Sustainability: Fundamental social change
We will also be highlighting one organization every two weeks that has made an impact in social change around the world. If you would like to nominate a group feel free to post a comment including their website address. Check our blogroll for a quick link.
This weeks organizational spotlight is: Ryan’s Well
Next week’s spotlight: Kiva (micro-finance for the under-privileged)
Thanks to Michael Ivy for bringing this organization to our attention. It’s a good work.
Just for fun: Every two weeks we will also be uploading a portrait of a famous philosopher, social scientist, political scientist or psychologist in the author’s avatar section. See if you can be the first one to identify the picture. Please post your response in the comments section
Guess this mystery man: alright here’s a hint…….American revolution, but he’s not American
Correct Brittani wins !!!!…….
It’s Lafayette Born: September 6, 1757 Died: May 20, 1834. He was a French military officer and former aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions.
E. Michael Schwab
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
Robert Michel
Current Event 5
My article is about plastic bags and how its affecting our environment. By the year of 2009, many stores will not be using them because of this new bill. This new bill will ban plastic bags from Hawaii but not permanently. Those who continue using plastic bags will pay a fee for them. A lot of stores are now encouraging consumers to buy these reusable tote bags to help with the campaign. With a 5 cents returnable fee, many people have bought them. Not too many people are taking advantage until the last minute.
I think that plastic bags shouldn’t be banned because it’s a necessity. We not only use them to carry out grocery but for other reasons. My family’s restaurant uses them for take outs and we don’t want to pay extra for using them. There’s a lot of issues to this bill because we use plastic bags every day. It’s a good but bad thing and the results may vary. It’s a good thing because we live in a island surrounded by the sea and have no other place for landfill. So i guess if it’s necessary, we should ban them regardless of what we say because land is already expensive here.
I really like the site. We need people that will to act. I found a neat story about a little boy who did. Look at his sight http://www.ryanswell.ca he is making a difference
Thanks Michael,
I would like to use ryan’s wells for our organizational spotlight if that’s ok.
Thanks for your post,
Freedom is Universal
Current Event #5
Paying for college is already hard enough. The stress is now weighing even heavier on families, because the availability of student loans are lessening. Lenders are beginning to withdraw from student loan programs because of the dropping economy. They feel it will only worsen as students rush in this summer to file for loans.
If no aid is given to students, then families will have to save more than they would have ever had to and this will only worsen the economy. The families either save or college suddenly doesn’t become an option. People without educations will no only hurt our economy, but the essentially every part of living. No progress can be made without some educated people. Our economy can not move forward if its people can not further their education. The incentive to go to school, at any grade, is then practically extinguished.
Current Event #4
Weak jobs report fuel fears of a recession:
76,000 in January, another 76,000 in Febuary and now 80,000 in march-almost a quarter of a million lost this year alone.All these don’t even count Dell, motorola, and the ATA bankruptcies.The unemployment rates ahve increased too 5.1%, the highest it’s been in three years.Manufacturing and construction jobs are even declining. Manufacturing is usually the job that many middle-class people go to but now not even these people have jobs.
I believe that this is a major problem with the economy today.Even though these jobs might not effect you personally it can effect you psycologically.Many people are now afraid to take risk, hearing numbers like these are not very promising.
Current Event #5
General Growth unveils residential plans for Ward Area:
General growth properties unvieledi ts master plan for Ward area.It will take 20 to 30 years, but the largely reatail area now would add residential buildings and parks.Now that Ward center wants to buid 400 foot high rise buildings along ala moana there have been complaints from kakaako makai residents.
I believe that expansion and development is a very good thing as long as it is for the good of all the residents of the area.If the bulidings that are going to be built are blocking the natural beauty of waikiki then it might not be a good choice to build them.I support the need for developnmentas long as it doesn’t becoming to crowded and industrial in downtown.
Unemployment rates are going up again - to a number no one expected. In this week alone, the number of those unemployed has increased by seventeen thousand, bringing the number to 372,000. Businesses so far have cut over 80,000 jobs. Economists are predicting that this number will be short-lived, and will soon go down.
Many businesses are flopping, and because of it, many people are losing jobs. I don’t know if that is due to the recession, or if it is just something that’s going on now, but, it’s leaving many families standing in welfare lines, without homes. I think when these periods in history occur, the government should have a strong backup plan to take care of them.
current event:
The souring job market and rising costs of the usual teenage indulgences: a slice of pizza, a drive to the mall, the hottest new jeans — are causing teens to do something they rarely do, which is be thrifty.
The economy is obviously is going downhill, so kids now are learning to save their money. Everything is getting more and more expensive. Gas is expected to rise to $4 this summer, and so are other stuff like food. Teen hiring has also slumped, so it’s harder for teens to get jobs now and pay for their spendings. It seems now that kids are learning the true value of a $1, and are spending less on expensive name brand merchandise. They would rather shop at a Wal-Mart now then an American Eagle just to save $10-20. Hopefully kids now will learn now that to be thrifty is not always a bad thing.
Is the mystery man.. Francisco Mandero?
Or Porfirio Diaz?
