A race staffer and Ryan Hall present prizes to the first male finisher (time 16 minutes and some change) and the first female finisher (time 18 minutes and some change). The prizes were items donated by organizations who have rescued slaves and given them jobs making luggage tags, bags, and other things.

Sarah and Tay signed up for the Not For Sale newsletter after the race!

So hot and tired at the finish! But glad we did it!

Tay, me, and Sarah on our second lap!

Freedom Run!!

Today I ran the 5k Freedom Run: A race to end modern slavery. When I was looking at this history blog, I saw the post about it and my 2 friends (also on the NDNU soccer team) that were over at my apartment were interested in it. So Sarah Pahk, Taylor Snider, and I signed up. My friend, Kellen Coffis, and roommate, Marissa Martinez, also came to cheer us on today!

Registration started at 2, and the race started 3. There were a lot of people there to run the race, and there were a lot of people who volunteered to work the event. There was a cool photo story about some individual slaves, and how they were rescued. There was also stories of modern slavery and its occurrences all over the world today, including one from San Francisco, California. These exhibits were set up all along the walls of the elementary school so people who were registering or checking in could see them.

Before the race started Ryan Hall, an olympic marathon runner, spoke the whole group about his career in running and how this event allows him to use his talent to help other people. Then we all walked over to the starting line in silence to think about who we were running for and why we all came out there today.

There were people of all ages participating, some ran and some walked. Little kids walked with their parents, rode scooters, or rode in strollers. There was an elderly man running at his own pace, there was people running with their dogs. It was really cool. We ran 2 laps around the neighborhood the school is in. It was really hot, but people came of their homes to watch and cheer in support. One man even had his hose going and runners would run by to get sprayed and cool off.

After the race a representative from Not For Sale talked, quoting Adolf Hitler: "As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice," reminding us that it is not what you say that is important, but what you do. Actions speak louder than words. Although it may sound cliche, it is so very true. A few other people spoke, and we walked around to see the various organizations set up. I saw Tina, a woman from our group in Washington DC! It was very exciting, and she was so happy that I did the race. We signed the petition to end slavery in California, and called it a day.

Chapter 24: Accelerating Global Interaction

The maps on page 732 are really interesting, they kind of remind me of the map where it shows all the countries that European powers have colonized… except now its US military bases and a really unhealthy fast food restaurant that are “taking over” the world. I have always thought about the fact that the US has military bases all over the world, but allow no foreign military bases here on US soil. Last spring I actually went to 2 US Marine Corps bases on Okinawa, Japan (while visiting my boyfriend James, who was based over there).

Two things stood out to me, the handful of Japanese protestors outside the gates and the feeling that once I got on the base, I felt like I was back in the US. I completely understand why the bases are set up to be like the ones over here, because the marines stationed over there miss home. Once while walking to the beach (which were similar to Hawaii in terms of appearance, ocean life, and water temperature) there was a drill going on. It scared me at the time because I didn’t know there was a drill planned! There were “enemy” forced, dressed to resemble people from the middle east, hiding and set up in various buildings, and the marines were driving around in tanks looking for them, and occasionally shooting blanks at “enemies” who came out to ambush them. (Of course the whole thing stopped when my friend and I crossed the street in our beach attire… only slightly embarrassing!).

Whenever we would come of go from the base there were a small number of Japanese people who held signs and yelled (in Japanese, so I have no idea what they said) in protest at the presence of the base. I thought about what it would be like to have some other countries military based in California and what it would be like to hear their drills or see their military personnel on and off duty. Honestly, I think it would make me nervous and so I didn’t blame the few faithful protestors. I think fear is what keeps the government from allowing those foreign bases from setting up shop here, but then why do we think it is ok to do that in other countries? I realize the military is a complex and necessary thing, and I know I am coming at this issue from an empathetic civilian point of view. Also (sort of a side note), through dating a marine I have learned that I can “support the troops”- i.e. the individuals who serve our country, but not necessarily support the politics behind the military actions.

