Procrastination man - Part 2

The shop Oxfam @ Warwick University will soon be a memory for everyone: the coming month, it will close definitely. I cannot express just how sad this terrible news makes me; it makes me angry too. Had the shop generated loss, or so little profit that it barely upsets management costs, I would have understood the decision (by Oxfam internal management) to close the shop down. As it stands, Oxfam at Warwick University was making around £19k profit per annum, that is after all charges specific to the shop (including depreciation) had been deduced; and not counting the donations/Unwrapped products. In addition, it was not in direct competition with the surrounding Oxfam shops (Coventry, Kenilworth) - on the contrary, they were, if you will, complementary. Thus, closing the shop down will mean, directly and indirectly, a loss of income for the charity, let alone the image deficit: the shop was a central node for on-campus campaigning - mostly Oxfam Outreach, but was also a good friend of People & Planet's.

On a personal level, this particular shop meant a lot to me. It was, in a way, a second home. I just loved volunteering there, to a point that certain weeks I was there over 25 hours; or that I was prepared to miss lectures to ensure it was open (I took that decision once, to find out later the said lecture was cancelled). I met wonderful people there, got the chance to talk about Doctor Who for ages, and to spend lots of money on clothes and books and CDs. I discovered a lot about fairtrade, which now is one of my main battles. And I learned lots about various topics, from UK History to the lyrics of Roxette songs; acquired many skills, including accounting and moaning about paperwork. I knew all about SA1s, SA2s and SA3s; about Unwrapped, about the evil times button on the till.
We had good times. We had difficult times, but throughout its existence - at least to me - the shop was this one constant thing that I knew I could go back to. Whenever I went back to the UK, I opened it because I was missing it so much. I even fancied creating an Oxfam shop in France, before finding out a pilot scheme was already underway in the North of France. And now, this one thing that was central to my experience in the UK, is disappearing.
Rest in peace, F2317 - I am proud to have volunteered there, and to have been a VDSM. You will be missed.
Please share your comments, and best memories related to the shop.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying Oxfam is a bad charity altogether. On the contrary; I still believe that thyey're doing the most amazing job abroad, in terms of development and relief. I am just not convinced by the domestic side of the charity anymore - this groundbreaking, shattering, downhearting event comes after a series of smaller mishaps which go on to show, in my opinion that Oxfam GB is poorly managed.
You can (and should!) still support the charity at www.oxfam.org.uk ; and I still would recommend to volunteer for them because it was an amazing experience, on a personal level - but volunteering for Oxfam definitely doesn't seem like the best way to put your time to a charitable use, seeing how it seems to be appreciated by the big thinking heads of the charity; at least not today.

Never before had I realized how much animosity existed between Europeans and Americans. I do not consider myself to be naïve nor am I oblivious to world events. And still, after engaging in a stimulating debate with a French colleague and friend of mine it became clear that there are certain attributes of the American culture that are inexplicable to almost everyone else in the world. And this is no wonder, as there is no other place like it on earth. Good or bad, right or wrong, the beauty of this place we call The United States is in its name, its intent and purpose; that is to say in its cultural and political diversity that begins with each town, county and finally, state. It is perhaps difficult for people outside of this country to understand that for instance, the laws of my home State of New York are different from those in neighboring New Jersey. The founders of this great experiment did this quite purposefully; empowering states to chart their own destiny while at the same time, belonging to a greater cause, a common good.

I have read criticisms of my country that include the allowance of the death penalty, archaic abortion laws, obesity rates and gun tolerance. I have heard that we are arrogant, spoiled, and decadent. The truth is, and in my opinion the beauty as well, is that less than one third of the United States have legalized the death penalty and (this is the best part of all) if you are against the death penalty, one may move to any one of 36 states that don’t allow it. Imagine that. Choosing where you want to live based on the particular politics and policies of that state all the while, remaining in the country you identify as home, and presumably love. If abortion offends my neighbor, he is free to move to state with more restrictive abortion policies. If healthy dieting is important to you, one may feel free to move to California where I am sure they would be happy to serve up a healthy portion of seaweed and tofu. There are states with higher numbers of college graduates. If one is intolerant of uneducated people or has a child nearing university age, he may want to move to another state where per capita, a college education is more appreciated or even affordable; or better yet, work toward creating a coalition in your State to initiate any changes that are necessary or deemed appropriate by the majority of people in that state.

That is what freedom is. Not imposing irrational judgment, hatred or resentment, not feeling stuck with what you have but rather, possessing the freedom to chart your own destiny where one lives and yes, taking advantage of the opportunity to move to Alabama from Texas, if one chooses to do so. My point is an obvious one. The beauty of The United States is hidden within the very criticism that is leveled against it. If one is unhappy with the rules or culture of any given environment here, he may change his environment to a more or less tolerant one, to a colder or warmer one, to a traditionally Republican or Democratic one. Is it always practical to have the ability to pick up your life and move? Of course not, particularly for the less advantaged. But on the whole, the ability one has in this country to live in a state that resembles your very own set of principles is poetry in motion. Do we behave arrogantly at times perhaps because we know we have these cultural and political choices at our fingertips? Maybe, I will not deny that. And when this is coupled with being a superpower and with being the largest consumer market with the most disposable dollars, some of us will behave badly, admittedly.

And finally, allow me to address my personal favorite criticism of Americans, that we are decadent. Would any of you turn down goods and services at an inexpensive price if they were available to you? Aren’t we all looking for our money to stretch as far as it can, no matter where we live? I don’t know about you, but I am no fool. I’m all right with living in a place that has almost anything I could want. Wouldn’t you be?

Nothing I have written is particularly prolific, nor is it new to most of you, I am sure. My hope is however, that it was beneficial to be reminded of my most important point; that we in the Western, Free World, share the most important quality of all;that we all have the ability to chart our own course whether we live in New York, Massachusetts, Paris or London and that we can vote, elect, and impeach whomever we choose. So, to focus on our commonalities of freedom, self determination and ability to travel freely, when so many of our brothers and sisters are unable to do so, it what is important. United we stand and divided, people traditionally fall. We are allowed to have differences and still remain standing all the while engaging in political discourse and dialogue. This is freedom, at its core.

Welcome to Ryan, whose first entry on this blog should be coming soon! It should be amazing (no pressure ;-) )

Surprisingly, it is possible. Recently, my online presence has increased. And, if things go as planned, it should still increase. Anyway, this entry is mostly to share my latest addition to the online world - The Lyon Rev website. It was done thanks to an amazing tool, joomla, which is relatively easy to use. In addition to this, a website for the B.I.E. (Students' International Office) should have its own website soon-ish. If I find a CMS more suitable to the needs of this kind of activity, that is. If you know any, feel free to share here. The regain in hope of seeing the BIE online someday made me create a new logo for it, so here it is for your eyes only.