Rothenberg+Part+7+Globalization+in+Everyday+Life

Type your notes from Rothenberg, P. (2006). Beyond Borders: Thinking critically about global issues. Worth Publishers.

Part 7, Chapters 5 - 10, 13 - 20 here. Make sure you articulate a theme or thesis statement that best describes the chapter. __**Then, include notes or separate facts from the chapter that back up your thesis statement**__.

Chapter 5: Ground Down in the Fields: Coffee and State Authority in Columbia by Joshua Frank

In Franks article, he uses the Coffee industry in Colombia as a an example to highlight the victims of free-market economy and how free trade can lead to benefits for the few and tragic losses for the many. Small market coffee farmers have been crushed by large coffee corporations such as Starbuck and Seattle’s Best. Environmental problems have occurred due to clearing of land for fertile crop growth. This capitalistic society has also contributed to the loss of exports from countries due to price. Although Colombia once accounted coffee for 50% of their local exports, now farmers are forced to grow cocoa and opium to survive (Frank,2006)
 * Group 1: Juanita Flores, Natalie Gillespie, Stephanie Castellanos, Rocio Lopez Chavez, Shantaya Ross**

Moreover, Frank (2006) claims the free economic system used in the trade on Colombian Coffee follows a “neoliberal model”, which sustains limited government intervention and advocate private sector participation. That being said, the Colombia Coffee Federation (FNC), protectors of coffee manufacturers, was unsuccessful in protecting farmers and soon advocated a capitalistic-system, relinquishing their support to the private sector and elite institutions (Frank, 2006).

The collapse of Columbia's coffee export was greatly influenced by the free trade market. Other countries such as Vietnam wanted to make an investment in the production of coffee. The climate was suitable to grow coffee and land was cleared to grow this cash crop. Multi-national companies such as Nestle, Phillips Morris and Procter and Gamble sought to purchase the cheapest coffee available which lead to the devastation in Colombia. Vietnam eventually was one of the top three countries to produce coffee. The victims were the farmer who were paid very little for the production of coffee and the profiters were the company which sought to exploit these farms for their inexpensive cash crop. ( Frank, 2006)

This article written by Joshua Frank on coffee beans closely relates to the privatization of water. In which, the demand on coffee beans is driven so high by the population, private companies like Nestle go were supply is greatest, buy up the land, producing beans for cheaper than what the local community free markets for and destroys //everything// in its path. They destroy the small business farmers that have been there for generations, they ruin the environment, the ruin the countries financials from the individual to the government. And at this point the country has no where to turn to, but the good old World Bank, IMF and other multinationals to help save them from their spiral down fall. Just as Frank states "and these puppeteers", meaning the FNC were handed over to these multinationals like IMF and World Bank. (Frank, 2006) Natalie's thought goes deeper into: Does Nestle own these coffee shops like Starbucks and Seattle Best?

Chapter 6: Latin American Indigenous Movements in the Context of Globalization by Juan Houghton and Beverly Bell

Houghton and Bell examine indigenous people and the constant threat of their lands by exploitation of natural resources which are most commonly found on indigenous lands. They also mention the new resistance to free trade and further exploitation of these resources by indigenous groups. (Houghton, Bell, 2004).
 * Group 1: Juanita Flores, Natalie Gillespie Stephanie Castellanos, Rocio Lopez Chavez, Shantaya Ross**

Further, it is no surprise that individuals residing in underdeveloped nations view free trade expansion as a form of modern day settlement by elite establishments, for at times future developments affecting their lives are often done without their consent (Houghton, Bell, 2004). This, according to Houghton and Bell (2004), coupled with the exploitation of their lands is why the majority of Latin American locals have taken a stand against free trade; hence, a resistance to the ‘bleeding’ of the nation has emerged. To follow this point further, Latin American people are not only losing their lands to free trade colonizers but are also losing their nation rights; indeed, their future is one of scarcity and injustice (Houghton, Bell, 2004).

