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Community Corner

WE ARE THE WORLD

  • While most people choose to reflect according to the Gregorian calendar with the New Years Eve celebration, I prefer to use the Astrological method. The ancient cultures of the Chinese, Greeks, Mayans, and Egyptians chose the 'spring equinox' as the true annual new beginning of mother natures’ life cycle. As spring arrives we witness a natural rebirth. Every year I ask myself the same question; “What did we accomplish during the last cycle for human kind"?

If you take a moment to examine major global issues, without a doubt, each issue shall eventually have an effect on our lives. I reduced my thoughts into five general categories of fundamental international concern…. HUMANITARIAN, ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC, SECURITY, and POLITICAL PROGRESS.

HUMANITARIAN –Over 1 billion people are still suffering from hunger, housing, medical, and educational deprivation daily. The many regional conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine, and South Africa continue to cause tens of thousands of people to be impoverished, displaced, or even executed. The world human trafficking market grows each day. It is estimated at placing over 15 million displaced children, or refuges, into some form of human slavery annually. 

ENVIRONMENTAL – Developing nations are expanding our global carbon debt. Many of the wealthier established industrialized countries have yet to financially assist smaller nations to cultivate the social, and an environmentally conscious set of policies that prohibit the expansion of the global carbon condition. Much work remains sharing newer technologies throughout the global communities to slowly freeze the expansion of climate change. Dirty unfriendly fossil fuels still dominate the energy market with marginal progress towards cleaner, safer, alternatives.

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ECONOMIC- The entire world markets enjoy the benefits of products produced by using questionable materials, and cheap labor. This is true within emerging markets such as China, India, and Brazil that lead with the continuation of increased projected GNP percentages. The EU is still lagging behind as Italy, and Spain maintain seriously ill economic contractions with unemployment numbers reaching 30%.  As many industrialized nations, the U.S. appears to show signs of a slow subsidized steady recovery. However, America’s GNP estimates appear to remain in step with slow job growth as quarterly unemployment figures remain stagnant.

SECURITY- A series of continuing problems in the Ukraine threatens the region. This conflict may mushroom into a larger regional disaster. In the Middle East political unrest in the Egypt, Iraq, Syria, complicated by the proposed agreement with Iran, promising the easing of long term economic sanctions, may seed the expansion of nuclear dangers. The expanded development of nuclear components in Iran shall most definitely raise the threat of military intervention by the security concerns of Israel. This region produces nearly fifty percent of the world’s oil. Any additional strain placed on the region will result in reduced or possible interruption, of the oil supply. This ‘cause and effect’ syndrome most likely shall lead to expanded conflict in the zone with Israel at the center of the conflict. The world has entered a new wave of ‘terrorism’ called economic warfare.

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POLITICAL PROGRESS- In 2013, world leaders attended the G20 economic conference in Russia. The use of chemical weapons by Syria overshadowed the event. Back in the U.S. , President Obama, has yet to overcome the distraction of domestic issues. A consequence is the development of a comprehensive foreign policy to reinforce global relationships with countries like Russia. It is no secret that a majority of world leaders differ with many of the past U.S. foreign policies, from the NSA ease dropping, to intervention in the Middle East. The U.S. has failed to fast track a more palatable international role on the world stage. It may be time to share the responsibility of world issues with the leadership of China, and Russia. The U.S. may option to re-build our political footing by equalizing ‘global responsibility’ within the international community.    

With the many technological advances over the past few decades our world continues to become smaller and more complicated. The old school adage was “if the U.S. sneezes, Europe gets the flu”.Today, we might consider that the U.S. no longer dominates center attention. Sooner, or later, we must share it with other global powers.

The lack of a comprehensive U.S. foreign policy has placed our nation in jeopardy. Americans must demand that President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and the central majority of the Congress diligently work to develop a comprehensive foreign policy. If not, as the stockholders of this nation, we shall pay the price for the oversight.

We must work together to insure our children inherit a better future. As a people, we must strive to eliminate sufferance, hunger and indifference. As a nation, we must foster harmony within our borders for equality, respect, and equal opportunity to prosper for all.  As a world, we must encourage other leaders to adopt resolutions without conflict, or allow a concentration of power either militarily, or economic, that corrupts our collective morals.

Our world is no longer secured by vast oceans and isolated continents. We are connected by our vulnerability as human beings. We all breathe the same air, we eat the same foods, and we die from the same illnesses.

 We shall never be exempt from a world of chaos, but we not be contributors towards it!! We are the world!

Enjoy the rebirth of spring....its been a long hard winter.

PAUL JOHN MAISANO


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