It's difficult to believe that it's been more than a year since I started volunteering with Disaster Management, and even harder to reconcile with the fact that I am now at the supervisor level while concurrently teaching new volunteers as an instructor. I've been out on a deployment in Saskatoon, both worked and supervised in the call centre, and interviewed more than a dozen new volunteers.
Whither will all this lead? Certainly, it's useful experience, but will it help me get to where I want to go? How should I use these experiences to show who I have become?
The past weekend in Victoria was a blast. I had forgotten how good company and a sense of purpose can put my life in clear focus, while relieving the stress and confusion caused by lack of confidence. Yet again, I ended up the object of good-humoured teasing. Those crazy loons from the Island sure know how to make even disasters fun!
Throughout the course, I kept asking myself if there were anything else I could have done in Saskatoon, and in other situations brought up in the training. Take the drunk lady, for example. How could I forget to take the beer away? How did I miss Gary's (feigned, ...or not) attempts to pick her up? Even when I lay in bed last night, I was still thinking of all the mistakes and remedies.
It was then that I realized the power of the vest. As soon as I put it on, I became someone else. The bold and glaring red gave me authority and a sense of focus, drove away my fears of failure, and amplified my natural ability to remain calm and logical.
If only there were a Red Cross vest for all the things we do in life!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
“It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world’s energy resources for future generations.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
****
From gasoline prices to heating bills, energy consumption is one of the hottest topics in politics today, both within a country and on the international scene. Individual nations constantly try to cope with supply and demand, while being mindful of what others are doing. Putting aside the political notion of countries and states, we cannot disregard the fact that we all live on the same planet, and therefore protecting the Earth--and our livelihood--requires international leadership and worldwide cooperation.
Relying on individual countries to make the sacrifice to conserve energy is not only an unrealistic expectation, but also a wasted effort because those countries that neglect that duty may offset the efforts of the diligent ones. Several progressive northern European countries have been active in reducing automobile usage, but at the same time, developing countries like China and India are increasing their gas consumption at an alarming rate. While more developed countries are exploring alternative energy sources such as wind and nuclear power, many still rely on burning coal. Without a multilateral agreement, the environmental impact resulting from these resource-wasting states who clearly do not share the green vision or cannot carry out changes will greatly undo any good the other, more environmentally conscious countries manage to accomplish through great sacrifices in domestic policies.
Natural energy resources are not renewable, and therefore are limited in quantity. The more our generation taps into and drains the reservoir, the less is left for our children, and the more they will have to struggle to cope with the shortage. Furthermore, since these resources are not distributed evenly across political boundaries, the dimishing supply and agressive demand of energy on this planet will have an even larger impact on our children's lives, no matter where they live. It is only through internationally collaborative efforts on policy, technology, and trade can we hope to manage what is left of the energy resources on which we are still vitally dependent.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
****
From gasoline prices to heating bills, energy consumption is one of the hottest topics in politics today, both within a country and on the international scene. Individual nations constantly try to cope with supply and demand, while being mindful of what others are doing. Putting aside the political notion of countries and states, we cannot disregard the fact that we all live on the same planet, and therefore protecting the Earth--and our livelihood--requires international leadership and worldwide cooperation.
Individual nations cannot be relied on to solve the problem of energy conservation. The real problem underlying the world's energy shortage has always been the problem of commons: namely, a problem that affects everyone is not up to any particular party to resolve. It's always someone else's problem. This type of thinking makes it difficult for governments to persuade their own people to alter their long-established gas-guzzling behaviours. While a few eager European nations have spearhead the movement, North Americans are delaying the change for as long as possible, or at least until everyone else is on board. The Kyoto Accord suffered such a setback because the United States, a leader among nations, was hesitant to sign on to the cooperation, leaving the rest of the group with a feeling of injustice at their own sacrifice and futility of the entire treaty.
Relying on individual countries to make the sacrifice to conserve energy is not only an unrealistic expectation, but also a wasted effort because those countries that neglect that duty may offset the efforts of the diligent ones. Several progressive northern European countries have been active in reducing automobile usage, but at the same time, developing countries like China and India are increasing their gas consumption at an alarming rate. While more developed countries are exploring alternative energy sources such as wind and nuclear power, many still rely on burning coal. Without a multilateral agreement, the environmental impact resulting from these resource-wasting states who clearly do not share the green vision or cannot carry out changes will greatly undo any good the other, more environmentally conscious countries manage to accomplish through great sacrifices in domestic policies.
Natural energy resources are not renewable, and therefore are limited in quantity. The more our generation taps into and drains the reservoir, the less is left for our children, and the more they will have to struggle to cope with the shortage. Furthermore, since these resources are not distributed evenly across political boundaries, the dimishing supply and agressive demand of energy on this planet will have an even larger impact on our children's lives, no matter where they live. It is only through internationally collaborative efforts on policy, technology, and trade can we hope to manage what is left of the energy resources on which we are still vitally dependent.
Testing, Testing
In order to live up to the title of this blog site, I need to write a lot more. The following entries will be based on GMAT topics. I need to practise, the blog needs filler, so here we go.
I will endeavour to express my true beliefs in addressing the topics, which I will of course include in the postings. The quality cannot be guaranteed because I will be doing this in a strictly blogging style, i.e. no planning whatsoever, though grammatical errors are inexcusable, as per usual.
If you find the topics boring, please write to the GMAC; if you find the writing boring, please leave a comment as to the specifics.
I will endeavour to express my true beliefs in addressing the topics, which I will of course include in the postings. The quality cannot be guaranteed because I will be doing this in a strictly blogging style, i.e. no planning whatsoever, though grammatical errors are inexcusable, as per usual.
If you find the topics boring, please write to the GMAC; if you find the writing boring, please leave a comment as to the specifics.
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