Submitted by: Victoria Rodriguez

I am not an internationally cultured person. Not that I have not wanted to travel and explore other cultures, because I do. I am culturally Heinz-57 - a mix of Chicana, Caucasian-American and a little Native American (I wish there was more). Maybe, because I am of mixed race and culture, I have many friends who were also mixed. Because I do not identify with only one part of my make-up, I more easily identify with similar people. With that said, I am nervous about traveling to a world so different from my own, so it made me think of my great friendships along the way.

When I visited my friends’ home, I always felt responsible to respect their values and rules. I truly enjoyed visiting friends’ homes where there was such tradition engrained in their daily life. For instance, two of my best friends through grade school and high school were two sisters who were a mix of Caucasian and Vietnamese. They primarily lived with their Vietnamese mother and stepfather.

I learned so much from their family, and those experiences stay with me to this day. I learned that when you visit a Vietnamese home, you are to greet everyone - family and visitors. So when I visited my friends, I did not walk into their house and immediately hang out with them; instead I said hello to their mom, stepdad and anyone else visiting. This is sometimes difficult to translate to my Caucasian friends who visit me because I ask them to say hello to my family first, but they do not quite understand why and some are uncomfortable to do so.

My friends also had to ask their parents a few days ahead of time if they wanted to do something like going to the movies, mall, beach, etc. At the time, I thought their parents were very strict, but looking back they and I needed that structure. I craved that kind of structure, tradition and connection to heritage; so with them, I got a close substitute.

Hierarchy is also important in the Vietnamese culture. Respect and politeness in my family, is of high importance especially when it comes to treating elderly people with respect. But, my friends also had to obey their older siblings because the siblings were older.

I hung out at my Vietnamese friend’s house so much that their mom invited me on trips, let me drive their car on trips, and I even helped with their chores. My friend’s parents feed me so much, that I would sometimes make the daily pot of rice. They opened my palette to a different cuisine, so to this day, I love food especially trying different food; although, I never tried the duck’s blood dish. Overall, my friends’ family opened up themselves to me, and I’ll always be grateful for their generosity.

Growing up in Santa Maria was like living in a box - back then it had a much smaller population with primarily only retirees and families who will lived and died in Santa Maria. So I was fortunate to have a diverse group of friends, and this encouraged me to be curious about others and to respect their ways of life. I would encourage everyone to be curious about your neighbors because the U.S.A. is really a melting pot of cultures. Next, I hope this engagement with people of different cultures translates to wanting to travel abroad on the Chindia trip and beyond.

Submitted by: Josh Hickman

For those of you who have not chosen Khanna’s Billions of Entrepreneurs for your read this quarter, I would like to bring to your attention a segment in the book in which I felt could break new ground in the practice of medicine in developing countries, as well as our own fifty states. The chapter titled “Barefoot Doctors and Medical Tourists” discusses what both China and India have going for their hospital system as well as where they fall short. China, whose hospitals are described as “clean, free of crowds, and well run” which is a stark contrast to a hospital in Mumbai which is filled with “hundreds of people demanding surgical attention with paint flaking off the walls and unsanitary conditions” (Khanna, 213). The story of Dr. Devi Shetty touched me, an entrepreneurial heart surgeon who once cared for Mother Teresa in his career, has provided affordable and reliable health care for people even in the poorest of India’s slums. Dr. Shetty runs a private hospital in Bangalore (Narayana Hrudayalaya) that can provide medical services for the equivalent of a few cents to people, and will not turn away anyone who cannot pay for service (some government subsidies help make this possible). Shetty won the entrepreneur of the year award at the 2006 World Economic Forum for building “Healh City”, a network of different hospitals and medical departments to house five thousand hospital beds and maximize the use of their medical equipment to cut down costs even more.

Seeing this success with privatization of health care, why do we still see medical costs in the U.S. for thousands of dollar per day? And what happens if someone does not have medical insurance? Some catastrophic illness could also mean the end of your financial future which would be devoted to paying off these medical costs. I have a very close friend whose mother had an unexpected brain tumor last year and was near death (thankfully she is alive now and rehabilitating), and her hospital bills were well over a million dollars for a two month stay. If the family had not had any insurance, they would be in a very scary financial situation right now.

