Oh Me So Asian!

There are many symbols you can do that may seem funny but are very offensive to others. This issue has come up when the picture of Cyrus stretching the corner of her eyes leaked onto the internet. She says it’s just a goofy picture but doesn’t realize the deeper cruel meaning behind it. It the symbol that was used as a racist gesture to insult my ancestors. Even my parents personally had this happened to them when they first came to Canada and when I really look back in life I remember that’s how I used to be bullied but it never really affected me that much. But what about young little girls who are impressionable and become victims of racial bullying? What will her little Asian girl fans think when they see that picture? Is it okay for people to do that? Is that how my eyes actually look? They will think negatively about themselves and start questioning their own race. The reason why it is a big deal is because she is a great influence on girls everywhere. She is their role model and what she does has a big factor on them. What if little white girls start doing that in front of little Asian girls at school? There can be some racial issues that will arise in society. It’s degrading and putting humanity back 50 years. China has taken a severe stand and banned Cyrus from entering the country, any broadcast of her TV show, films, and sales of merchandise. It’s a big step but it made me realize how many people out there find this offensive.

I know that racism is the key issue here but what about underage drinking? Do parents want their children to be influenced by that? It doesn’t take a genius to see that Cyrus could have been possibly intoxicated under the influence. You can see in the picture that one of the males is holding a glass of wine. It raises another issue and I wonder why no one has brought it up yet? She is promoting underage drinking and racism at the same time. How do parents feel when their little girl has seen the picture? Would they want someone like that as a role model for their children? I know that the picture is one of her private ones but as a celebrity she still has to act like a good role model, especially when the majority of her fans are little girls. All they are asking for is a legit apology and for her to learn her lesson. Say no to racism.

Vann, Tap. Miley Cyrus Asian Photo. 4 Feb. 2009. 26 Apr. 2009 .

Beware of Recession

For those who don't know already, our beloved countries economy is rapidly deteriorating. We are currently stuck in a recession. You may find yourself eating out less and/or shopping less these days. With the prices fluctuating so much, it’s making everyone tighten up their belts. But what does our country going into a recession mean for us?
There are a lot of great things that are getting cheaper that teens love which are clothes and electronics for fashion. Cars are getting a lot cheaper which is perfect for our age group as we are starting to get our drivers licenses. We can go anywhere we want this summer since airfares are cheaper. There is always alternative energy that is getting cheaper to charge our electronics. Toys are drastically getting cheaper so it can entertain the kid in all of us. With all of these things getting cheaper, who wouldn’t want to be in a constant recession? Well, with the recession comes with the rise of food prices so if you have a goal to lose weight then now may be the perfect time. Also, with the recession here, we have to learn to take care of ourselves much better because even the price of medical care and prescription drugs are going up. As we are near graduating and deciding where we want to go for post-secondary education, a big factor that might affect our decisions is the tuition costs as they are drastically going up. As many of us are getting our drivers licenses and our own cars, we may need to think about what car we want to buy according to its gas tank. You may think the prices are expensive now but just wait a bit longer till prices sky rocket. The streets may start to fill up with garbage as the cost of getting your garbage collected has increased by 43% in the past decade, 24% in the past five years and that’s including the entire recycling program and other efforts at waste reduction. Also, as we are just two years shy of the drinking age, the prices have gone up 30% in the past decade so it’s going to cost our generation a lot more to have a drunken time. Being stuck in a recession makes a lot of families struggle and faces many hardships.
It also doesn’t help with the rise in the unemployment rate as Canada is now at 6.3% but will rise to 7.5% by 2010. Many economists like Doug Porter from BMO capital markets predict that Canada is headed into a worse recession than anyone expected, one that could last until 2010. Is it possible to say that we could be close to another Great Depression? Will it be another time of mass unemployment, starvation, and homelessness? It seems that it will be most unlikely that we will go that far. The major reason for the Great Depression in 1929 was because of there were excessive lending, and not enough money to back it up. Banks went into a cash crisis because they lent money to people who had a high risk of not paying it back. Now dazes a couple of banks have followed the same route but not enough to cause a stock market crash. Another thing was the constant reparations from Germany which caused a gradual loss of trading with Europe in general. There is nothing equivalent today. It can be a scary time but with the right planning and tactics we can come out of this on top.




CBC News. Canada to Be Hit by a Recession. 25 Nov. 2008. 19 Apr. 2009 http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/7-things-getting-cheaper-7-that-are-not.aspx?Gt1=33009?slide-number=14.

CBC News. Canada Heading for Recession. 6 Oct. 2008. 19 Apr. 2009 http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/10/06/recession.html.

Melcher, Joan. 7 Things Getting Cheaper, 7 Things That Aren't. 10 Apr. 2009. 19 Apr. 2009 <http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/10/05/recession.html>.


Pym, Hugh. Are We Close to a Great Depression? 17 Apr. 2008. 19 Apr. 2009 .

Not Just Another Band-aid Solution

Imagine you’re watching your favourite TV show and then the commercials come on. You see that same old white male who has a child sitting in his lap. He starts telling you about that little child and how he is constantly hungry, how his father was killed, how he is constantly living in fear, and how it seems completely hopeless but you can make a difference. Does this look familiar?

I’m not trying to bash on these Christian organizations, I admire them for their efforts and hope one day I am able to make a difference as well but what exactly is that difference they are making? Is it a permanent difference or just like we said in class a “band-aid solution”?

World Vision is an organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. This organization tries to give these poor countries access to clean water, food, medical assistance, clothing, and shelter. All the money you give to these organizations is used to make improvements that will help the entire community. It may be a “band-aid” but it is still making life easier and bearable for these people who live in poverty.


We may not be making a great impact on the country overall but we are making a great impact on each village one by one. We give them access to clean water, food, and an education so that they will eventually be able to survive on their own. We are implementing these small steps that will eventually make a big difference. They are thinking globally and acting locally to help make a change. It’s sad how more than half the world’s population survives on less than $2 a day. The society we live in has become a consumerism lifestyle that makes us believe that money is everything when really it isn’t and it takes the poorest of the poor to teach us that.
We discussed in class why Africa is poor and how it mostly comes down to the horrible and corrupt governments. So what makes the government so corrupt? Are they corrupt because they are desperately poor so they result to negative ways of earning money? Or are they simply corrupt because they are keeping their people in poverty? According to a 2002 study conducted by the African Union, corruption consumes more than a quarter of the continent's gross domestic product every year, about $148 billion. It is sad because there seems to be no solution that the world leaders can come up with to help Africa’s corruption, wars, everyday violence, and droughts. Also, the core of Africa’s failure is their leaders to provide an effective government but, it seems we can’t do anything about that. Maybe that’s why the only peaceful option we have to help them is through organizations that we see on TV who goes over to support the poor.

Another plan that could be possible is to start creating jobs in developing countries because without jobs then there will be no end to the poverty. To make this work, it would take the international community to all get involved and start investing in Africa. They need to fix its corrupt leaders so that no more money is wasted so that way Africa will finally be able to survive on its own. It would take a lot of money but with specific targets and effort, progress could be made. It’s time for a positive change that will make a big difference in the future. Just like the old saying goes “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”.




BBC News. Can Life Improve for the Worlds Poorest? 14 Sep. 2005. 15 Apr. 2009 .
Rice, Andrew. Why Is Africa Still Poor? 6 Oct. 2005. 15 Apr. 2009 .
World Vision. Imagine a Generation without AIDS.. 15 Apr. 2009 .

The Canadian Girl Who Silence the United Nations

A 1992 video which is still relevant today (unfortunately).