I'm in the process of making a new site on snappages.com (it's awesome, check it out!), which means I will no longer be posting here. The site allows me to have a blog tab, so that will be so much easier than monitoring all the e-portfolios and other sites that I currently have active.
My new site is leahadelaide.snappages.com. Please visit!
Thanks for your patience while the transfer occurs!
-L
1.25.2012
1.22.2012
Something to think about
I just finished reading an article for class tomorrow by Warschauer (2005), and there was a section that really resonated with me about Hernando de Soto, an internationally renowned economist and President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Peru. He published a study about the importance of land records for international development. He notes that a lack of transparency in regards to land ownership has devastating results in developing countries.
"In every country we researched, we found that some 80% of land parcels were not protected by up-to-date records or held by legally accountable owners. Nobody can identify who owns what, addresses cannot be easily verified, people cannot be made to pay their debts, resources cannot be conveniently be turned into money, ownership cannot be divided into shares, descriptions of assets are not standardized and cannot be easily compared, and the rules that govern property vary from neighborhood to neighborhood or even from street to street".
According to his research, the total value of real estate held but not "legally" owned by the poor of the developing and former communist nations is equal to some 9.3 trillion dollars. Wow.
He continues by noting that this sum is often many times greater than the total savings and time deposits in banks, the value of companies registered in local stock exchanges, ALL foreign direct investment, and ALL privatized public enterprises PUT TOGETHER.
If a small portion of that capital were unleashed, it could have ENORMOUS benefits for developing countries.
-L
"In every country we researched, we found that some 80% of land parcels were not protected by up-to-date records or held by legally accountable owners. Nobody can identify who owns what, addresses cannot be easily verified, people cannot be made to pay their debts, resources cannot be conveniently be turned into money, ownership cannot be divided into shares, descriptions of assets are not standardized and cannot be easily compared, and the rules that govern property vary from neighborhood to neighborhood or even from street to street".
According to his research, the total value of real estate held but not "legally" owned by the poor of the developing and former communist nations is equal to some 9.3 trillion dollars. Wow.
He continues by noting that this sum is often many times greater than the total savings and time deposits in banks, the value of companies registered in local stock exchanges, ALL foreign direct investment, and ALL privatized public enterprises PUT TOGETHER.
If a small portion of that capital were unleashed, it could have ENORMOUS benefits for developing countries.
-L
1.21.2012
Gearing up!
I'm getting prepared for a new semester. I have some articles to read, which may or may not be read today, but definitely by tomorrow, as classes start on Monday. It seems weird to not be in session yet; I'm still not quite accustomed to this "get out late-start back late" schedule that UW is on. And I can tell you right now that I'll hate it come the middle of May and we're just finishing exams.
Right now, I'm basically just trying to get as much "necessary" stuff done before classes begin. That basically boils down to house-cleaning. I just always feel so much better when the house is clean; it helps me be more productive, too, because I'm not thinking about how dirty it is and subsequently, that I want to clean it. I've got my passport renewal paperwork ready to go; I just need an envelope. My office is cleaned up and ready for a semester's worth of chaos. Insurance stuff is filled out. Got my bus pass, too. So, more or less, I'm ready.
I forgot to write earlier that I finally got funding for the spring semester! I'll be working on an online Chinese course for high school students, primarily on the teacher's manual. So, with any luck, the course manual will get published, which means that I'll be published! Woohoo! I'm also taking a course this semester about online learning, with a goal of producing a publishable work, so fingers crossed there, too! I would love to publish in my first year.
But, I also am trying to relax as much as possible before school starts, too. Since I'll be teaching swim lessons again on Saturday mornings, I REALLY want to enjoy my last full Saturday of freedom. Joe bought some wood at the store last night, so we'll have a fire tonight and maybe watch a movie :-)
So, with two days left to go before the semester, I'm both nervous and excited- typical for me before a semester. Here we go!
