What's new?

I really need to break this habit of posting every few years.  It seems I haven't done as much traveling as hoped.  It's weird how everything else tends to get in the way of my travel plans.  Let's see how this year goes!  As winter in North America slowly transforms into spring there's a lot going on around the world.  I just read about a new kick-starter company, Gomi, turning previously non-recyclable plastic waste into new recycled products.  That's awesome!  i'm still working on my music.  Plans for my third album are well underway with at least twelve new tracks ready for the studio.  Check-out my current self-produced albums on BandCamp at https://kleonis.bandcamp.com/vip-membership and join my VIP club.  Your membership will support my music projects including next album and live shows, maybe even a tour this year.

The Honorable Judge Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr.

As a city kid who grew up in Boston, Massachusetts I've always had lots of friends from different backgrounds and many cultures.  Lately I've been thinking about things going on in the world and where we're going.  I realized that one of the most important people in my life had faded into history.  His name was Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. RIP.  I never knew him personally however, his judicial reasoning, legal decisions, and ultimately his orders had a profound impact on my future.  I'm not going to go into the details I'll just leave a link to his Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Arthur_Garrity_Jr. and you can learn about him for yourself.  The purpose of this post is to say thank you to the most important judge that I didn't get a chance to meet and thank in person.  His order to desegregate the Boston Public School System is the reason that I now have friends across my country and around our world today.  Oh yeah, and besides my parents he is most likely responsible for my success.

This is the Global Village and we all live here together.

November 2015 is going down as a sleeper in global politics and science.  While many expected a changing of the guard in Canada's national elections with the new PM Justin Trudeau and his party sweeping the polls for the win, and a new majority in Parliament.  However, the world was caught off-guard with the almost unanimous decision by Mexico's Supreme Court that set an international precedent where the "Criminal Chamber of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the prohibition of consumption and cultivation of cannabis for personal use is unconstitutional, voiding five articles of the country's principal narcotics statute, the General Health Law. The court found that prohibition of cannabis consumption—or of cultivation for non-commercial purposes—violates the right to "free development of the personality," enshrined in Article 19 of the Mexican Constitution." 

As a former student of Global Studies and International Affairs, and a self-proclaimed jet-setter I commend the Court for confirming the principles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" championed by the late First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt decades ago who would be proud of Mexico for continuing to champion human rights.

On an even higher plain no pun intended "NASA's Swift Spots its Thousandth Gamma-ray Burst.
GRBs are the most powerful explosions in the universe, typically associated with the collapse of a massive star and the birth of a black hole."  This significant milestone coincides with the quest to prove Einstein's theory of general relativity because it is theorized that "gravitational wave observatories will detect the first ripples in space-time, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's relativity theory." Source: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasas-swift-spots-its-thousandth-gamma-ray-burst.

 This is the Global Village and we all live here together.

Better Connections!

Blogger has https and now you can make a secure connection to my blog.  That's a benefit in case you are concerned about connecting to unsecured sites.  Meanwhile I've released my second album titled "To See The World."  Visit my site at kleonis.com to stream the title track and "Night World" plus see what else I'm doing these days.

Global Village.

Play It To The Bone!

The first week of June and it's getting hot.  Today I went down to the beach.  It's in the 80s and the water is perfect.  It's been almost a year since my last post.  I've got to break this pattern, my last post was about a year after the one before it.  Obviously I'm pretty busy with life, and not getting out of the country much.  That's about to change.  The tracks for my debut album "Play It To The Bone" are complete.  The next step is to get the album mastered, and that's gonna take money.  But, with the tracks recorded I can focus on promoting the album and performing live.  Actually, I do get out of the country a lot in my music.  My fan base is growing internationally faster than in the USA.  That shouldn't be a surprise since there are more people in the rest of the world.  Some of my biggest fan numbers are from Japan, Canada, Israel, UK, Brazil, and Germany, as well as all over Latin America and Europe.  My top internet sites where you can stream my music and other stuff are www.jango.com/music/Kleonis , www.reverbnation.com/kleonis , soundcloud.com/kleonis , and check them out now for some free downloads.  Check out my new music video at http://www.youtube.com/v/RMSW21OVq0s  
help me make it go viral.

ReverbNation!

It's been almost a year since my new career as an independent artist began.  I've written many songs and composed a lot of new music.  For the past few months I've released most of my new tracks on my ReverbNation site at http://www.reverbnation.com/kleonis where fans can listen to my tracks and discover the latest news about my music, and performing.  Since this is my Global Village site I invite you to post about my music and tell me what is popular where you listen to music.  As an artist I create new music inspired by my experiences.  Things I learn about world cultures gives me new ideas for music.  I'm pioneering a new area of social research, music inspired and created by globalization.  Worldfusion is one of my main genres.  Electronic, my primary genre, is perfect for creating new music with worldfusion.  Visit my ReverbNation site and listen to my latest track "Super Moon," and tell your friends too.  Also, check out the links on the right column to find out about Beat Making Lab, a music project that I support.