Impoverish countries are not aware of the economic power they posses through their natural resources and are rapidly losing their rights to these profitable resources such as water, oil and gas. Globalization is the cause of increasing environmental deterioration and poverty in communities that are already impoverished. Convention 169 was established to aid and inform indigenous people the right to be consulted about decisions that affect their land territories and natural resources, however National governments are negotiating agreements with the international market without informing these indigenous people. Organizations such as the National Encounter of Mexican Indigenous Peoples and Organizations and the Interethnic Association of Development of the Peruvian Jungle are among many organizations that oppose free trade. Severe poverty, inequality and inequity are factors encountered due to the free trade industry. (Houghton, Bell, 2004)

Houghton and Bell continues by stating a decade ago the indigenous people could take their concerns to the state alone, now they are having to go to the international arena like the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Andean Community of Nations and the Ibero-American Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. They are finding themselves very much subordinate to these new forms of government. In which the desire to govern their own territories render them extremely vulnerable to these programs that are imposed on by these investment and trade companies. In return leaving even more economically and socially devastating impacts than that of their own government. (Houghton, Bell, 2004)

Chapter 7: Globalization and the Caribbean by Orville W. Taylor

Taylor discusses the various characteristics of Globalization and how they apply to present as well as past world issues. Taylor also mentions that while globalization has gained recent popularity, it has been a term that has been around for centuries. Taylor then goes on to discuss the Mcdonaldization of the world. Mc Donaldization can be described as the attraction to the modern American life (Taylor, 2003). The American way of life has severely infiltrated and influenced Carribean culture. According to Taylor, it takes a tenth of the Jamaican weekly minimum wage to consume a Whopper. It can be seen that the western way of life consumes a large amount of carribean income. Although several goals have been made over the years, poverty seems to grow(Taylor,2003). Regulations on free trade and free market have seemed only to exacerbate the problem. 300 million Africans live in poverty and by 2015 it will increase to 45 million(Taylor,2003). Disease has also contributed to Africa’s dying population as Zimbabwe alone has over 1,000 deaths a year(Taylor,2003). These deaths are usually due to inability to pay for medical treatment. Mc Donaldization is the fast food industry corporations who used free trade to gain profits in America as well as in less fortunate countries such as Jamaica. Americans income ratio is much higher than it is in Jamaica, however the prices to consume a whopper is a tenth of a Jamaicans weekly income. Taylor states that this spread of the American culture with McDonaldization only adds to the attraction of the modern American way to life. He describes how this affects local identities and ideologies as well as significantly influences their consumption patterns. He then goes on to talk about the more problematic American corporations in the Caribbean and how the great weight of the vertically - integrated structures have limited forward and backward linkages in the local economy. And once again this is due to the ever rising WTO to the heights of the world economy. What is astonishing is that there are standards and rules that are applicable to trade, but there are no enforceable standards regarding the conditions which production is taking place. This is seen in Taylor's explanation with the problematic American corporations in the Caribbean and their fight for the countries 3% production of banana's. (Taylor, 2003)
 * Group 1: Juanita Flores, Natalie Gillespie, Stephanie Castellanos, Rocio Lopez Chavez, Shantaya Ross**

Chapter 8: Debts, Reforms, and Social Services in Africa by Mandisi Majavu

In this chapter Mr. Majavu wants African countries to stop paying off the debt that the acquired through the borrowing of money from the World Bank, and instead use it to further develop these third world countries as well as providing aid to poverty victims.This reading was about how many different human resources have become privatized throughout the decades by many different companies and instead of things getting better they are just getting worse. Many people are dying because they don’t have the money that the companies are asking for to be able to obtain those human resources. This happens on each day to day base but has accumulated within the past 14 years or so.

Notes / facts:

A study was done by the UN estimates that 3,900 children die each day due to dirty water or poor hygiene.

According to the report, at least 30% of the regions water systems are inoperable due to age or Disrepair.

Although there was another goal that seems like a "pipe dream" is the millennium development goal (MDG). This was drawn up 1990, the MDG goal was to reduce poverty and boost trade.

However, that was not the case and that did not happen seeing that 14 years later very little trade has been cultivated and poverty has increased.

Chapter 9: The Impact of Water Privatization on South African Women by Meredith Throop

Water privatization in Africa has become incredibly popular due to the debt the countries carry. The government favors in the idea that having water privatized will be more cost effective and easier for the people, and they have an extreme pressure from the banks that they owe the loans to privatize in order to repay their dues easier. But privatization has caused many problems for the country, if the government is not regulating, then companies have free range to charge as they please; one excuse for cutting people's supply to water, no payments. Water should not be a labeled as a commodity, if it is essential to a beings life, it should be easily accessible. Not only has the privatization of water in Africa limited waters access, but it has led to the spread of "Cholera-causing bacteria" (512) in the water which could lead to death. When the people in villages have their water turned off by the companies they have to survive somehow so they go to the nearest water supply which would be something like "...polluted rivers, streams, and open pits to draw water,"(512).

