the morningside post

Meet Me and Malthus at Dinosaur BBQ

By Christian Kim
MIA 2009

The recent spike in global food prices touched off a storm of violent protests in developing nations and unsettled those keeping close tabs on the global economy. Unbelievably, many economists failed to anticipate that an increased demand for biofuels would lead to more expensive grain, which in turn has had a deleterious effect on the purchasing power of the world’s poor and exacerbated their struggle for survival.

Perhaps this food supply shock, in addition to the increasingly serious debate among analysts about the veracity of "peak oil" and concerns over the future supply of potable water prompted a May edition of the Economist to publish an article entitled, “Malthus, The False Prophet.” Thomas Malthus’ 1798 thesis, “An Essay on the Principle of Population,” postulated that future food production would fail to keep pace with population growth because the former had finite parameters whereas the latter, in theory, did not. According to the Economist, while Malthus presents “arguably an accurate description of pre-industrial societies, which teetered on the balance between empty and full stomachs,” his prediction of food shortages in face of exponential population increases (which has gone from nearly one billion people in 1798 to 6.7 billion today) has proved to be but an empty jeremiad.

Sustainability: The Best Place to Start is Your Own Backyard

By Cathleen Monahan
MPA ESP 2008

If I were to make a generalization about SIPA students, it’s a pretty safe bet to say we’re an idealistic bunch.  Not blindly idealistic, but a reasonable mix of desiring both meaningful work as well as making a living, a group searching for that elusive career that brings additional fulfillment on top of a paycheck premium.  The MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program, of which I am a part, certainly attracts a diverse group of students with the common desire to have an impact on the environmental issues of our time.  And in the 10 months of our 12-month MPA program, we’ve been studying how to go about influencing the agencies and firms of the world to heighten their environmentally sustainable practices.  We’ve been trained to be entrepreneurs of such changes, to seek opportunities to effect actions that will benefit the environment.  In perhaps a direct application of the “think globally act locally” catchphrase, we didn’t have to look much further than our own International Affairs Building (IAB) to see an opportunity.
 

McDonald's Can Be "Good" for Development

By Ben Colmery
MIA 2009

After spending time in a redeveloping country like Ukraine, I am afraid I have to say that McDonald’s is not entirely evil. There. I said it. McDonald’s isn’t entirely evil. And Ukraine provides a great case for such a conclusion.

Before I go into why, I need to explain this “evil” tag I’ve put on McDonald’s. It’s not that I really think the company is evil. But some people do, and sometimes I agree. However, after my experience in Ukraine, I feel as though I should present another way of looking at this global empire.

Do Humans Have A Right To Food?

By Ben Colmery
MIA 2009

We've been talking in my Introduction to International Development class about the connection between providing people with "basic needs" and "human rights". Naturally, this raises the question, "Do humans have a right to food and shelter?" I think this is an important question we should all ask ourselves. Especially those of us in development. Here is how I am thinking about it.

The Realism of Globalization

By Martyne Aime
MIA 2009

Oxford Dictionary defines realism as "the practice of regarding things in their true nature and dealing with them as they are."

I was driving back to NYC with my brother from Virginia last w-end and we began a political discussion. I won't bore you with the details for I know it is taboo to discuss politics and religion. For the sake of civility we shy away from having such debates, even if I also believe that knowledge and enlightenment can only be achieved through research and discussion.

I am not sure how we got into the debate  but it was a continuation of a comment that I made to him. Long story short, I told him that I am not interested in shopping at Wal-Mart EVER! He was shocked by my comment, he felt that it was extreme and automatically put me in a category of an extremist. I happen to disagree. I believe that we all have principles and standards and we must make choices, and those choices sometime are not the norms. However, I have my  own personal reasons for taking such a stand which I won't discuss in this forum because this is not about being pro or against Wal-mart.

Moving on, the debate extended from Wal-Mart and moved on to business practices around the world as well as the practices of countries around the world. And he was adamant about making sure that I understand that this is not a practice of just Wal-Mart or America, but that the entire world was operating the same way and so are all the businesses. And his doctrine is that it's the "reality" of the world. And that the sooner I began to understand and accept that to be true, the sooner I will live a simpler and happier life. Of course, who wouldn't chose to live a simple and happy life? But we all have our roles in this world. Some of us are meant to live the simple life. Others are meant to go out and fight the fight for the ones to live a normal and simple life.

A Trip to Georgia

I took a vacation to Georgia in the former Soviet Union in mid-September. We flew through London Heathrow on British Airways. There is currently a London-Tbilisi-Tashkent, Uzbekistan flight.

I had been to Georgia in August 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union, so I knew it would be interesting to see the changes. In 1990, Georgia was such a welcome relief with its abundance of food after drab Russia. We stayed with a Georgian-Jewish family that then immigrated to Israel. The Georgian Jews have a very long and ancient tradition.

In 1990, I recall that we attended a Georgian-Jewish betrothal in the Philharmonic building where we arrived four hours late. We had learned our lesson because we had showed up on time earlier that summer to a Georgian-Jewish bar mitzvah in Queens. Most people showed up late and we ate all the appetizers, which were numerous and which we thought were the meal. It was only when we saw the waiters putting plates of new food on top of plates of old food because there was no room on the table that we realized that there would be more and more food.

I also recall that the Georgians were knocking down the statue of Lenin at that time in the center of town. That space is still bare today, but they are beginning construction there now.