Thanks.

The Next Chapter.

The next chapter in my global journey follows my new career in music.  As I continue to explore the world of globalization I am writing songs and composing music.  You can find my latest release on my artist page at http://www.hitquarters.com/CurtisChambers and please tell me what you think of the music that I'm creating. Maybe, someday I'll play gigs in your town.  For now, I am actively working on promoting my music in the Boston area, on the east coast USA.  If you're in town or online (http://wrbbradio.org/) please make a request to play my tracks WRBB radio  Northeastern University.  I just submitted my debut track to their station.  They are one of the hottest college radio stations in the USA.

Occupy Wall Street.

Occupy Wall Street has become a global social movement.

Thought on Today.

Ah, today.  It's seems like such a long time since my last post.  Funny that it kinda feels like that episode of Star trek when they came upon an abandoned spaceship and played the ship's final logs.  Someone was isolated on-board with all of the final time capsules from earth.  Let's see now, Billions of dollars have been stolen from financial institutions around the world.  The US economic crisis has spread to the rest of the world.  The EU economy is falling like dominoes with one sovereign default after another.  A new major oil strike has started a boom town in the Pacific Northwest.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil won the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.  Bangkok, Thailand spring rains caused the city to suffer catastrophic flooding and a major evacuation.  As I write this CNN is on my other browser tab reporting a major earthquake in Turkey.  Finally, troops are officially leaving Iraq by the end of this year.  Wow, all that in just the last few months.

New York Times article on Japan Earthquake

EARTHQUAKE, TSUNAMI AND NUCLEAR CRISIS
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, churning up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country and set off warnings as far away the west coast of the United States and South America. Recorded as 9.0 on the Richter scale, it was the most powerful quake ever to hit the country. As the nation struggled with a rescue effort, it also faced the worst nuclear emergency since Chernobyl; explosions and leaks of radioactive gas took place in three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that suffered partial meltdowns, while spent fuel rods at another reactor overheated and caught fire, releasing radioactive material directly into the atmosphere. Japanese officials turned to increasingly desperate measures, as traces of radiation were found in Tokyo's water and in water pouring from the reactors into the ocean.
As of March 29, the official death toll had been raised to more than 11,000, and more than 17,000 people are listed as missing, although there may be some overlap between the two groups. The final toll is expected to reach nearly 20,000. More than 190,000 people remained housed in temporary shelters.

Japan March 2011.

Devastation in Japan after another earthquake shakes the island and cracks the nuclear power infrastructure causing dangerous radiation leaks.  While the residents flee contaminated areas many nations offer aid and support.  The government has not determined how long the areas at greatest risk will be unsafe.  Oddly, major corporations especially financial institutions have ordered there ex pat employees to leave the country for safety reasons.  Even worse, native top executives  and managers have left their companies Tokyo offices for safety in neighboring countries including Beijing, Singapore, and Hong Kong.  How did this disaster happen with all the technology available to predict earthquakes and provide early warnings.  Did someone fall asleep at the switch, or are they just looking the other way?  With the potential for human and environmental consequences how could those responsible have played such a dangerous game with nuclear power?

Dawn of the Apocalypse.

As of right now the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida are bracing for what is being predicted by the worlds scientist as the worst environmental disaster in the history of The United States of America. Organizations of every state on the Gulf Coast are desperately asking for volunteers from everywhere possible to help fight the inevitable pending destruction the oil spill is bringing. At an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil per day pumping out of the under water well current claims are that it will take several weeks or months to stop the well. At that rate the best case scenario would be two weeks and mean that over 2,940,000 gallons of crude oil will be covering the coastlines and waters of the Gulf of Mexico with most of it predicted to flow onto the U.S. coast. U.S. State and Federal agencies are moving as fast as possible to act and the U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and Army are already on alert or deployment to the area. There is no question that the whole planet is going to feel the consequences of this wound. The truth is that all the efforts that the International community can bring to bear cannot stop the damage ahead because there is no technology available that can remove that much oil from the ocean, coastlines, and wildlife that will be covered long before the spill is even contained. This is worst case scenario. This is going to be a horrible conversation as time goes by and the damage is reported for years to come.

Our purpose.

