Kyle Zimmerman's FYS Blog

Co-Curricular Blog

kylezimmerman37 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:56:15 +0000

For one of my co-curricular activities I attended a showing of the film Invisible Children in the Humanities building. This showing was hosted by a FYS group doing a project related to world poverty, specifically in Africa and Lakeland. I was very moved by the film they showed, and found it to be very relevant to their project. Although I had seen this film before, Invisible Children always has a deep impact on me and I enjoyed watching this film. I though it was very cool how this group decided to set aside time from their lives to educate people on their cause outside of the classroom. Their efforts did not stop after this showing, either. This group is starting an organization that will continue to help poverty in Lakeland. They are making a monthly print compilation that will raise money for an organization in Lakeland that specializes in dealing with those less fortunate than ourselves. I think this groups initiative is really something to be proud of, and I was very glad to have attended this showing.

American Identity

kylezimmerman37 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:47:02 +0000

America is, and always has been, a nation comprised of immigrants. Thousands of people come into our country every year looking for a better life. That is how it was with the original pilgrims, the settlers that branched out to the west, and that’s how it is today with immigrants from around the world. Unfortunately, there has been a heated debate going on for quite some time now about immigration, both legal and illegal, from Mexico and South America. People opposed to this immigration are noticing trends in a lack of a sense of American Identity among these immigrants. Some of these immigrants do not consider themselves Americans, but instead see their time spent in America as a temporary solution to their problems in their home countries. An American, as defined by Americans, is someone who takes pride in their American citizenship, and loves this country. Americans obviously share a bond related to the pride they share in their country, and when they see someone living in this country without that sense of pride, they find it aggravating. I feel that the entire debate on whether or not these immigrants should be allowed into our country depends on whether or not these immigrants consider themselves to be Americans, or simply people living in America to support people in their home countries.

The Role of the Cell Phone in the Elimination of Global Poverty

kylezimmerman37 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:43:03 +0000

Cell phones are beginning to play more and more of a role in the elimination of global poverty. As phones become smarter and more easily available, they are starting to make differences in the way people in these impoverished countries live their lives. Through electronic mobile banking, cell phones are making it much easier for people to deposit money in banks, as well as perform money transfers and perform other tasks. This, along with programs providing vital agricultural information to new farmers, is doing a lot to help stimulate the struggling economies of these countries. These electronic banking programs make it easier for people to manage their money, ultimately resulting in them spending more, boosting the economy greatly. It also helps to create jobs in the electronic mobile banking industry in these countries. The programs teaching new farmers about agriculture also play an important part in boosting the economies of these impoverished countries. They provide these new farmers with jobs and create a new industry for the country, teaching these farmers to grow in places they otherwise may have not been able to. This new farming industry will boost the economies greatly.

Throwing this technology at the people of these countries and not teaching them how to use it, however, will do nothing. Because they will not know how to take advantage of these new technologies, or understand how they will benefit from using them, they will simply continue doing things the way the did before the technology was available to them. If programs are set up teaching these people how to use this technology, and why they should use it, however, they will benefit greatly from having access to this technology. These programs need to teach these people step by step how to use this technology, as well as teach them exactly how it will help them. They need to understand that this new technology will improve their lives, or they will not see the point in bothering with it.

Should Access to Information Added to Articles 13 & 15 of the ICESCR?

kylezimmerman37 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:50:05 +0000

I do believe that articles 13 & 15 of the International Covenant on the Economic Social and Cultural Rights should be supplemented to include access to information as a right. I believe that everyone is entitled to access to information, as it so greatly improves the quality of life of those people who previously had no access to this information. By improving people’s access to information, we improve their lives in multiple ways. They no longer have to travel great distances to communicate, communication is much faster and more reliable, and they now have access to information that can help them in educating their children, learning to grow crops, and learn many other valuable trades. When it is so easy for us to provide these people with access to this information, i think it is ridiculous that we would not add this to both articles 13 and 15 of the ICESCR, especially considering how relevant these access to information is to these articles. Secondary education, which is spoken about in article 13, is available online through multiple sources, and is very possibly the only option for secondary education in many places around the world. Access to information also plays a vital part in enjoying, “the benefits of scientific progress and its applications,” as it would not even be available without access to modern information technologies.

