The Virgin of Gaudalupe

     Thomas Friedman explores the U.S's problems with manufacturing jobs in Chapter 10 of The World is Flat. He offers insight into exactly why we have had such a hard time keeping factory jobs in the country.
      Years ago, when the auto industry collapsed, as well as several over manufacturing based fields, one question on every American's mind was "Why? How has this happened, where have all the jobs gone?" Okay....that's three questions, but you get the point. Suddenly jobs had just evaporated and people were struggling to find work. Businesses had discovered that in the new technological world, they could easily export jobs over seas to foreign countries. Why would they want to do this? At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing.
Profit.
Corporations want to maximize their profits any way they can. People in other countries will not only work for less pay, but also working conditions are not held to the same requirements in the U.S. They don't need to spend extra money safety testing their factories and manufacturing plants. It is much easier to turn a profit when you are not spending as much money. Manufacturing your product in different countries is cheaper than doing it in America. I don't agree with this backhanded tactic of saving money, but it's the modern world that we live in.
If we want these jobs to come back to America, we need to figure out a way to compete in the new, flat, technological world.

The Lemon Tree Book Review

Sandy Tolan's The Lemon Tree is a touching, emotional look at the age old Israeli and Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. The novel is a chain of mini-stories of individuals involved in one way or another with the conflict. There is very little dialog, and is mostly just narrated stories with small bits of dialog weaved in.

The Lemon Tree centers around the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, but from a very unique angle. Sandy Tolan does an excellent job portraying the human experience through this conflict. She does not come out and plainly say it in the text, but readers can grasp the true emotions of those involved in the conflict.

I saw the Lemon Tree as a metaphor for the conflict itself. The standing tree is the conflict, where each season of fruit that grows and is picked from the tree, are those who lived and have died during it. Each person is connected through it, just like the lemons on the tree.


The writing style of this novel, is not one that I liked. I would've prefered more dialog and a more consistant storyline throughout. At times it was confusing and choppy going from story to story. It paid of because it worked well for the Lemon Tree's theme, it's just not the style I enjoy. Dialog would've also helped. It would've painted a clearer picture and perhaps made the story transitions smoother.

However, I realy enjoyed the book overall. I liked Tolan's underlying message of peace and an end to the conflict. And even without much dialog there was still strong characterization. By actions alone, readers can really get to know the characters.

I enjoyed reading this book, and while I'm not sure if I would pick it back up for a second read, I would encourage everyone to check it out. The Lemon Tree is a quality novel, and is a great fit for anyone interested in history or the Middle East.

2 Million Minutes

          2 Million Minutes depicted a declining America, falling behind other nations in mathematics and the sciences. I'm aware of The U.S.A current position in the world relative to other countries, so it actually doesn't surprise me that the students in India and China seemed so much more developed and motivated.
          However, the average American probably would've been shocked, outraged, and befuddled at what tey were seeing if they were to closely examine the film, and realize that we are not the top tier country in the world today.
          America is mentally ill; by that I mean we are a very narcissistic, arrogant society. We are stuck in a 1950's fantasy world mindset when it comes to education, when America was on the top of the world producing the brightest minds. That is no longer the case, and if we wish to stay competitive we cannot hold onto this belief that we are a great, invincible super power.
         We are ignorant to the drive that these students in other countries have when it comes to their education, they push themselves much farther then an American student would. Even those students in the documentary, who went to one of America's top public schools, did not push themselves nearly as much as the Chinese and Indian students.
         They seemed much less focused on school work, even if they were bright. The other students had almost full attention on their school work at all times, and when they made college plans, their decisions were based on the type of education they wanted to receive and how it would help them in the workforce in years to come. The American students were much less focused on their school work and instead of devoting themselves entirely to it, attempted to balance it with many other social events. When making a decision on colleges, Brittany, one of the American students at Carmel, seemed to be more concerned with joining a sorority then actual academics.
          With this mindset, even for the top American students, I do not believe we can succeed in this new world. We need more drive and ambition to succeed in this country. We need to realize that we are competing and that to stay ahead of the pack we must step up our game and perform. If we keep turning a blind-eye to what is happening in the world of education, we will fall far behind other countries. We have the resources, we need the ambition and drive.