So would privatization of health care and hospitals in the U.S. be an answer to our problems? Shetty has plans to expand to Mexico (see here for a short article about the project) as well as other cities in India including Hyderabad. This brings up an issue of whether it is fair to be providing free health care from our tax dollars to people who maybe are unemployed, or not contributing their part to federal or state taxes. However, by utilizing medical equipment and personnel more efficiently and effectively, driving the overall cost down for everyone could help the issue without having to resort to heavily subsidized programs. Dr. Shetty is an example of someone who thinks outside the box, not only to benefit him, but in order to revolutionize the model of hospitals and make changes in how a country operates.

Submitted by: Jenna Healy

We’re traveling to China and India to study business, it’s wonderful- but India is calling my name for another reason. It’s the home of yoga, where the ancient roots began to grow. So I thought I’d give a glimpse into what yoga is and why it’s so important. I’m going to focus on the Eastern version of yoga as opposed to the Westernized (commercial gym) form of yoga.

What is yoga? Yoga is bliss. It’s union with God or the Divine Self. Yoga is self-exploration and spiritual enlightenment. It goes beyond our five senses. It is amazing. An Indian philosopher, Patanjali, wrote it’s manual thousands of years ago, although he did not invent the practice.

Hinduism is the India-based religion yoga helps to teach. It includes: Vegetarianism, the Law of Karma, Reincarnation and freedom from all suffering. It incorporates all religions, it’s universal, it values what works for you. Sanskrit is the spoken and written language of Hinduism and yoga; most of the ancient texts are in Sanskrit.

“Yoga is your true nature: union with the divine self. Yoga practices such as asana (postures) enable us to feel there is something animating our physical form. Yoga practice of meditation enable us to watch our minds think, to realize that we must be more than the mind, if we can sit back and watch it generate thoughts.” (Jivamukti Yoga, 2002)

If that makes no sense, it takes time. To me, yoga is my faith, and it’s my connection to the spirit world and to my self. Each time I step onto my mat, I learn more about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses, my internal layers of emotion, fear, guilt. I learn about the stress stored in the cells of my body. I grow stronger, more alive, more aware. It’s my therapy, my freedom from suffering. And this amazing life-changing practice originated in India-where we’re headed! Are we grasping the importance yet?

Three of the oldest and foundational books for yoga are Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written over 5,000 years ago.

The 5 obstacles yoga helps you to overcome or Kleshas are:

1. Avidya: ignorance
2. Asmita: egoism
3. Raga: excessive attachment to pleasurable things
4. Dvesa: excessive aversion, hatred
5. Abhinivesha: fear of death

We rid ourselves of the Kleshas by practicing Patanjali’s 8 limbs:

1. Yama: restraint
2. Niyama: observance
3. Asana: postures
4. Pranayama: breath work or control of the life force
5. Pratyahara: withdrawl of the senses
6. Dharana: concentration
7. Dhyana: meditation
8. Samadhi: bliss, union with the divine

Seem simple enough? In Patanjali’s second sutra, he defines yoga (translated), ‘yoga is realized when identification with the fluctuations of the mind ceases.’ Make sense? When our minds relax and find peace; when we give up resisting life.

The body is also comprised of 5 koshas or bodies, experienced with the practice of yoga. They are, starting from the outside and moving in:

1. Annamaya kosha: the physical body
2. Pranamaya kosha: the vital body or breath body
3. Manomaya kosha: emotional body
4. Vijnanamaya kosha: intellectual body
5. Anandamaya kosha: the bliss body

What happens in yoga class?

-You show up, no shoes, with a mat
-Your teacher leads you through meditation before practicing
-You move through asanas (postures) using pranayama (breath work)
-Usually standing postures first, then inversions and backbends, followed by floor practice. There are many forms of yoga so each class varies
-End class in savasana or corpse pose
-In corpse pose, the final meditation (10-25 minutes) you feel your body alive, you feel the koshas or layers to your being; you feel alive; you feel high, at peace, at ease.

For the scientists in the group, look at Dr. Len Kravitz’s (no not the singer, the award winning professor and researcher) article on the science of breathing. This will give you scientific research behind pranayama.

Yoga is a way to experience higher states of consciousness. Excited yet? Maybe we can visit an ashram on our trip as a cultural experience?

I’ve studied the human body and spirit for over a decade. I’ve helped people heal in a number of ways: physical therapy, structural integration, emotional healing, nutrition, dance, and the most effective modality of healing I’ve found? You guessed it. Yoga.