I do not believe that access to information should be considered a manifesto right, as these rights are too easily ignored. Since there is no support for these rights, they are unenforceable, and the existence of these rights depends entirely on belief. Access to information is too important to be left as a manifesto right, and instead needs to be included in the ICESCR in order to be protected.

The Speed of Communication

kylezimmerman37 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:52:27 +0000

I do agree with the grand majority of Sergio Amadeu da Silva’s statements. I believe that he is correct in saying that communication is an inalienable right to human beings and that when someone is denied access to the Internet they are being denied access to communication in the most complete way. The Internet has become such a huge part of the way human beings communicate in today’s world that someone without access to this advanced communication device might as well be living in another era. The internet makes nearly every daily task so much easier, especially when it comes to communication. Whether you are sending important business information in an e-mail, chatting with friends or family via instant messaging, or just keeping up with what your friends are up to using a social networking site like facebook or twitter, the internet simply makes communicating with others much easier. When a person does not have access to these utilities, however, they will inevitably be left behind as people will not be able to keep up with the faster paced modern technological world. The only part of this quote that I do not agree with is when Silva says, “It is not sufficient to have a free mind if our words cannot circulate like words of others.” I believe that this idea is too general, and assumes that everyone chooses to communicate with others. There are people that believe that you only fulfill your life’s true potential when you remove yourself from society and live only among nature. Such people are called transcendentalists and they believe the exact opposite of what this quote entails. I do believe that for some people, myself included, Silva’s opinion lies true, but I do not believe that it applies to every person. Although Silva wrote this quote about Brazil, I do believe that this quote holds true in the United States as well. I believe that the idea of a separation in society based on access to the internet will occur anywhere that internet is being widely used as a source of communication.

How is your semester progressing? Do you feel like you are succeeding? What are your biggest challenges in college?

kylezimmerman37 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:09:26 +0000

I feel that my semester is progressing very well. I am enjoying my time at Florida Southern very much. I am skiing well, having a good time doing it, and balancing my classwork very well. I like all of my classes, and for the most part, all of my teachers. I don’t find the classwork to be too challenging, and definitely feel that my high school prepared me well for college. The transition to college life has been much easier than I thought it would be, I only find myself homesick every now and then. I do feel that I am succeeding at Florida Southern. I’m doing well in my classes and managing my time well. I am also doing very well on the ski team. I am skiing better than I ever have, and learning a lot. I have already competed in the collegiate regional championships and leave for the national championships this Wednesday. I feel that my biggest challenges in college are finding the motivation to do my homework and studying, rather than skiing and hanging out with my friends. I have not put off my work to do these things yet, but it is very difficult to force myself to do the work. I also find it very hard to get a good nights sleep living in Hollis. There is always something going on in the halls and it can be hard to fall asleep. Overall, I find that my problems at Florida Southern are small, and that I am really enjoying my time here.

Cell Phones in Developing Countries

kylezimmerman37 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:32:45 +0000

In the United States cell phones are used more commonly than almost any other appliance. We use our cell phones for communicating with our friends and families, business calls, text messaging, entertainment, and even GPS directions. Cell phone use in the United States is so common and so diverse that we often take it for granted. In developing countries, however, cell phones are seen as a tool to make life easier. In the United States we have so many resources for getting things done, such as the internet and banks on every street corner, that we do not usually need to use our cell phones in ways that make our life dramatically easier.

In countries where these resources are not available, however, cell phones make a crucial difference in how people spend their time. Kenya, for example, is the most successful developing country in terms of “mobile money.” Mobile money refers to the electronic transfer of money using cell phones. It is basically like having a virtual bank in your phone. Before this technology was available, people would have to deliver the money themselves, which could often take days and be very dangerous. With the Kenyan mobile money system however, you simply approach an operator, who can be found on almost any street corner, who then completes the transaction and sends a text confirmation to both the sender and the receiver of the money transfer.

