Michael.H.Prosser

A founder of the academic field of intercultural communication

Semester at Sea 30: “War does not prove who is right: only who is left.” Dave Eng, Guest Contributor 18, October 31, 2011 [Post 269]

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“War does not prove who is right: only who is left.”

Current Coordinates:  War Remnants Museum, Saigon Vietnam

Combat Infantryman, Private First Class, and Eagle Globe and Anchor” – I recanted after carefully reviewing the pins on the mottled and slightly crushed olive drab bucket hat.

From a distance only the round “NO WAR” and Semester at Sea logo appeared familiar in the colorful din that comprised the cloud of pins that were stuck into Hobin Van Cuong’s hat.

Cuong who had served as a renowned UPI (United Press International) photographer and photojournalist during the wars[......]

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Semester at Sea 29:Dave Eng’s Posts for His Blog in Viet Nam, 1. “Underground Roadie-Run [Cu Chi Tunnels]“; 2. “Shop Rite” Can Tho Floating Marketplace, Vietnam]; 3.”I’m in Knee Deep” Guest Contributor 18; October 26-28, 2011 [Post 268]

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Dave Eng’s
posts for his blog in Viet Nam, “Underground Roadie-Run [Cu Chi Tunnels]”; “Shop-rite
[Can Tho Floating Marketplace, Vietnam; “I’m in knee deep” Guest Contributor 18;
October 26-28, 2011 [Post 268]

 

 

  1. Underground-Roadie-Run, Dave Eng, [Cu Chi
    Tunnels]

Current Coordinates:
tt. Củ Chi, huyện Củ Chi Prey Nokor, Vietnam

Lightening my gait I
expanded into a slight roadie run with flashlight in one hand and camera in the
other as I chased the shadow of the person in front of me in the tight and
sweaty space.

The Cu Chi Tunnels:
located just northeast[......]

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Semester at Sea 28:4 Million Dong Custom Threads (in Viet Nam): Dave Eng, Guest Contributor 18.4 October 25, 2011 [Post 267]

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4 Million Dong Custom Threads
by notdaveng

Hammering
away at the keyboard in the office this morning I felt a gentle rumble permeate
the floor as the main engines were brought online.

The
surrounding bulkheads began to vibrate nosily at first but quickly subsided: a
sign to all that we were underway again.

After
a few more hours of sailing through the Straights of
Malacca
– at one time the most dangerous and heavily pirated shipping
lanes in the world – we made a hard turn north and proceed into the South China Sea towards our next destination of Ho Chi Minh City,[......]

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Semester at Sea 27:Carnatic (Hindu) Music in India: John Snellgrove, Guest Contributor 17, October 25, 2011 [Post 266]

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Carnatic (Hindu)  Music in india: John Snellgrove, Guest Contributor 17, October 25, 2011 [Post  266]

I spent most my time in India studying under a Veena maestro in Chennai. I’m not exactly sure how I started with
lessons. An odd series of fortunate events involving a well-connected rickshaw
driver brought me and my guitar to the maestro’s front door. After waiting for
forty-five minutes in the office, the master soon came in and introduced
himself. “My name is Subramanian, but if you have trouble with pronunciation you
can just call me Superman,” he told me, and then he asked me what[......]

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Semester at Sea 26:In the Channel there is a common direction: Dave Eng, Guest Contributor 18 4, October 22 [Post 265]

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In the
channel there is a common direction

by
notdaveng

The
narrow channel on the map between peninsular Malaysia and the island of Sumatra became alarmingly smaller as the MV Explorer
jockeyed for position in one of the busiest maritime lanes in the world as other
ships carrying both passengers and cargo rubbernecked with each other in the
narrow passage like a mall parking lot on Christmas Eve.

Often
zigging and zagging in order to avoid both sea and land hazards alike we pitched
and rolled our way around the ship – experiencing just another day at sea.

And[......]