Current Event 6
My article is about escalating food prices and how it all relates to gas. Food prices are now about 10 cents more than what they were worth a week ago. It may seems a little less but 10 cents is really alot to add to the overall price. Members of a store club such as Sam’s club, Safe way club, or Times, feel like they are not even getting a full discount with their membership. It’s like paying the regular price last week instead of this week. So the economy is really bad and it all has to do with the fuel for cars.
I think that escalating food prices are ridicious because we all need food to survive. Fuel we can definitely find substitutions but for food we can’t. There is no possible way we can survive without food. If the gas prices continue to increase, then the supply for food will decrease. Our demand for food will always increase even if there isn’t any supplies. We need to change what we eat and spend most of our money if fuel is the issue.
Good guess, Felicia
But you will have to continue your research ;D
The mystery man remains a mystery!
It’s Marquis de Lafayette!!!!!!I beat Felicia!
oh and here’s the info
*Lafayette (September 6, 1757 – May 20, 1834) was a French military officer and former aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions.*
current event:
Starbucks corporation is expecting their earnings will be fall short of analyst expectations due to the weak economy. The Analyst expects 97cents per share but because of the weak economy their only getting 87cents per share.
I think weak economy really makes the market shares low. It really affects the production of the amount of supply they use for coffee. Sometimes our economy is strong but i think most of the time our economy is weak. I think we should start maintaining our expenses to the level that we can pay them no matter. We should start saving our money for the future ahead.If these problem continue all the things we want or needed will be more expensive and we as the buyers we are the one’s that causing the problem. We should make a stand for ourselves to make our economy in good shape.
Current Event 6
Rice scare has caused people to stockpile on rice. Now certain store such as Sam’s Club has put a cap on the amount a customer may buy at one time. Some suppliers seem to be confused as to why people are buying so much rice because there seems to be no deficiency in the production of rice.
I feel that if consumers continue to send signals to suppliers that rice is in very high demand, the price of rice will continue to rise, along side everything else. Yes the price of rice has risen, but there is no need to buy 100 bags at a time, consumers have most of the power. In Hawaii, rice is very valuable so there is reason for our actions, but there are many other issues to stress about.
Brazil is said to be the next world power. They’ve just found a oil field that’s estimated as the world’s third largest. This newly found field has provided the money for highways paved across the Amazon and irrigation of the desert. The country’s foreign debt is gone, and they are growing at five percent a year. Once seen as nothing in the world’s eyes, this country is looking to take center stage in wealth.
I think it’s good that Brazil is doing well. It’s weird how when one world power seems to be falling, another one is there, waiting to rise and take its place. With our looming recession, America’s economic state is worsening, but, we’re still the main contender as far as wealth and money is concerned. Brazil is growind and doing well, but, it’s only a matter of time before we’re back up again.
Small businesses are a growing part of our economy,and more and more are owned and operated by women.”Hawaii is the 4th in the nation in terms of growth in Women-owned business” said Susan Utsugi, Central Pacific Bank Vice President and region manager.They had done a study that shows that women don’t really need anything different than men when it comes to manageThe only difference was their decision making.
This is exactly what we were talking about in class today, women who are coming into businessess and becoming extremly successful. This is something that guys need to whatch out for women are no longer standing by and cooking dinner for the family, they are getting out there and going to college to make a difference in the work field where we thought men only did.This is a very good thing for women because for so long we didn’t have the right to do any of those things.
Current Event:
My current event is about credit agencies. It talks about when they make good investments, they’re proud to take the credit, but when they make a bad investment, they point the blame to another. The government wants to make new rules for the credit agencies so that they can be more accurate and precise with their advising.
I think that it is a good thing that the government is taking actions to make credit agencies more better. They are in charge of our moneys and investments so we need them to be thorough.
Gasoline prices shot up to yet another record at the pump Thursday, while some analysts said the sharp price increases of recent days could soon level off although gas will continue to rise. Crude oil prices, meanwhile, fell more than $2 a barrel as the dollar gained strength against the euro. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080424/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices;_ylt=AgxZKTREBzxTTBqCWoD31MHv5rEF)
Gas is getting more and more expensive each day. They say the reason it’s getting so expensive is because refiners have been switching from winter grade gasoline to the more expensive fuel. The government is forcing them to sell the more expensive fuel by summer because it emits less pollution. Usually my car’s gas tank fills up with just $20, but now it only goes up to 3/4 when I put in that amount. Hopefully the gas price will go down or at least stay at a stand still because if it doesn’t then most of our money will be spent on gas and not on other important things.
Current Event:
My current event is on the rise in the cost of gasoline and its effect on the clothing industry. Recently many clothing stores sales have dropped to a very low level, because people just aren’t interested in buying new clothes. When surveyed, over 50% of the women (the primary shoopers) said they haden’t even noticed the new spring line in the windows of retail stores. This isn’t because they do not like the current clothes for sale but rather due to the fact that they can’t afford it when they have to spend so much on gasoline, food, etc. This is just another example of how the ever growing cost of gasoline is destroying our economy.