Another way that developing countries use their cell phones is for Agricultural Information Services. In places where agriculture is needed, but not common these agricultural services are very helpful. They provide the people in need of growing food with the information they need to successfully make a harvest. This is very common in African countries, especially Uganda.

Eastern Waterski Regionals

kylezimmerman37 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:27:19 +0000

I am on the waterski team here at Florida Southern and this past weekend we went to the Eastern Regional Championships. The tournament was held in Whitestone, GA, which is about a nine hour bus ride. We left for the tournament at 7:30 Friday morning and rolled in around 5:00. We started skiing the next morning at 8:00, and were all very surprised to find that the temperature was only about 50 degrees. I was the first skier for our team and was even more surprised when I found out that the water was only about 65 degrees. Needless to say, that woke me up pretty quickly. I ran my first pass pretty easily, but the cold water made the ski ride a little higher in the water, which felt weird. Unfortunately, I fell early into my second pass. I was hoping to at least get a third pass in, and was pretty upset when I didn’t. The rest of the team skied fairly well, most coming up short of their goal in slalom. I think the cold water threw everyone off a little bit; the ski moves much faster and more erratically than in the warm florida water. Fortunately, we made up for it in trick, where most of us ran our pass and started to rack up the points. At the end of the day we were sitting in third place, which wasn’t bad considering our girls team is almost entirely new skiers. We needed to stay in the top three, however, to qualify for Division 1 Nationals. Mens jump was held Sunday morning and we needed to do well to make sure we would qualify for D1. I was the first jumper and went 83 ft. which was a personal best. Our next jumper was Adam Shipanock, who jumped 95 ft. and also had a personal best. After Adam was Chris Driggers who jumped 125 ft. After Chris were the two professional jumpers on our team, Alex Paradis and Matteo D’Alberto. Alex jumped 147 ft. to finish in second place and Matteo jumped 149 ft. to win the jump title. With the awesome jump scores that we posted, we moved into 2nd place.

ICT’s

kylezimmerman37 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:48:41 +0000

I did not realize how often I actually use ICT’s until reading the inequality.com article and learning just how many things fall under the category of ICT’s. It seems as though almost all of the technology I use nowadays is an ICT in some way or another. The obvious ICT’s that I use are my e-mail address, which I use to communicate in a formal manner when I do not need an immediate response. I use my Facebook account very often as well. This helps me stay in touch with all my friends back home, as well as see how they have been spending their time and what they’ve been up to. I am always on my cell phone as well. It helps me to organize my social life, stay in touch with family and friends, along with many other things. Most often, I use my phone for texting but I do call people quite often as well. The internet is also a large part of my life. I use it to see what is happening in the world, for entertainment, and for shopping, which falls under the commerce category of ICT’s. Without ICT’s information would move much slower in the world, and technology would not be nearly as advanced as it is now. ICT’s make the world much easier to learn about and understand, and life would not be the same without them.

Are There Natural Rights, or Only Human Rights?

kylezimmerman37 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:19:44 +0000

After reviewing Robert Paul Churchill’s “Human Rights and Global Diversity”, I believe that although the idea of natural rights is possible, human rights are much more practical. It seems to me that natural rights lack enough support to be arguable. Although the idea of possessing rights that take precedence over any other law, claim, or principle seems nice, there is no way to prove that these rights truly exist. Sadly, there are people in this world, such as Adolf Hitler, that would strip people of these rights simply because of the fact that they have not been defined and established as real. When the United Nation’s established human rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, however, it gave solid support for the ideas carried within natural rights. Although they are essentially the same, human rights do what natural rights cannot, and that is deny anyone the opportunity to refuse these rights. No longer can people question how we came to know these rights or who they apply to. After the holocaust, people realized that they could no longer rely on the idea that human beings are naturally good, bringing a necessity to establish a universal declaration of human rights. The mere idea that someone could look at another human being and consider them to be nothing more than an animal simply appalls me, but unfortunately it happens much more often than i would think possible. Human rights however, define all human beings as just that, human, and give us an unarguable reason, and duty, to protect them. Although you cannot expect all people to believe in human rights, as is obvious by the genocides still occurring today, I would have hoped that upon seeing that these rights are being inarguably violated people around the world would fight to protect them.