Submitted by: Andre Ourthiague

China has long attracted the satellite industry with a set of demographics that seems to make it an ideal market: large and diverse landmass, enormous population with substantial ethnic and linguistic diversity, a fast growing middle class, rapidly rising penetration of pay television and broadband services, and a government actively seeking to “bridge the digital divide” between the relatively wealthy eastern half of the country and the economically disadvantaged rural, western regions.

The above is the opening to an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) paper regarding the Chinese space market. The growth of China has caused a booming need for increased technology/communication services and in turn a large demand for the satellite industry. However, the Chinese space market is not always accessible to US companies due to US government policy. International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) limits the importing and exporting of certain US articles contained on the US munitions list. The following white paper is a recent review of US ITAR policy.

ITAR is in place to prevent the transfer of US technology. This is not unreasonable; the US needs to hold certain things very close to its chest. The problem arises from what is contained on the ?flagged? munitions list.The list contains expected items such as: firearms, guns, ammunition, ballistic missiles, nuclear technology, etc. However, it also contains the following: Aircraft and associated equipment, spacecraft systems and associated equipment, optical technology, guidance/control equipment, technical data (encryption and coding) contained in defense services. It doesn?t take a rocket scientist (get it?) to realize that the aerospace industry is severely crippled when attempting to deal overseas (China and India are major issues from an ITAR standpoint, but even European nations are forced to jump through ITAR hoops.) The Munitions list is strict enough that the aerospace industry is not the only industry that must overcome ITAR obstacles. Any business that involves ITAR sensitive articles involves lots of red tape to obtain the necessary government approval. Communication companies spend millions each year on ITAR personnel and consulting because of the technologies used in their products often appear on the US munitions list.

How serious are ITAR violations? In 1997 Loral Space Systems and Boeing were fined for a failed satellite launch in China. The Intelsat 708 was set to launch from a Chinese launch site, but shortly after lift-off it failed and crashed in rural China. Boeing alone was fined $20 million for transferring sensitive satellite technologies to a foreign government (they later incurred an additional fine for filing a failure report to the Chinese launch program that was deemed too detailed.) A professor from UCLA was fined and fired for allowing a Chinese born student to work on a satellite design team despite being warned not to do so. This action was deemed to violate ITAR as it transferred technical defense knowledge to a ?foreign agency.?

Two quick anecdotes sum up my personal experience with ITAR (they show how restrictive it can be on seemingly trivial items). Before a recent Spacecraft design tour to Lockheed Martin, a Cal Poly student was told she was not allowed to make the trip because she was born in Columbia (the same student had a job offer pulled by Boeing because the government would not give her the required security clearance Boeing required her to have.) Also, during the same class, the teacher (who is still a Boeing employee) would constantly have to check himself before he answered a question from a student. I remember asking if it was possible to use a certain material in my design and the response was a very simple, ?I am not at liberty to discuss specifics on this.?

International Trafficking and Arms Regulation is a perfect example of US policy that needs to be seriously reevaluated in an increasingly global world. Restricting the transfer of sensitive military knowledge is understandable. However, when policy begins restricting the flow of ideas and possible technology advancement something is wrong. Unfortunately, it may be a long time before the US realizes that policing the world comes at the cost of possible advancement. ITAR is the major policy issue I have personal experience with coming from an engineering background. Feel free to mention any other policy that limits (intentionally or unintentionally) the flow of ideas between the US and other nations.

Submitted by: Jimmy Spann

The Chinese New Year is almost upon us. This year the celebration starts on January 26th and is the year of the Ox, also known by is formal name Ji Chou. The cycle, which is similar to our century, lasts for 60 years and this year will be the 4706th year of celebration. The celebration consists of 15 days of festivities. Some of which are days of rest. The Festival of Lanterns concludes the celebrations on the 15th day where different types of lanterns light the streets.

Now you may be wondering why the Chinese New Year is on a different day than our New Year. The Chinese New Year is based off of the Lunar Calendar and is always the second new moon after the winter solstice. As an ancient legend goes, at the end of winter, the beast Nien would come attack and kill villagers. The villagers would use the color red, loud noises, and bright lights to scare off the beast. These are still seen today with fireworks and bright red costumes and scenery. Families would all come together to see who had survived the past year and to celebrate the upcoming year.

