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Nicole Padilla

Systems Thinking (Easterbrook) Response

  • Which system (type of stakeholder) that Easterbrook identified did you find your own understanding of GMOs most aligned with? Why? What are some of the stakes of these stakeholders?

When I hear the acronym “GMO,” my mind immediately goes to the environmental/health arguments laid out in system 7. I am not well versed in the topic, and I believe this association is mainly due to media coverage and the increased advertising of the term “non-GMO.” The main stakes are for immune-compromised people, who may be more susceptible to allergic reactions, those who have reported health effects that are not taken seriously due to the lack of science behind the topic, the GMO/food production companies who want to not only keep consumers safe, but also ensure they are staying up to code, and the public; people like me who may not be as educated on the topic, but have preconceived notions due to the PR around GMO, organic, and natural foods.

  • Using your own topic for research, can you Identify 3 stakeholders (groups or phenomenon) with different perspectives and then describe the system (the stakes) from which they are operating? For instance, if the subject is “Safari Parks”, 3 stakeholders could be (1) Animal Rights activists, (2) the region’s Board of Tourism, and (3) the local land itself. The first operates in a system of ethics around the treatment of animals; the second in a networked system of economic benefits for the community (hotels, food, and attractions), and the third, in an ecosystem that the safari park may put at risk, by introducing pollutants from animal waste and fertilizer, and ecological competitors such as escaped non-indigenous plant products used in the landscaping of the Safari Park.

My topic is Canals within the larger topic of borders. The 3 stakeholders I can identify using this ready as context are:

Governments – the people in power to determine Transportation committees and assess economic impact. They uphold border agreements and the governance around how and who uses these waterways.

Environmental Groups – Canals are man-made structures/waterways and have an impact on the wildlife and pollution in the area.

Traders/Business Logistics – Canals transport goods, and businesses depend economically on their successful operation. I am immediately reminded of when the Panama Canal was not operational for some time over the summer of 2021 and how that impacted the global supply chain for months.

 

Group 3 – Borders Reading Response

I am struggling to capture a specific structure towards my post for our readings, so I wanted to write out a few of my responses and how they resonated with me. Maybe they will act as foder for discussion within our group or start the thread or spark of curiosity to lead to a larger through line.

The reading from Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands has particularly resonated with me. Outside of my general curiosity on the topic of borders that I noted in our first class meeting, paired with my recent travels across many state borders, driving from the east to west coasts, this topic has been very timely as I have skimmed the US/Mexico border multiple times on this trip. This sentiment of “other” was extremely poignant entering into California from a US state and still being subject to a giant checkpoint to enter the state. I found this very jarring, and could only imagine what it is like to live in the boarder lands, living your normal life, minding your business with this ominous structure and feeling attached to it, as Anzaldua notes:

Hatred, anger and exploitation are the prominent features of this landscape.

When I think of the necessity of borders, I think back to our readings in Emergent Strategy, as well as some of the topics we discussed in the summer in Concepts, Cultures, & Critiques class; regarding who holds the power and the gaze that interprets, draws and enforces these borders?

Going further and exploring the topic of borders as parameters explored in society, self, sexuality, and norms was also very interesting to delve into in the context of “otherness” within your own community. As Anzaldua writes:

The queer are the mirror reflecting the heterosexual tribe’s fear: being different, being other and therefore lesser, therefore sub-human, non-human.

So again, I wonder, what is the true purpose of borders? A line of demarkation to enforce different laws, whether from a government, our gender expectations, or familial obligations. Shouldn’t we all as humans should be living under the basic laws, freedoms, and choice?

I am reminded of an exhibit I saw the the Brooklyn Museum this summer from artist Guadalupe Maravilla, titled; Tierra Blance Joven (Young White Earth). In this work, Maravilla showcases the life of an undocumented cancer patient, exploring the themes of care and migrant crisis from El Salvador. While slightly different context, the idea of freedoms and rights, and who is deserving of them rang true to me.

Additionally, I spent this past weekend with my future mother in law and sister in law, both immigrants of the Phillipines. As I spoke about wedding and family traditions and the desire to fuse my American traditions with my fiance’s Filipino heritage, the topic of the assimilation in the context of migration and American culture was largely discussed. I found our conversation harkening back to some of the ideas and themes described in the Borderlands text. Especially around otherness/whiteness, gender roles, and marriage. No matter the culture, these constructs, or borders, are a universal topic that both separates and unites us. (An idea I am fixated on when thinking about my sub-topic of canals as well.)

There were so many quotes I jotted down and noted while reading Anzaldua’s text, but this one stood out most:

Like a turtle wherever I go I carry home on my back.

While I understand the context in this situation, I believe this quote can be taken in many different ways, which makes it that much more beautiful. No matter our circumstances, immigrant or otherwise, this is a shared sentiment of the human experience. We all carry our homes on our backs, and it is what makes us who we are, for better or for worse, no matter how far or close we are from our homes.

