Wednesday, June 02, 2004

June 2nd 2004 - Introduction

G'day,
My name's Keegan, I'm a student studying Hotel Management and Politics, and I've been slowly getting more and more frustrated that I haven't had much opportunity to write anti-globalisation essays, as there hasn't really been much opportunity in this semester's courses. As well as trying to inform a few randoms who stumble across this, it's also going to be a place where I can save references, and tidbits that crop up in the news, or books I'm reading, stuff that makes sense, helps the cause and refines my ideas about the global situation.

Right now I'm at a point where I believe that the world would benefit from true free trade globalisation, but the current system is a corporate globalist system, which limits the potential of the third world (1). I'm close to finishing "fast food nation" by Eric Schlosser (2), and then I'll be able to get cracking on Joseph Stiglitz's "Globalisation and it's Discontents" (3). I guess it's still kiddy books, but I'm still looking for some Tomes to plow through, (and No Logo [4] doesn't count). As this site develops, I'll post my essays, but only when I've figured out how to include them on university anti-cheating systems, so do your own study! It's just a place to find some references, not a fountain of knowledge.

That being said, most people I know are either disinterested or clueless about politics, let alone globalisation. And I'm hardly an activist, I just want to keep an eye on things so I know when to head for the hills, and build that permaculture farm with my girlfriend somewhere out bush way above sea levels. Global warming might not happen at "The Day After Tomorrow" (5) speeds, but I'm absolutely convinced it'll occur the way Kim Stanley Robinson writes it (6). That's it for now anyway, twenty minutes of typing keeps my fingers in shape, and 6 links is as much as you're getting. Thanks for readin, and I plan to post regularly while my girlfriend's in Europe. Beats wasting days playing the Sims, and at least I can pretend it's study when I've got 6000 words due in two weeks, and two exams shortly after.

thank Very Muchachos,
Keegan.

ps. I'll work on an explanation for 'This Daily Gringo' later. Hola!

references:
(1) http://www.monbiot.com/ George Monbiot has been writing for the Guardian for a long time, and his book "The Age Of Consent" was very useful and readable, I've used it in an essay or two.
(2) official website for Fast Food Nation with extracts of the book, reviews and publisher direct ordering.
(3) http://www-1.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz Joseph Stiglitz won a Nobel prize in economics in 2001, he's gotta have at least some idea. If only we'd listened to Keynes...
(4) http://www.nologo.org/ Naomi Klein's Website, I'm gonna take a peek at this film she's got there, and figure out a way to see it.
(5) www.thedayaftertomorrow.com The Fox Site, try not to buy anything, it is a good film though. If you can buy an 'Asian' Copy that wasn't taped in the cinema, do so, and hook me up, I've already seen the movie twice at the cinema, and that's all Rupert's getting out of me this week.
(6) http://www.kimstanleyrobinson.net/ just a fan site, though I'd rather if you bought the books, buy them at your local independent bookstore, they really need your business. posted by Keegan at 11:21 am

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