Anyway, so McDonald’s is everywhere! I knew that before actually seeing the map in the book, and I have always felt that is in not a good thing. McDonald’s is very “American.” Not just because it is everywhere in this country, but because the idea of compromising health or quality for fast, cheap food seems to have originated here and then spread. Now that I think about it, maybe it didn’t. Maybe other countries have their own version of fast food… well had. But the globalization of McDonald’s is very American and I still don’t like it.

One thing that has dominated the 20^th and 21^st century, which also plays a major role in global interaction, is the Internet. With things like Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, people from all over the world can easily connect and talk to each other with the click of a button, for free! I wonder how many people have a facebook and how many different countries are represented. I bet I could find the answer to that too, from google or bing or something. After searching “how many people have facebook,” there are many different numbers that come up, from 10 million to 321.1 million in 2009. That brings up the fact there are is tons of information on line, as well as tons of “mis” information- wrong facts, illegitimate statistics, all kinds of trash. And yet, President Obama used facebook to his advantage to win the 2008 election.

I don’t even fully understand Twitter. I know that people can follow their favorite celebrities, professional athletes, and friends who can give live updates from their smart phone. But why, what is the point? Obviously this is not breaking news (although I am certain news channels have kept up with the times and tweet about live events). It’s about connection. With so much technology, people have this need to be connected to each other all the time. I read about some NBA basketball player who got in trouble for tweeting at half time! I have played sports my entire life, increasing the level of competition over the years, understanding that professional sports were the highest level. Since cell phones have been around, every coach I’ve had makes it very clear that if a phone even rings we are in trouble. And the players understand that games and practices deserve full focus and attention. So why would this NBA star even think it was ok to tweet in the middle of a game! I think it is absurd. If I was the coach I would be furious! When I coached a high school JV soccer team, I had a tough time pulling the girls away from their phone or pagers or whatever. A professional athlete should know better. And now there is a rule that you cannot tweet until after the team has met with the press; twitter could actually replace the need for them!

These technological creations (or whatever they are called) are new to me, and I am part of the tech generation. It concerns me that so many people would rather wait in line at 4 am and pay a minimum of $499 for the latest Apple gadget (the iPad) than spend the time or money on something that could benefit their community or the environment. The book even mentions the topic in the section discussing global environmentalism:

The globalization of environmentalism also disclosed sharp conflicts, particularly between the Global North and South. Both activists and governments in the developing countries have often felt that Northern initiatives to address atmospheric pollution and global warming would curtail their industrial development, leaving the North/South gap intact (p. 752).

It is a real tragedy that society today places a greater emphasis on personal gain and technological or industrial advances than the maintenance or conservation of the actual planet, environment, animals, and people who live on it. All of these facts will be history soon, and I imagine people will look back and see how wasteful we were as a society and find many mistakes to learn from, and hopefully it will not be too late.

Chapter 23: Independence and Development in the Global South

“What could be more natural than for people to seek to rule themselves” (p. 693).

I thought this idea was so simple yet some complex. Europeans have occupied every livable continent on this planet, seeming to literally take over the world. At the beginning of the 20^th century, a nation’s political power and validity as a world power was related to the land they held, including territories and colonial rule. Especially with the world wars, nationalism and the idea of freedom were growing in the hearts of people all over the world. Something had to give, because increasing demand for freedom was not silenced easily. How long can a small group of people really maintain power over large populations (as was the case in many parts of Asia and Africa)?

In order to maintain control over the people in the colonies, they were not allowed to be educated or hold a position of leadership, political or otherwise. The desire for a strong empire and nationalism is what build Europe, but now nationalism has spread outside of Europe to other colonies, nations, peoples, is bringing Europe down.

Chapter 22: The Rise and Fall of World Communism

“Communism is a social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled, as well as a political philosophy and social movement that advocates and aims to create such a society.”

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism

“Communism is a social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.”

- < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communism>

“Communism is the doctrine of the conditions of the liberations of the proletariat. The proletariat is that class in society with lives entirely from the sale of its labor and does not draw profit from any kind of capital; whose weal and woe, whose life and death, whose sole existence depends on the demand for labor- hence, on the changing state of business, on the vagaries of unbridled competition. The proletariat, or the class of proletarians, is, in a word, the working class of the 19^th century.”

- < http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm>

I feel a little embarrassed to say this, but I have never understood communism very well. I remember in high school some kids could talk about it for what seemed like forever, and I was just uninterested. Not uninterested in history, but uninterested in the off-topic rants my classmates felt were necessary to interrupt class with.

Anyway, I thought these definitions were helpful and when I found the last one interesting because the connotation is so much different. It makes it sounds like communism is the hero of political parties, freeing people whose only purpose is to work. This last definition does not mention the general control of money and land to make sure that all people are equal in every aspect of social economics.

While I consider myself patriotic, I am not blind to the problems with our country and government. There was a comment made in class about nationalism and the US military actions in Iraq. I don’t think the post-9/11 nationalism is what led to the war with Iraq. I do think it influenced, or at least had the power to influence, the government’s decision to engage with Afghanistan. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the US entered WWII, but there was also a mission specifically designated to attack Japan as a military strategy and as retaliation for the death and destruction caused on December 7, 1941. When there is an attack on American soil, I think it makes the entire nation “take it personally.” So 9/11 was similar (although the entire world was not at war) because it was the most deadly attack on US ground. How can we not take it personally? The government then decided to go to war with those suspected to be involved, in Afghanistan.

The nationalism that developed so strongly and so quickly after the attacks was appropriate (although my opinion may be biased) because it showed that Americans felt sorrow, empathy, and anger for those who were killed. Family friends were working for the New York City Fire Department at the time; the closest of them, Brogan Healy, grew up in Santa Cruz and 9/11/01 was his first day with FDNY as a full-time professional firefighter. Both survived that day, but Lt. Tommy Roberts passed away earlier this year from lung cancer and complications from upper respiratory disease caused from the debris and working at ground zero.

After 9/11 I can remember my family, neighbors, and friends being more patriotic- I think we all remember the American flags being flown everything and stickers on cars! But I remember people saying that we deserved it, a Capitalist nation finally getting pay back for how we treat our citizens and other nations. I remember one classmate, David, advocating communism and saying how the attacks wouldn’t have happened if this were a communist country. I was deeply offended by these remarks. I felt that by saying that, David was demeaning the country, the attacks, and the people that died innocently. Clearly he was talking about the government, but because I took the attacks so personally (as did many other Americans) his words about the politics of it all made me so mad.

Another comment in class was about President Obama’s healthcare plan and it containing hints of communism. Because the plan makes healthcare more affordable and accessible to so many more people it is creating a safety net, in some ways. According to MSNBC, the number of uninsured Americans has grown to over 32 million, leaving so many people uncomfortably close to financial ruin- it only takes one medical emergency, illness, or disease to rack up a medical bill bigger than s skyscraper. Then people cannot pay off the medical bills, they go into financial ruin, loose their jobs, and then depend on the government for assistance. It makes sense to have a safety net, I can understand why it can be seen as communist, but so what. Even if it is a “communist” idea, it is still a good idea. I know that paying for this bill will probably be a nightmare for our country, but it makes sense to take care of our people.

The end of the chapter talks about the end of communism: “More rapidly than its beginning, and far more peacefully, the communist era came to an end during the last two decades of the 20^th century” (p. 681). I think it is way to early to make claims that communism is over. There are still communist nations today, like Cuba, North Korea, China, and others. And these nations are not regarded as “friends” or “allies” with the US. Plus, the fact that people are calling Obama a communist, and saying it as a negative thing, proves that communism is still an issue. People don’t like the idea, they don’t want it as their government, and they see it existing today, which is why they have that fear. The cold war might be over, but communism is not gone. At least not gone enough to write about it in history books.