-L
Right now, I'm basically just trying to get as much "necessary" stuff done before classes begin. That basically boils down to house-cleaning. I just always feel so much better when the house is clean; it helps me be more productive, too, because I'm not thinking about how dirty it is and subsequently, that I want to clean it. I've got my passport renewal paperwork ready to go; I just need an envelope. My office is cleaned up and ready for a semester's worth of chaos. Insurance stuff is filled out. Got my bus pass, too. So, more or less, I'm ready.
I forgot to write earlier that I finally got funding for the spring semester! I'll be working on an online Chinese course for high school students, primarily on the teacher's manual. So, with any luck, the course manual will get published, which means that I'll be published! Woohoo! I'm also taking a course this semester about online learning, with a goal of producing a publishable work, so fingers crossed there, too! I would love to publish in my first year.
But, I also am trying to relax as much as possible before school starts, too. Since I'll be teaching swim lessons again on Saturday mornings, I REALLY want to enjoy my last full Saturday of freedom. Joe bought some wood at the store last night, so we'll have a fire tonight and maybe watch a movie :-)
So, with two days left to go before the semester, I'm both nervous and excited- typical for me before a semester. Here we go!
-L
1.10.2012
Christmas Break
Over break, I've "forced" myself to relax to the fullest (it was very difficult, trust me!). It seems so odd to still be on break and know that I have another 12 days of relaxation before the semester begins again. I've never been on a schedule like UW's and it's taking some getting used to.
I finished another book today, bringing my Christmas break total to 4, which isn't all that much, if you know me. However, each book has been finished in less than a day and a half, so my speed hasn't diminished at all :) So far I've read The Song of the Silk Road, The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, The Help, and A Thread of Grace, in that order.
My 2nd and 4th choices dealt with the Jewish population in Italy, one that I'm not very familiar with. I love reading about WWII, particularly Jewish survival stories; this may strike some as odd or slightly (or very) morbid, but I marvel at the strength and courage these people had and the hardships they endured. Many are fiction, but are often accurate representations of the historical events.
The Help was just awesome, and I can't wait to see the movie. However, after reading it, I thought about our country and its current state and was extremely saddened and dismayed in knowing that there are many parts of the country still reflect Jackson, MS in 1960. When will we learn to accept others and not hate?
The Song of the Silk road was good, but not at all what I expected it to be. I felt that the strong sexual scenes slightly detracted from the story's main plot, but it was still enjoyable. Definitely not appropriate for young readers nor people who are uncomfortable reading about sexual encounters.
I'm still deciding what my next foray will be. I have Enrique's Journey, The Lacuna, Eat, Pray, Love, and The Midwife left to tackle, the latter two being my mom's books (so if I want to read those, I'd better get on it!).
Ahh, the joys of Christmas break. The best part about it? Knowing that when I graduate and get a job, I'll still have a Christmas break! Woo for academia!
-L
I finished another book today, bringing my Christmas break total to 4, which isn't all that much, if you know me. However, each book has been finished in less than a day and a half, so my speed hasn't diminished at all :) So far I've read The Song of the Silk Road, The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, The Help, and A Thread of Grace, in that order.
My 2nd and 4th choices dealt with the Jewish population in Italy, one that I'm not very familiar with. I love reading about WWII, particularly Jewish survival stories; this may strike some as odd or slightly (or very) morbid, but I marvel at the strength and courage these people had and the hardships they endured. Many are fiction, but are often accurate representations of the historical events.
The Help was just awesome, and I can't wait to see the movie. However, after reading it, I thought about our country and its current state and was extremely saddened and dismayed in knowing that there are many parts of the country still reflect Jackson, MS in 1960. When will we learn to accept others and not hate?
The Song of the Silk road was good, but not at all what I expected it to be. I felt that the strong sexual scenes slightly detracted from the story's main plot, but it was still enjoyable. Definitely not appropriate for young readers nor people who are uncomfortable reading about sexual encounters.
I'm still deciding what my next foray will be. I have Enrique's Journey, The Lacuna, Eat, Pray, Love, and The Midwife left to tackle, the latter two being my mom's books (so if I want to read those, I'd better get on it!).
Ahh, the joys of Christmas break. The best part about it? Knowing that when I graduate and get a job, I'll still have a Christmas break! Woo for academia!
-L
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)