Where reading Anzaldua’s text may inspire the thought of open borders, the reading from Metahaven Reading ” Captives of the Cloud” evokes the feeling of anxiety and need for security, when thinking of the 9/11 attacks and other spy activity on the internet.

The people on the internet live in territories. They have citizenship. But this feedback loop doesn’t activate political agency. What, after all, really is the connection between these things?

Alternatively, we walk a fine line when we think about personal data an shared data. When you throw in the fact that access to the internet is also a disproportionate scale, it further tangles the web of how do we shape this space to be both inclusive and safe for everyone?

Lastly, I find it very interesting that both of these readings have such relevance in what we are dealing with here in the US  between the controversial actions of DeSantis and transporting migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, or our former president not being held to similar standards of national security. Through this lens, it will be even more fascinating to see how these issues play out and how this study will further my insights in the matters at hand.

 

I hope this doesn’t read too much like rambling! I enjoyed the sentiments of both readings and look forward to discussing further with you all. 🙂

Topic 1 Development: Borders | Canals

Definition of a Canal:

A canal is a human-made waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another. Canals are also used to transport water for irrigation and other human uses. While the advent of more efficient forms of transportation has reduced the need for canals, they still play a vital role as conduits for transportation and fostering global commerce.  – NOAA

What characteristics make a Canal a Canal?:

One of the first notable points I found from my initial research was the distinction between Canals and Channels. The biggest point is man-made (Canals) vs. natural(Channels).

This led me to research the use of Canals. As a man-made entity, there is a use or a need that these waterways are built to fulfill.

According to further research Wikipedia lists, that Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.”

The main uses of a canal are drainage for safety, landscape protection, and transportation of people and goods. How do these topics connect to Borders?

Borders & Connectors:

Photo from my trip in 2017

Reading more on the topic, I was reminded of my trip to Colorado and stopping at the Continental Divide on my drive between Denver and Aspen. The Continental Divide runs from the Bering Strait down the Americas to the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile. This Divide separates the watersheds that drain into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.

This creates boundaries in multiple countries and territories, including National Parks like Glacier National Park and, most notably, the Panama Canal.

 

 

 

The Panama Canal – Trade: 

Map/Drawing from Britanica

Finished in 1914, the most notable canal in the Americas is the Panama Canal. It connects North and South America, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and is the lowest point of the Continental Divide.

Most notably used for international trade, cargo ships can pass in either direction, with the most Trade between the east coast of the United States and East Asia dominating international canal traffic. (Britanica)

 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam Canals – Defense & Protection:

The other area of research surrounds the idea of protection and safety.

The city was founded around 1250 with the building of the Dam that gave it its name. ‘Aeme Stelle Redamme’ is Medieval Dutch for: ‘Dam in a Watery Area.’ The first canals were dug for water management and defense. As the city expanded in the Middle Ages, successive defense moats ended up inside the walls and lost their function. But they acquired an important new one: local transport of merchandise. (https://www.amsterdam.info/canals/)

 

 

Further Exploration of Canals, Usage, Relation to Borders:

  • Transportation – People & Commerce
  • Protection – Defense & Climate
  • Fishing/Food Sources

 

 

Post 1: Emergent Strategy

“I often feel I am trapped inside someone else’s imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free” (18)

  • Q: Have you felt trapped inside someone else’s imagination? How have you broken free?
  • A: I believe if you look at society as a larger system, we are all, at one point or another, trapped inside of someone else’s imagination. There are many ways to approach life, yet many of us have followed a similar set path or societal standards; school, college, work, marriage, and purchasing a home. So much of this “straight and narrow” approach to life was systemized through someone’s thoughts or imagination. In the media and mainstream America, standards of beauty, worthiness, and reward are bestowed upon us through one lens built from a collective imagination of those in the power of the narrative and to be given the designation of tastemakers. Much of this sentiment is outlined in the list of concepts from the reading. As I have gotten older and experienced some fallout from sticking so closely to the binary of  “right” and “wrong,” I took stock of what was important to me, not what was being projected by others and have attempted to approach my life with that compass. At the risk of sounding selfish, the lifestyle shifts from the pandemic provided a silver lining of fully leaning into remote work, the ability to live nomadically, and to apply and partake in this program 13 years after graduating from undergrad.
  • Q: What is a negative pattern that you see in a small way that reverberates outward that you could attempt to disrupt today?
  • A: This quote particularly resonated with me, “Transform yourself to transform the world.”—Grace Lee Boggs. While it feels like a drop in the bucket, my partner and I have recently started to introduce more plant-based food into our diet and routine to attempt to combat the environmental impacts of the meat/farming industry.