There are many traditions that come along with this celebration. One is that a fish and chicken will be served at the meal. Both will be served with its head and tail in tact, to represent the beginning and end of the year. The Fish symbolizes abundance, while the Chicken symbolizes good luck. After dinner Red Envelopes, called ?hong bao? in Mandarin, are filled with money and given out to little children.

The History Channel had short little video that provided some insight on this topic. You can view it here as well as it has some other information about the Chinese New Year. You can also find a calendar to find out which animal coincides with your own year of birth.

I know that the Cal Poly Chinese Student Association, puts on a New Year?s celebration. This year it is taking place on January 27th form 11:00 am to 12:00 pm in UU 217 (MCC Lounge). The admission is free and more information can be found here.

Attached is a copy.

Some other links that I used to gather information about this topic were:

http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html
http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
http://www.studentlife.calpoly.edu/mul/events.asp?dept=mul
http://www.history.com/content/chinesenewyear

Submitted by: Jason Larocco

This article brings to mind what Fareed Zakaria referred to as “the rise of the rest” in his book The Post American World. Solutions to improve the world economy are as dependent, if not more, on China as they are of U.S., Europe, and Japan. Both the U.S. and China are well aware of their economic interdependence and how the relationship of the largest developed and the largest developing countries affect the world economy. What is interesting is that the Chinese government has gained enough confidence in their economic policies to start voicing their opinions on the world stage. Andrew Batson, the author of this article, states “The Strategic Economic Dialogue, twice-yearly talks held since 2006, has long been dominated by U.S. complaints about Chinese trade practices… The latest talks showed signs of becoming a more equal exchange of views, with the Chinese side more assertive about voicing its concerns…” Later on in the article China also suggests that the U.S. look to reform some of its own economic policies in order to curb the negative effects of excess consumption and debt.

The assertiveness of the Chinese shows their readiness to lead and it was a very interesting component of this article. However, China’s suggestion of economic reform to curb excess consumption and debt in the U.S. also grabbed my attention. The fast growth in China over the last twenty years has depended in large part on U.S. consumer spending. So why would China want to curb our tendencies toward excessive consumption? I think China is well aware that although there may be short term gains from this behavior, it is not a good long term strategy for either country. Over the past five years the word sustainability has been a part of every major corporation’s agenda (whether in heart or only on paper can be debated). Environmental sustainability is what typically comes to mind, but economic sustainability is also a topic that deserves a lot of attention right now. Increases in commercial trade have helped create a bridge over the Pacific Ocean between our two countries. But, if we continue to finance any country’s growth by over extending our own budgets and living outside our means, how economically sustainable are we?

Fearing China’s rise as world leader will in no way help us to create a strong position for the U.S. amongst the new world powers. However, if we continue to grow our debt with China how strategic of a position are we leaving for ourselves? Hopefully the current world economic situation has humbled us all, including China, and it will give way to a change of our current habits. As consumers we need to take charge of our own fiscal responsibilities, and as future business leaders we need find new ways to build bridges without eroding our own foundation.

Submitted By: Mark Polydoris

Since reading The Post-American World, I’ve become something of a Fareed Zakaria nut. I’ve spent some time reading his articles in Newsweek and watching him on CNN. Between the financial crisis, the election of Barack Obama, and the attacks in Mumbai, I keep asking myself: What would Fareed do? (I’ll have WWFD shirts available by our next GSBA meeting).

Zakaria’s latest article in Newsweek discusses the bailout and how China and US relations are more important than ever. According to Zakaria, it is virtually certain that China will be buying up a lot of US public debt, almost 10 percent of it. China wants to keep the US economy alive so we keep buying their stuff (apparently from the dollar store where Dr. Carr shops), but now it has the option of jump-starting it’s own economy since its citizens are able to spend large amounts of money. Either way, as the article states, China has options, and America doesn’t.

Talk about living in a post-American world! The article’s description of “Chimerica” paints a vivid picture where the fate of America is locked in with that of China. Are we already living in a post-American world when China can afford to finance both its economy and ours? Is there really a “Chimerica” if China has the option to simply finance itself? Can China achieve economic independence without relying on American consumption?

Submitted by: Professor Jay Singh

This post is a follow-up to Professor Carr’s Slumdog post immediately below (click here).

Not many non-Mumbaikars (non-residents of Mumbai) can even fathom a million people living in a square mile (530 acres). Yet Dharavi, Mumbai’s shadow city and the largest slum in Asia, is thriving with a contribution of 500 million dollars to India’s GDP. The financial capital of India that boasts arguably the world’s second most expensive office space at $190 per square foot and the world’s most expensive home at $1 billion is also home to the dubious attribution often referred to as ‘the largest slum in the world‘.

