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Well, first new Journal entry of '07 and I can't say that it'll be all that thrilling. I haven't felt like myself today. I've been up and down and neutral in a matter of five minutes. It kind of sucks... I couldn't even be my normal hyper self when I was talking to Abbas on MSN. Usually we have these awesome conversations that go on until the wee hours of the morning, but today I just wasn't feeling it, and he noticed how unexcited I was. I tried to act like my normal self, but my Wonder Twin saw through me. I think that it may be the weather that is making me feel so heavy and upset; I have nothing else to be upset about. Apperently there is a rather large snow storm coming sometime soon. But you know what they say, those who speak about the weather first in a conversation aren't worth listening to. So I won't talk about the weather. I won't complain about homework. I won't complain about school. I won't. I will, however, babble about something that I feel is important and has been rolling around in my head for a while about something to post anonymosly online. So here goes.

I wouldn't really categorize this as a rant, but more of an expression of my confusion about the ignorance of people and current world events and issues that should, at least a bit, impact their lives one way or another. I don't know if it's my Global Issues class or just the realization of the media today, but frankly, I find it peculiar that it takes millions of dollars to produce a theatrical or direct-to-DVD movie about a Global Issue to catch the publics attention.

But then, I stop and think, "How else would we learn about the impacts of issues like blood diamonds and global warming and many, many other things without the media? Without 20/20 specials with Barbara Walters and even comedic takes on the goverment of today like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, would we really be all that interested in the actions of other country's corrupt governments and our own politics?"

However, with full feature length films out today (An Inconvenient Truth, Blood Diamond, Bowling for Columbine, etc.) I've gotten into the thought that since these are movies perhaps that public is only viewing them as that; movies. Fictitious movies. Even though they are clearly documentaries or well researched films about problems in the world. I'm not saying that everybody views them as that way, I'm just saying that most of the people who do go to see these films usually walk into the theatre ignorant and unaware of the corruption, but walk out with their horizons widened. But just because they sat through a two and a half hour movie doesn't make the problem go away, it just makes them aware.

To me, awareness of a problem is one of the first stepping stones in making it better. If there's one thing that really stuck with me through the Global Issues class this semester, it's "There is not just one answer to a problem. Throwing money at something doesn't make it go away."

I find it kind of funny how when I was choosing classes for this year, Global Issues was my "I'm only taking it for a credit" class. But I don't know, some parts of it were boring, like the neverending movies about irrigation and farming, but the class did give perspective and open eyes.

So that's my perspective on things. I still have to pull together a presentation about Global Warming for Wednesday, so I better get on that. Wish me luck.