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Semester at Sea 25: “Malaysia Truly Asia:” Dave Eng’s Reflections, Guest Contributor 18.3 October 19-20, 2011 [Post 264]

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Semester at Sea 17: “Malaysia Truly Asia:” Dave Eng’s Reflections, October 19-20, 2011
[Post 264]

In June/July
of 2010, my young Chinese friend Jacky Zhang and I attended conferences first
in Guangzhou, China, then Singapore, followed by about nine days travel each in
Malaysia and Indonesia. In Malaysia we did not visit the Cameron Highlands, but
we did visit Kuala Lumpur (the capitol) arriving there by bus from Singapore;
as well as Penang briefly, Malacca, Lankawi, and other locations. On the October
19-21 Semester at Sea visit to Penang, Malaysia, on the first day, I had a very
p[......]

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Thomas J. Campanella (2008). The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and What It Means for the World: Review by Michael H. Prosser, Ph.D. [Post 263]

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Thomas J. Campanella (2008). The Concrete Dragon: China’s
Urban Revolution and What It Means for the World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
Architectural Press: Review by Michael H. Prosser, Ph.D. [Post 264]

Introduction, nine chapters, and epilogue; 334 pp.; notes
303-325; photos; index; no separate bibliography

Thomas J. Campanella’s book, published before the Beijing
Olympics in 2008, has been widely praised by such China scholars as Jonathan D
Spence who says that he has identified “The complete evisceration of immense
areas of urban housing and farmland is discussed in rich and chill[......]

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Semester at Sea 24:Poverty Tourism: An Ethical Response to Poverty? Dan Spencer, Ph. D.: Guest Contributor 20 (October 17, 2011) [Post 262]

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  • Poverty Tourism: An Ethical Response  To Poverty?
  • Dan Spencer, Global Studies, 17 Oct 2011
  • Context: Corey Flintoff article: “India’s Street Kids
    • A growing phenomenon:
    • the Rise of “Poverty Tours” or “Slum Tours”

 

  • Starting Question:
    • Is it important for  affluent people  to have a direct experience of, or exposure to,  poverty ?
    • Move beyond  abstract concepts  to meeting actual  poor persons in poor communities.
    • If so, what do we need to think about to make these  ethical encounters  (not tourism) ,  where both parties are enhanced by the experien[......]

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Semester at Sea 23:A Tale of Two Indias: Nisha Agrawal, Ph. D.: Guest Contributor 19.1 (October 8, 2011) [Post 261]

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  • A Tale of Two Indias
    Presentation made to Semester at Sea
    NishaAgrawal, CEO, Oxfam India
    October 8, 2011

 

  • Context for Big Bang Liberalization in India in 1991
    Balance of payments crisis in 1991
    Elections in 1991 of a new Government
    Abandoning of piece meal approach to reforms and launching systemic reforms

 

  • Reforms Undertaken
    Trade liberalization
    Opening up of most industries to Foreign Direct Investment
    Taxation reforms
    Reform of the financial sector
    Trimming of fiscal deficit
    Opening up of telecom and domestic aviation to private sector

 

    [......]

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Semester at Sea 22:Role of NGOs in Development: Case Study from Oxfam in India: Nisha Agraswal, Ph. D. Guest Contributor 19 (October 6, 2011)[Post 260]

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  • Role of NGOs in Development:  Case Study from Oxfam in India
    Presentation made to Semester at Sea
    NishaAgrawal, CEO, Oxfam India
    October 6, 2011

 

  • Topics to be Covered
    The Global Challenges
    Oxfam International’s Role
    The Challenges in India
    The Role of Oxfam India

 

  • The Challenge of Increasing Equity within
    Ecological Limits
    Planetary boundaries
    2010
    Pop: 7bn
    2050
    Pop: 9bn
    Ecological impact of global resource use
    Resource share of the worst off 20% of people

 

  • Three Global Challenges
    The Earth’s population is expected to grow from 7 billio[......]

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