This blog is a about globalization from my personal perspective.  I hold a Master of Science degree in Global Studies and International Affairs.  The purpose of this blog is to discuss my experiences with globalization and those of people I know in other parts of the world.  That said, the more I travel internationally the more I will post.  In lieu of travel, I plan to discuss world events and phenomena, as well as contemplate things about the impacts of globalization on people and places internationally.  The blog is open to comments.  Think of it as a village as the name implies.  When you join a discussion or make a comment, you become a person somewhere in the village.  I do not plan to respond to every contact but I am listening to everyone that wants to join in.  If you find yourself in a discussion with someone other than me that's OK.  In fact, any number of discussion can be going on somewhere in tngv at any time.  Remember, in tngv everyone can hear your conversation so don't be surprised if a stranger wants to join in.  Why not tell them to grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy the conversation.  I want to hear what other people are discussing about places around the world.  That is what tngv is about.  Again, as the name implies, I want people from every country to join tngv discussions.  That is what makes it a village discussion as opposed to just a bunch of one sided statements about globalization.  That is also what this blog is about, discussing peoples experiences with globalization.  This is the village of the future.  This is not a chat group or message board or any of those common social network concepts.  This is not about marketing, dating, or opinions of any kind.  This blog is about living in the modern era of globalization.  That said, when I discuss your part of the world please fill in the blanks or just let us know your perspective of what is being discussed.  Think of me as the Anthony Bourdain of globalization.  Experiencing the world and other people is what energizes me and gets me up in the morning.

Human Rights Week

Today we marked the conclusion of Human Rights Week. We posted this message for everyone who participated:
$5 a day challenge:
We are proud of everyone who took this challenge. It is very moving to to see the introspection and profound sentiments that many of you have experienced. But, we have something to say to those who feel that they failed the challenge before it began. You did not fail. You conquered the real challenge. Change begins with the knowledge that we need to change. That meant the real challenge for us was to acknowledge the 1.4 billion poor people living a humble existence in poverty, acknowledge our real cost of living (the "Fabulous Life" of success) we take for granted everyday, discover that we do care about them, realize that we cannot walk in their shoes, and take ownership of the fact the we have chosen to take positive action in our lives on this issue going forward. Each of us carries a seed of change that will make us positive forces in the future of global society. Remember, everyone counts. Even you.

Brave new world

Today we added a new blog to those we follow to diversify and enrich our community, and because we like them. The University of Venus (UV) was co-founded by a faculty member we know at Northeastern University. What does UV have to do with the title of this post, you ask. It is clear from their principles and mission statement that the founders took a brave step forward into this new world we commonly call the global village. We, meaning all of us who have taken an active role in and acknowledge the international, transnational, multinational, multicultural, and interconnected life (to mention only a few of the characteristic of tngv) of world citizenship that we live today. The concept of world citizenship is at the very core of what tngv is about. According to the mission statement UV seeks to channel the genx women of academia into a global medium for positive social activity. It goes on to present some sincere and obviously heart-felt observations about current society and the realities of academia in America today. They are brutally honest about what they represent as women and academics. UV represents a fresh voice in the global community as they build powerful and positive new "global social networks." We welcome UV to tngv as the first organization of academia in the blogosphere to gain our seal of approval.

Terremoto en Chile.

The recent earthquake in Chile has special meaning to us here at tngv because of the personal and academic ties I have there. In the summer of 2008 while on a graduate seminar I interned with the Nonprofit Enterprise Self-sustainability Team (NESsT) http://www.nesst.org. While there I visited many parts of Chile and met with people from a number of the regions. On a special note, the image on this blog page is from my visit. The people of Chile are working hard to embrace globalization. Most of the people in the worst hit areas have little money to recover and need all the help they can get. The 8.8 quake left a number of after shocks including one that measured 5 in Santiago. This will be a major topic at tngv. The following information is from an email I received from them today.

NESsT is organizing a joint fundraising event and silent auction at Puro Chile in New York this Thursday evening, March 4th, to benefit the Levantando Chile Fund in conjunction with Puro Chile Corp, and The Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations. Heraldo Muñoz, The Chilean Ambassador to the UN, will speak and welcome guests.

You can see more information about the fund and committee at: www.levantandochile.org The website also includes information on making donations to the fund through the US and Chile.

Winter Olympics Vancouver

I have always liked the Olympic games. They are one of the conerstones of tngv.

Now that the Vancouver Winter Olympics are over tngv looks forward to the next games in London (2012) and Sochi (2014). We love the games. These recent games were awesome. But, in this age of globalization there was a dearth of representation considering how many nations did not make it to the grand stage, or even compete for that matter, The lack of diversity of the athletes in the running for medals is a sad commentary on how far the international community has gone to make the premier venue for international relations truly representative of all nations. The IOC needs to do more to bring the diversity of our global community into the field of competition. The international community needs to do more to support an IOC goal to promote and support more great athletes from every nation. We are all fortunate to have inherited one of the oldest institutions of humanity, the Olympic Games, created for the purpose of memorializing our common bond as humans, paying deference to the value of diplomacy, creating a mechanism for halting state conflict, and demonstrating to all societies that we must always work to cooperate and participate as world citizens.

The New Global Village

The new global village (tngv)means different things to everyone. To me it means that the things I learned studying globalization and international affairs as a graduate student are real. This blog is where I plan to interact with tngv more constructively than is normally possible for most people in the current global society. This blog is where I will analyse and theorize about tngv. I plan to entertain strategies that may impact tngv. Most importantly, this blog is where I plan to bring the experiences and discoveries of tngv into the mainstream.