The recent sweep of the top five categories at the 14th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards including the Best Picture of 2008, Slumdog Millionaire is a must see for all enrolled in GSB 563 (International Business Study Tour, Chindia trip) this year . It is presently showing 3 times a day at the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo. A heartwarming love story of an 18 year old orphan from the slums of Mumbai (hence ‘Slumdog’) who ends up winning the top prize on India’s ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ show. His journey to the grand prize is documented and includes suspicions raised by the game show host which end up inflicting inhuman torture by the law enforcement.

This film is highly recommended as a must-see to the GSB 563 students as it will provide a better understanding of what they will experience traveling through Mumbai. A few key queries they might want to explore via the movie and some on-line research questions are:

1. What are the reasons behind the unnaturally high population density at Dharavi?

2. What contributions to the Indian economy does this ‘largest slum in the world’ provide?

3. What has caused the Slumdog Millionaire to burst on to the movie scene in the US (1,000 additional screens opened within a week of screening at a modest 90+ screens in the US)?

What comes to mind when a not so well traveled, physically or mentally, American thinks of India? More than likely the soon-to-be most populous nation in the world, a third world nation, good command over spoken English albeit with an ‘Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Ph.D.’ accent, crazy motoring skills, cattle squatting in the middle of the busiest roads, the Taj Mahal and of course the technology niche constantly in the news.

What does a resident Indian think? Religion, cricket (should be included under religion), Bollywood, politics, holidays and festivals (24 Hinduism, 3 Sikhism, 1 Buddhism, 6 Islam, 3 Christian, 6 Jainism and 14 Zoroastrianism related as well as 7 national), terrorism (comparatively recently), mobile communication devices (and of course SMS), incomprehensible delays in traffic (primarily in larger cities), and of course the technology news amongst others.

As an aside, PBS launched what many are claiming to be the best documentary ever made on India last week in the US. In particular, check out the interactive photo gallery at their website to learn more.

Earlier today I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with my wife. Now this is why movies get made and I pay money to see them (after my last Nicholas Cage and Keanu Reaves movie theater experience I almost gave up going to movies).

If you want to maximize your India experience this summer, I can’t recommend this movie enough. It will help get you ready for some of what you will see (e.g., the poverty; child begging, Mumbai, the environment, class struggle, an early scene in the movie is centered on kids playing cricket - almost a religion in India, etc.) and help you better understand the why and some of the context behind said why. It is now playing at SLO’s beloved Palm Theater (link includes showing schedule).

What I loved about this movie is its reflection of Indian culture - the glass is half full, not empty. You can choose to have hope and a brighter future or you can choose to play the victim. It’s your choice. It also shows an India and emerging market on the move and one full of business opportunity for the hearty and peril for the unprepared. Click on the following link for this past week’s SLO New Times review of the movie.

Check it out for your next study break.

This is a required online assignment. The points it is worth to be determined later. It’s also time to test and check to see who’s checking in on the blog, and who is not.

I publicly thank my colleagues, friends and China hands John Wu, Lonnie hodge (aka Lanzhi Yiu) and David DeGeest (aka Dawei; and now an MBA student at the University of Iowa) or their input and comments on this post before I went public with it. Any errors in the below are solely my own and my responsibility, not theirs.

This post is also a good follow up to some discussion on this blog re: enthnocentrism (see, e.g., this blog post, Cultural Knuckleheads In A Global World).

Below I ask you to do something that rarely happens outside of academic discourse, which is to define the terms you use (or abuse). Being able to state your position clearly is a valuable skill for you in school and the business world.

While discussions about human rights are relatively rare within China, particularly in business circles, I think you should have some idea of where you stand on this issue before you come to China (and India), or you risk being overwhelmed.

Terms, and how they are defined are very important. One of my listed colleagues above commented on how he can remember a number of discussions/arguments he has had with individuals where they were both basically saying the same thing, but their terminology was just different. It reminded him of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and the idea of an experiential dictionary, where two lovers have dramatically different reactions to the words, “I want to make love with the lights on,” based on their past experiences. Culturally, it’s the same game at stake; we each have different experiences forming our perceptions of certain concepts. Articulating how we get to those concepts and what these words mean to us is important.

