State-growing

An approach to state-building which emphasizes culturally relevant and indigenously devised solutions for developing states.

the closest thing we will get to the north american house hippo.

I always wanted a North American House Hippo

Oh hey

 

Yes!

 lil guy

what?

found here

reading break

So I totally wasted my reading break.  I guess I did a few hours of research and planning on friday, but only because I had to submit a topic for approval a week before the due date.  Otherwise I spent a great deal of time in bed, got my house dirty, hung out with friends and family and didn't get up to much.

Since I now have crap to do, I am going to guilt myself into working on it since I was so lazy during my time off.  The theory goes like this, since I was super lazy for a week, my lazy tendencies can take a hike since they were obliged so much last week.  Hopefully then the proactive and productive parts of me have been growing in strength and will be unleashed on the busy week ahead.

its all theory.

exploding mice and senior's fitness

So far this morning I have;
blogged, for the first time in months
Mutilated a dead mouse we found with fire crackers and fireworks
Worked on my sitting fitness, I feel a lot better for it.

excuses

I have decided to address the reasons that I do not blog often

1. I don't covet/have enough money to covet cool consumer goods that I could post pictures of.
2. For some reason I feel that everytime I update it should be something profound.
3. If I were to write stories about my exploits I would have to censor too much and it would ruin the stories
- I am starting an anon blog for that purpose
4. I am often busy with school and other writing.
5. I'm Lazy.
6. I don't have a cool camera to post pics/vids

Costa Rica vs Realism.

COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a small, beautiful, and peaceful country in middle America. Known for its natural beauty it is a popular tourist destination. Costa Rica is also known for having a great degree of biological diversity and is very proactive and involved with preserving and exploring the important natural splendor that Costa Ricans call home. It is even considered THE greenest nation on earth by the Happy Planet Index. The environment is constantly being explored to find new species of plants and animals, in the hopes of learning something from nature to apply to human problems (specifically for medical purposes). This is called biomimicry, a growing, important, and interesting new frontier for science.


Costa Rica is also special in being the first country to ever abolish it's own military. This was done after a civil war in 1949, they have not had a civil war since, unlike many of it's neighbouring countries. It is also the site for the UN's University of Peace, which I would love to attend one day.

So that's Costa Rica.


REALISM - Classic Political Realism

Classical political realism is all about power.

Realists believe that humans are fundamentally self interested, greedy, and anything but altruistic. Political realists suppose these ideas about human nature onto the nature of states' behavior within the international system.

So in this sense, self interest for individuals translates to national interest for states. States are fundamentally nationally interested, especially when it comes to safety and security. Realists believe that one, when looking at behaviors of states, does not have to look within any country when looking to learn and predict state behavior. They believe that the state will be doing whatever it can to serve its national interest by exerting as much power as it can, and by attempting always to gain more power than other nations, which it is in competition with due to the "zero-sum" nature of the world. Basically this means that when one gains another will lose. In a sense it is similar to the laws of matter and energy, in that there is a finite 'amount' of power and that if one state is gaining, another is losing.

Realists believe that, as a policymaker:
it is rational to accumulate power and exert power over lesser states whenever possible.
it is irrational to not use superior power on lesser states, and to attempt to exert power on a state with superior power.


Here is what I have drawn from comparing this nation to this concept:

• The policymakers in Costa Rica are not classical political realists

• The peaceful existence of Costa Rica undermines the ideas of classical realism

• While realism does explain much of the conflict the world has experienced throughout history, starting with Thucydide's History of The Peloponesian War from 431 BCE. There are now examples of states in the international community who have chosen to opt out of the realists' model of constant power struggles in preference of relationships of peace and harmony.
  

• Humanity is growing, evolving, and moving towards more a cooperative existence.

• Costa Rica is a bright example of intelligent, and creative ideas at work. Hopefully more nations can follow their lead!
  

a warm welcome back.

"Nothing really exists, but human life is governed by convention"

"Nothing is in itself more this than that"

(Diogenes Laertius IX.61)

I found this today while chasing an interesting word combination I havent seen before:

Greco-Buddhism.

I then looked at the wikipedia article. Today my program head, who is also my professor for 2 consecutive classes likened Wikipedia to something good for bullshit and barfights, in a medium length verbal lashing of the prodigous user-based online encyclopedia.

I found this word while on a rampant quest to learn as much as I can about Afghanistan, but avoiding wikipedia in my research like the plague, or H1N1 (which I learned is being taken very seriously. Seriously enough, that I am somewhat concerned that I may be mistaken for having H1N1 when hungover, or getting H1N1 from someone I may or may not know, yikes!).

This is part of why I love university. I enjoy having the time to explore something interesting looking, and end up finding a nice little proverb, by a wise antiquitous greek buddhist. I love learning.

So Afghanistan, I was informed today that a large part of one of my classes is based on a simulation of NATO involvment in the war torn middle eastern nation. After our two professors (both dope) finished the syllabus. We made groups, and now I am in a group with two new, like minded friends in the challenging role of "ambassador" which is simultaniously daunting and exciting to me. The other 2 members of my group (The Foreign Minister and The Foreign Ministry Representitve) will pick the country in my absence this friday.

Exciting stuff. I am glad to be back at school learning all sorts of crazy things. I am also excited to play rugby and get drunk with my friends, and make some new ones along the way. All is well.

I'll try to update this more often now that I am actually using my brain. Good riddance summer!