delivering his body to his family. As their saying goes ‘ When you can’t walk, crawl. And when you can’t crawl, get somebody to carry you.’ Mal and Zoe chose to carry Tracy despite all he had put them through. That is what true friends do.

Blog 13 - Firefly ep 10

In the tenth episode of Firefly, Zoe and her husband Wash, get into an argument about the captain Mal’s involvement in their marriage. Wash is angry that no matter the situation, Zoe always seems to side with Mal and not him. He basically sums up the situation when he says: ‘What this marriage needs is one less husband. Right now it seems kind of crowded.’

As a result of their argument, Wash ends up going out with Mal to make deal for some of the medical supplies they stole. Unfortunately for them, Niska, who they crossed in the second episode, ‘The Train Job’ is waiting for them and captures them.

One thing that struck is how hard Mal is, refusing to break under the torture and making sure that Wash doesn’t either. He keeps Wash going, and when Zoe successfully negotiates Wash’s release, Wash wastes no time in getting back to the ship and mounting a rescue operation. Jayne repeatedly tells them it is suicide but in the end, the whole crew ends up going, Jayne included.

It is good the whole crew decide to go back for Mal, even though they might all die. Throughout the series so far, Mal has always been the one protecting them, making sure they were safe no matter the situation. It is nice to see that when they had an opportunity to pay him back, they wasted no time in trying.

In the beginning, Wash envied the relationship between Mal and Zoe. But after their ordeal together, Mal and Wash begin to form that same kind of bond, and that puts any petty jealousy to death.

Blog 12 - Firefly ep 9

In the beginning of the ninth episode, the crew comes to  Ariel, a core Alliance planet to drop off Inara for her annual checkup. While they are waiting in board, an incident occurs between Jayne and River. After Jayne behaves badly towards Simon, River picks up a knife and slashes his chest. Jayne becomes even more wary of River, telling Mal that they should be left behind on Ariel.

The plot gets more interesting as Simon proposes a plan for the crew to get money and help River at the same time. What follows is an ingenious and daring plan which would have worked perfectly had Jayne not gotten greedy. Jayne tries to turn in Simon and River, but his plan backfires. Because of this, they almost get killed by the ominous ‘blue hands’.

Once again this episode shows how attached the members of the crew are. For once, Simon begins to trust Jayne, not knowing that Jayne betrayed him. Jayne, on his part, feels very ashamed of himself for what he has done. When Mal locks him out of the ship and threatens to kill him, he tells Mal not to tell the rest of the crew the truth. He cares enough to care what the crew thinks of him, alive or dead.

Mal once again stands up for Simon and River. As he tells Jayne,’ You turn on any of my crew, you turn on me.’ He protects his crew no matter what. The episode once again shows that the members of the crew still have problems with each other, even though they are closer. They can be likened to a family, and like any family, they have their bad days.

Blog 11 - Firefly ep 8

Today I watched the eight episode of Firefly, ‘Out of Gas’. At the beginning we see Mal stumbling through an empty ship, and he appears to be injured. This episode differs from the other episodes I have watched because the scenes are not sequential. The episode starts in the middle of the story, and the initial story is told through Mal’s flashbacks.

By watching the flashbacks, the story starts to form. The crew of Serenity is enjoying dinner when they surprise Simon with a birthday cake. As they about to dig into the cake, an explosion occurs. Zoe pushes Kaylee out of the way and gets hurt. They realize soon after that the ship cannot move without a certain part which has been damaged. To make matters worse, they are running out of oxygen.

Mal really impresses me in this episode. He tries to get the ship moving no matter what, even shoving Wash against the wall when Wash says he is not leaving Zoe’s side. In that situation, Mal realizes that if everyone were only concerned about Zoe, things could get worse. He is able to detach himself emotionally and assess the situation critically.

He once again shows he is a true leader when he tells the crew to leave in the shuttle. He feels responsible for putting them in that situation by bringing all of them onto the ship. As a result, he tries to make sure they survive. When they all leave and he gets hailed, by another ship, he shows his resolve once again. Although he is shot, he is able to take control of the situation and get the engine part he needs.

Even after he is shot, he does not give up, and tries to get the part in the engine. He keeps going when other men may have given up. And in the end, it is the bond that has grown between the members of Serenity that saves him. Once Zoe wakes up, she orders the ships back to ship. If they didn’t come back, all that Mal did would have been for nothing. But because the crew of Serenity cares and respects Mal, they come back even though they might die in the process. They come through for him, just as he did for them.