ASSIGNMENT

Serious misunderstandings and heated debate often take place when Americans and Chinese sit down to talk about human rights. Both sides bring to the table very different assumptions and definitions. Where Americans emphasize one thing, Chinese often emphasize others.

The focus of this trip and course is NOT human rights. I have done enough of these trips to know that here and there some may try to turn the primary focus of our trip into a human rights and United Nations review and referendum, but that is not the point of this trip. We are going there to study global business, not to save China and its populace from the big bad CCP.

Having said that, it is true that more than ever, many stakeholders link the two (business and human rights), and it is fair game to do so. For example, the Beijing Olympics arrived. As part of that event, which was not just an athletic and political event, but was also a huge business event, we saw human rights discussed and debated at length by activists, TV commentators, politicians, business people, religious leaders, etc. For an excellent piece in the a recent issue of the China Business Review that touches on this very point, see this article, Beijing Olympics: More At Stake Than Just Gold Medals [subscription may be required] — the article discusses how companies doing business in China and who have offices in Beijing might better prepare for possible activist demonstrations and/or attacks in front of their office or building during the Olympics (and this in turn relates to the Strategy course you will take in the Spring quarter).

While again, the human rights debate is not the focus of this course and trip, I want you to nevertheless be able to understand this debate at a level befitting a Cal Poly graduate student studying business and a person with a high level of formal education.

One frustration I have with the human rights topic as an educator is that many people mean well and will drone on an on about human rights with sanctimonious harping, but they have no idea or clue what human rights are or how to define them. Just ask them. When you do, they kick the dirt trying to come up with something credible to say and then they mumble something incoherent, and some even get mad back at you and for exposing how they were faking even minimal knowledge on the topic in the first place.

To be fair, though, the average Chinese is also insulated from human rights debate and issues. E.g., when an issue such as universal sufferage is about to be discussed on TV in Hong Kong, they cut away to a commercial. The average person on the street in China (of which there are millions and millions and millions) also seems to have great difficulty engaging in an enlightened and non-defensive discussion about a global political issue. Americans, on the other hand, can be remarkably stupid about world events and far too many follow the media ?party line? on human rights debates.

So let’s get to it and start at the beginning.

THE QUESTION I WANT YOU TO ANSWER: How do you define human rights? What do they entail? What do they not include?

Tell us, and then in a subsequent post I will provide you with a follow up assignment and some information to think about re: how the mainstream scholars define, study and think about human rights.

Spend 15 to 20 minutes thinking about this, and then give me a well written, concise (that means no more than a half-page, max) single space write up in your comment below. I do not need or want to see a manifesto. It is also perfectly acceptable for you to be honest and say something along the lines of, “I have no idea what human rights are” or “I have never even thought about this issue before and cannot think of a single thing to type”, if such statements are, in fact, true. You are not being graded here your ability to impress or level of brilliance or whether you are left wing or right wing or neither, but on your honesty (and your ability and willingness to take the time to write clearly and concisely).

Also, I do NOT want you to go out and cheat and/or use a crutch here — that is, do NOT go do independent research on this topic before you start writing. I want to see where your knowledge on this topic stands, now, not after you went out and Googled or Wikipedia’d the topic to try and come up with something to say to try and impress me or your classmates.

Be brave, don’t be shy, put yourself out there, and tell us what you think. I fully appreciate that human rights and the scope of what we are talking about is huge, and trying to make something coherent in such a short document where people have written scores and scores about the topic seems daunting. That said, people in business (including clients) expect you to be able to state your opinions concisely and thoughtfully, and the summary I am asking you to produce is just that.

Note that even intelligent and well-educated people often do not have an in-depth knowledge of current world events and human rights issues. Several months ago, one of my listed colleagues above had a fascinating (awful) conversation with a women who had told him that he should learn more about American culture. However, her definition of “American culture” had been more focused on understanding political culture in America, and in particular, politics in the US in the 70s, during Nixon’s presidency. Interesting way in which “American culture” meant entirely different things for the two of them.

Due date to submit below your comment to this assignment: 5:00 pm of Monday, January 26, 2009. That’s more than two weeks from now and ample enough time to complete this assignment.

Anything submitted after that date and time receives no credit.

Your comment below (and any follow-up comments you make below) do NOT count as one of your required quarterly comments noted in the syllabus.

Other readers, including students from around the world, are invited to jump in on this post. Let the debate begin.