Current Event (April 17)
The recent rise in gas prices has lowered the sales of SUV’s and trucks. The bigger vehicles require more gas to run meaning more money. This recent loss for brands such as ford and chevrolet has been good for producers of smaller cars such as Honda and Toyota. Especially now that all the baby boomer’s children are grown and gone, larger vehicles are being traded in for smaller cars.
I think that it is better for people to get smaller cars unless they absolutely nees a larger one. There isn’t enough money to buy the gas that is already running low. Maybe this will push the technology for an engine that doesn’t run on gas.
Current Event
The University of Michigan Consumer Confidence survey revealed that high food and fuel prices have caused consumers to save their money rather than spend it. And if they were to spend it, it would be to repay their debt. This recent study has showed the lowest confidence of consumers in years.
Lack of jobs and high prices are finally starting to make people realize they need to save. It’s sad that the nation has to go into billions of dollars into debt to realize that our way of spending is affecting our economy, in a bad way.
Congratualtions Brittani!! You win ;D
The mystery man is Lafayette. A French military general who helped the Americans gain freedom from the British.
Current Event 7 (May2)
My article is about how our dollar is losing its currency all over the world. Many dollar stores are changing their company’s name or losing business because of our dollar bills. Most of their products are imported to America so that we can lower the prices of goods for the consumers. But lately, it’s been a struggle to keep the dollar stores from selling a dollar products. When our dollar loses its worth, everything is expensive causing less people to buy anything. So now America is on a recession.
I think that we should help the economy and spend a little money on things that we need other than want. Since we are tight with our money, America will be in recession for a while. It’s going to be hard to get the dollar back into action but for now, we just have to deal with the prices. Prices shouldn’t stop us from buying the things that we need because if we don’t invest in those things, their business will be gone. We need to help the economy as much as we can because it’s the people who makes a prosperous country and not the government.
Current Event#7(may2)
Maui has Options for getting goods off and on island:
Our neighbor island appears to be in better shape than others.After 85% of hawaii’a cargo gone, many people are left wondering whats next.The Superferry has given maui options for getting there goods on and off the island.”I think it’s true because we have the ability to get cargoto maui off ans on throught the Superferry”said Maui county Mayor Charmaine Taveres.The main concernfor neighbor island residents is keeping a steady flow of food between the islands.
I think that the Superferry is a very good tool to use for shipment especially since Aloha cargo is now out of business.Maui is still able to provide food and other goods to the neighbor islands while still being able to receive them.A long as the Superferry keeps operating then Maui will prosper in this difficult time.
Small cars were the big winners in April, as high gas prices accelerated U.S. consumers’ rush away from trucks and sport utility vehicles and makers of fuel-efficient models scored gains despite the weak economy. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080501/ap_on_bi_ge/auto_sales;_ylt=AjP0hcvWvQcVGD9KaG8WjQ7v5rEF).
We all know that gas prices are on the rise, and by the summer time gas prices will most likely reach the $4 mark. People now know the importance of owning a gas-friendly or a hybrid car so they save gas and money. Trucks and bigger cars consume a lot more gas per gallon than smaller compact cars. That is why more and more people are starting to buy smaller compact cars to save gas and money. It seem as if consumers would much rather choose to buy a vehicle with a higher MPG than the style of which they would want. Maybe people will start seeing less trucks and hummers rolling on the roads this summer, and more gas-saving honda civics.
Current Event 7
Inflation of food prices are said to last for the next two years. The cost of prices has risen mainly because of increased consumption of developing countries such as China, damaged crops in Australia, most of American production are being exported for more profit, and oil and fuel influences. Americans are expected, and already are, to make substitutions for the increase of price of foods.
I feel this will greatly hurt the restaurant business. Eating out will become a true luxury for at least the next two years. Although I hope this will help America’s problem of over consumption of foods. Food is a necessity and Americans must learn how to budget.
Current Event (may 2)
It is getting harder for students to obtain private loans for schooling. More than sixty lenders are planning to stop handing out loans dus to decreasing federal aid. The loaners also make it very difficult to obatin such loans. If one were to have aloan, it is recommended to have a backup plan.
College is expensive enough already. Scholarships and grants are hard to come by unless one in unusually smart and/or talented. If loaners don’t have enough capital to give out to students, then students, as well a schools will suffer.
Current Event (May 9)
My article is about the cost of gas, airfare, and food. It’s been quite difficult to purchase these items because everything has gone up because of the inflation. Many people have to change their lifetstyles to obtain gas and even food. Even college tuitions are getting expensive! People in Hawaii are all feeling this issue because our mortgage rates is also higher than ever. No wonder why some people are moving to the mainland because it’s harder to live here now. Living here isn’t paradise anymore unless you have 2 jobs that gives you a good pay. Less people are now saving because they need to buy there necessity and gas is one of them.
I think that prices will still accumulate over time but we need to change our lifestyles in order to survive. It’s crazy and we really need to respond quickly because money goes away fast if you don’t use it wisely. Time and management is what we need most because with that time we can save money when we manage what we spend. Most people are spending more than what they make and that’s not a good sign. Economy is very bad right now and our restaurant is also facing a lot of difficulties. With our restaurant a little smaller, less people will not come because of the long line and higher prices.