In this chapter Meredith Throop explains the water situation in Africa.

Notes:

The World Health Organization estimates that 2.3 billion people are effected by water borne disease each year globally.

Chapter 10: Water Privatization Charts by Ifeoma Opara

Chapter 13: Squeezed by Debt and Time, Mothers ship Babies to China by Somini Sengupta (Group 3)

Among New York's population of immigrant Chinese, mothers are shipping their children back to their homeland until they are school aged. This is occurring because the women lack the income or the time to support their children. The practice is not illegal since the children are born in the United States and can therefore travel on American passports. Also their couriers are legal residents who are also allowed to travel to and from. Many immigrants work away from their families to earn a higher wage in a more developed country. Sengupta discusses how most of these immigrants force themselves to work away from their families in order to support them and pay off debts owed to smugglers. The article also discusses the emotional toll that sending their babies to China has on the mothers. Unfortunately, the Chinese mothers see this as their only way of surviving in this country. They see that Daycare in Chinatown costs $20 a day while they make only $50 a day working as a garment worker. Because of these challenges that the Chinese mothers face, they do not plan on having children past the ones that they already have.

Chapter 14: Nannies, Maid, and Sex Workers in the New Economy by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild (Group 3) Many female migrant workers leave their Third World home to go work as nannies and maids in First World countries. They leave their children back home in the care of other family and send money home. However, some end up in the control of criminal employers where they get their passports stolen, their ability to freely travel, "forced to work without pay in brothels or to provide sex along with cleaning and child-care services in affluent homes." Because it is the father who leaves the family, the mothers are forced to support and raise the children. In order to survive, they leave their children to someone to raise, while they take on the role of providing, or the "breadwinner" as the text calls it.

Chapter 16: The Globalized Village by L. Rajiva (Group 3) Rajiva's article discusses how globalization has industrialized the southern part of India. Though globalization brings jobs and better transportation, several resources are being dominated by large corporations. For example, the Hyundai factory is a large business that consumes an extreme amount of water leading to a shortage of water for the locals. The author’s main idea is that we need a humane globalization, not an inhumane one. Rajiva cites several patent filings for traditional Indian remedies and foodstuffs as ways that globalization has been inhumane. Rajiva states that behind the rhetoric of free market is the desire for the government to protect corporations and the want for them to grant monopoly rights.


 * Chapter 17: Your Farm Subsidies are Strangling Us by Amadou Toumani Toure and Blaise Compaore**

 Facts: African cotton is of a higher quality than cotton from the United States. Cotton production costs in Africa are 50% lower than costs in the United States.
 * Group 4:** This article talks about how African cotton is of the highest quality and cheap, but cotton farmers make little profit and are impoverished. This article asks of Western nations to cut the cotton subsidies that lead to overproduction and an inflation in cotton prices. The two African nations ask that free trade rules apply to their people as well. Cotton is very crucial to the economies for two of Africa’s least developed countries, Mali and Burkina Faso. It also talks about how Africa gets less in subsidies than cotton farmers from the United States. So, the presidents of these two countries propose there be an end to unfair subsidies.

Chapter 18: How Europe Sows Misery in Africa by Kevin A. Hassett and Robert Shapiro African exports are being undercut by the European Union’s policy. Europe is helped by the government because they receive subsidies for their farms. This however is causing Africa to suffer because they are not treated the same.


 * Chapter 19: India's Poor Starve as Wheat Rots by Amy Waldman**

This article is about how India’s government has an excess amount of wheat that is going bad, but instead of giving it to those who are starving, they just let the wheat rot. Facts Half of India’s children are malnourished. The price of grain has inflated, which makes it hard for the poor to buy it. Chapter 20: The Crisis of Potato Growers in UP by Vandana Shiva This article is saying that the potato crisis in India is directly linked to the World Bank. Farmers have become in debt from not being able to make sells. So some farmers look to suicide as a way out because they are not able to pay off their debts. Facts Farmers are not supported anymore, instead subsidies are now going to traders and corporations.
 * Group 4:** Millions of people in India starved while grains there rot in government storage facilities, due to poor storage.

Notes and Seperate Facts:

A study was done by the UN that showed 3,900 die each day due to dirty water or poor hygiene.

Although the report stated at least 30% of the region's water systems are in operable due to age or disrepair. Notes and Seperate Facts:

A study was done by the UN that showed 3,900 die each day due to dirty water or poor hygiene.

Although the report stated at least 30% of the region's water systems are in operable due to age or disrepair.