In a corner of Hollywood, a man sits in his apartment. He types away at his 486 computer, comforted by his six-toed cat. Another man, a powerful one, arguably the most powerful on earth finishes the night’s adulterous affair. Although that night the powerful man made a crucial mistake: he ejaculates on the woman’s dress. The love affair the man had would be one surrounded by mystery and massive public intrigue. One that may have remained hidden if it weren’t for the first man and an internet connection.
Tag: research
Eliminating Cheats at the Olympics
Editors Note: This essay was part of my final research essay for Writing 123 at the University of Oregon.
In 1988 Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson crossed the finish line, making history after running the 100-meter race in 9.79 seconds. Three days later, Johnson’s medal would be revoked after Olympic officials found traces of steroids in his urine sample. This was a shock to the general public, who were unaware that such drug use was occurring at the time. However, people within the Olympics were less surprised, an anonymous Soviet coach remarked to The New York Times that “I feel sorry for Ben Johnson. All sportsman – not all, but maybe 90 percent, including our own – use drugs.”
Lithium: The Coming Resource Wars
Editors Note: This is part of an essay for a University of Oregon Human Geography Class in which I was tasked with following an object and describing its connections behind it.
The Tesla model 3 has the fastest acceleration of any production car in the world. Elon Musk, the celebrity billionaire behind Tesla is constantly in the news grabbing headlines. However, the popular press often overlooks the global institutional and political battle emerging over the lithium mines.
As demand continues to grow for electric vehicles, lithium is becoming increasingly scarce and, as a result, prices are beginning to rise (Fernández 2016). Emerging and existing superpowers such as China and the United States are preparing for what they predict to be the next major move in energy by buying or securing access to mines in other countries. The spheres of influence of these two superpowers are proving to greatly affect the geopolitical outcomes made by countries where these mines are located. The emerging diplomatic and economic tensions affect the geopolitics of lithium extraction. If lithium follows the historical pattern of other highly demanded resources it will result in the exertion of hard power by China in order to gain more access and possible control of strategically important resources such as lithium. This will be proven by a case study of how the Chinese government is using a program called the One Belt One Road Initiative to exert hard power in order to gain access of lithium mines. We will also explore China’s growing sphere of influence in the region due to recent land grabs.