Renewable Energy: Argument for Rapid Transition

Digging into the topic of renewable energy last week, I became acutely aware how big an issue our current energy usage is today. In Energy Autonomy (2007), Dr. Hermann Scheer argues that our current reliance on traditional energies has resulted in (or augmented) what he calls the “seven energy-determined world crises” (the global climate crisis, the exhaustion and dependence crisis, the poverty crisis in the developing countries, the nuclear crisis, the water crisis, the farming crisis, and the health crisis). I believe that an honest consideration of Dr. Scheer’s argument brings about three potential responses.

First: Dr. Scheer is wrong and therefore these problems would not be alleviated if we altered our energy usage. Second: Dr. Scheer is right and we should therefore respond rapidly with more responsible energy usage. Third: There’s nothing that I can do (regardless of whether Dr. Scheer is right or wrong).

Individual research the past two weeks has brought me to this place… The preponderance of data suggests that Dr. Scheer is right in many of his claims. Therefore, as a citizen of the global community, I feel that it is my responsibility to work and advocate for a faster transition away from traditional energies and towards renewables.

In our discussion last week, we addressed a number of blockades to shifting the energy usage paradigm. Indeed, there’s a lot standing in the way. But if we take these crises seriously, I don’t think the third response (above) is an ethical option because of the potential severity for future generations.

The simple fact that the sun and it’s derivates supply more than 15,000 times our current usage in nuclear and fossil energies… coupled with our increasing scientific know-how/ engineering expertise… gives significant hope to the situation. The biggest hurdle is will-power.

The question – I believe – at the heart of this debate is about us as humans. Are we, as a society, inherently short-sighted and selfish or do we value the lives of those who are to come after us enough to make sacrifices now?

Mental Health: Penis Snatching & Terrorism

With last week’s topic being “Mind, Behavior, and Global Health,” I recalled an interesting article posted by Professor Shahi entitled “Koro: A Natural History of Penis Panics” that discusses Koro – the belief in retracting genitals or genital theft. This article sheds light on how powerful the mind can be in the context of human perception of health. I mean, think about it: if many men have believed erroneously that their penises have retracted into their bodies or been stolen, one is caused to question the limit of the human imagination in constructing medical maladies or threats.

Additionally, this article points out that social influences may be strong shapers of individual beliefs, stating: “…we are much more likely to believe what our neighbours believe than we would like to admit.” In the context of mental health, this raises some interesting questions about community influences. Mental health services are mostly designed to meet individual needs – particularly those with diagnosable mental health disorders. What benefit could community approaches to mental health have in bolstering general well-being?

***If there are outbreaks of seemingly ridiculous social beliefs like penis snatching, what happens when legitimate social beliefs arise?***

To be honest, I am more afraid of the widespread social panic associated with terrorism than I am with terrorism itself. What happens if our worst fears are realized and there is a substantial terrorist attack on American soil? We may have the medical infrastructure to address the acute care of serious injuries that would result, but do we have the mental health infrastructure to address the community panic that would also result? Is it unreasonable to consider population approaches to panics and such outbreaks of a mental nature?

YouTube Obesity

One young man is documenting his struggles with obesity through a series of youtube videos entitled "Losing It."This on-line video journal provides strong support to the implication that there may be a correlation between video game popularity and obesity. Themes "Mr. Losing It" expresses in the video journals are of overcoming stress, difficulty maintaining a healthy diet, and of a severe addiction to video games. One of his videos made me laugh, so I thought I’d share it with you all. These addictive lifestyle attributes are on the rise in America.

The Sahel region in Africa is experiencing a crisis of malnutrition of a completely different type. With an average of eight children per family and food/economic stability a concern, there is a struggle to provide enough food & nutrients for child survival.

These two stories illustrate the vast discrepancies in malnutrition experienced in the world today. I don't seriously mean it when I say this, but an interesting obesity intervention would be to provide obese Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 (like Mr. Losing It) the opportunity to visit regions such as the Sahel for a week... How I'd love to see the youtube video journals in response to such a trip :-)

Oxfam: Micro-lending... fight poverty with just a click!!!

Go to the website. Choose USC as your school. Click the "click to donate" button twice a day and get $.25 given to micro-lending in the fight against poverty each time you click.

http://www.povertyfighters.com/

-You can only click twice a day
-You don't donate any money, other companies do when we click
-Make sure and set USC as your school
-Spread the word to friends
-The click drive ends March 30th, make sure and click twice a day until then!

Native and contemporary American values: considerations on obesity

Personally, I find the Western trend towards diseases of excess disgusting. The obesity epidemic is powerful social commentary in and of itself... people are literally eating themselves to death. In a way, I think global capitalism in the age of technology fosters obesity. People can work in a cubicle all day to make money that can be spent with the click of a mouse to purchase foods, travel, entertainment, etc. Whereas physical activity was once a necessary component in survival (to obtain foodstuffs, among other purposes), for many people it has become a purely recreational endeavor.

This week, I was assigned to leading a discussion following a screening of Dances with Wolves in which Native American culture is glorified and the U.S. value system is undermined. The film makes powerful social commentary that caused me to re-evaluate contemporary American values. In my research, I came across a fascinating article by Native American Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston entitled: “From Medicine Man to Marx: The Coming Shift in Native Theology.” Chaleston suggests that the Native peoples are a colonized people whose worldviews contrasted with that of the foreign culture and colonizing power. He argues that Native Americans in conglomeration with other minority voices should cry out against technological consumerism (prevailing value system/ worldview). He argues for a Native alternative called ‘commonality,’ with six principles that form the basis of the Native People’s Liberation theology.

A personal consideration of this ‘alternative’ has called into question the global capitalism and technological consumerism that has lead to rising obesity. I kind of chuckled when thinking to myself what the buffalo hunting scene in DWW would look like if all the Sioux tribes-people had the sort of obesity that distinguishes a number of Native American tribes today. Perhaps the commentaries provided in DWW and by Charleston provide some insight for a civilization with values different from those held by contemporary popular culture that would promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

…perhaps idealistic- but an interesting consideration nonetheless J

Obesity study (no self-reflection)

Opening the Daily Trojan today, I was struck by an article entitled "Obesity clinic targets Latinos." Most of the students in USC's MPH program have probably heard about this new intervention, as the department e-mailed MPH students about a paid internship available in this clinic. The lab's first study involves the Strength and Nutrition Outcome for Latino Adolescents (SANO-LA), which targets at-risk individuals to decrease added sugar and increase dietary fiber. The study features a nutritional (meets 1x/wk for nutritional lessons and exercises), combination (meets 2x/wk & in addition to the nutritional arm undergoes strength training exercises), and control (receives no treatment) group. After testing Latino adolescents, the same study will be conducted on black youths later this year. Eventually, researchers would like to conduct the study on Caucasian and Asian populations. With the obesity epidemic affecting more and more of the American population, this is the kind of study thatI believe offers hope for providing the kinds of insights necessary to cater health promotion intervention strategies to the particular needs of specific populations.