FYEGlobalExploration_F2007 Blog

New Year's greetings

2008-01-10T11:44:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all of the participants in our Fall 2007 FYE course, Global Exploration. I hope that you all had an enjoyable and relaxing winter break. All the best for a productive and challenging Spring 2008 semester.

Lee

Helping to feed others: filling boxes at Kids Against Hunger

2007-11-27T22:21:00.000-06:00

Our learning community members raised over $750.00 and thereby qualified to fill 15 boxes (216 bags of highly nutritious meals in each box for a total of 3240 cups of food) today at the Kids Against Hunger warehouse in Mankato. Above we are standing next to the pallet with our 15 boxes. We worked for about 2 hours and 15 minutes after viewing the Kids Against Hunger video. On the far right is Tim Stromer, the manager of the facility in Mankato. You can contact the Mankato facility here: Kids Against Hunger - Mankato, 500 Patterson Avenue, Mankato, MN 56001.

To the left you can see our learning community team posing on a break from our work packaging nutritious food for distribution. We were told that this particular shipment may be going to Haiti.

Chapters 24, 25 & 26

2007-11-27T00:59:00.000-06:00

Chapter 24
Farmer's work at brigham Boston and international were kind of the same thing because his main goal was to take care of the sick people. Working at Boston was though easier than his int'l work because Boston was equipped and staffed with the highest current standards of medicine, the book even talked about Farmer thinking of not giving up the job at Boston because it was so gratifying.

Chapter 25
Though Alix had to drive that way, if the cancer hadn't spread as fast as it did, the patient would have been saved. We guess Alix drove in that manner inorder to get to the hospital as fast as possible to save the boy and the ironic part of it is she wanted to save his life but did it in a very carefree manner.(though it never resulted in anything negative)

Chapter 26
Delivery of medical care in Boston was facilitated with sufficient trained medics and equipments but that of Haiti was filled with insufficient ones, so in case of too many patients, the most severely wounded with the most chance of survival will get attended to and then the others next(they might not even get attended to, depending on the time spent on the first one) but since sufficient medics are present in Boston, they all get health care simultaneously.
Example:
In the treatment of triage, one performs triage by attending first to the severely injured with the most chance of survival, the others may die unattended to, however, in well staffed areas like Boston, triage isnt supposed to imply withholding care from anyone, rather, its identifying the patients with gravest danger and giving them priority.

Cash Money & Card Money (aka Mario & Brittany)

2007-11-26T17:22:00.000-06:00

Chapter 24: They are quite similar, because he is trying to help as many people as he can. However, Farmer might be more concerned with his international work especially in Haiti because they don't have the proper medical resources.

Chapter 25- It is ironic because Alix is in driving in a way that could injury or possibly kill someone, just to get to a place that is saving people's lives.

Chapter 26- Getting treated in Haiti is quite different than in Boston considering there isn't enough medical supplies for all the patients. The equipment is quite old. Also, most patients have to travel miles away from their home to get treated. Sometimes Farmer has to go to the patients home to treat them.

Chapters 24-26

2007-11-26T15:32:00.000-06:00

Chapter 24:
They are about the same but it's possible in America to quickly change the issue in Brigham whereas at an international perspective it will be more difficult because they do not have many health resources. So Farmer could be more concerned with other countries.
Chapter 25:
The reason it was ironic was because they are racing to save a persons life and Alix was in danger of taking peoples lives.
Chapter 26:
To get medicine from Boston to Haiti it could take weeks if not months. Some patients need the medicine right away. For example, Farmer sent a man, John, from Haiti to Boston to get more accessible treatment but unfortunately he died shortly upon arriving.
Deja and Yoon Beum

Roxane and Laura

2007-11-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

Farmer's work in Brigham in Boston is almost the same compared to the international work because he is trying to help a lot of people as much as he can in both place but we can notice that he is more concern about international people ( mostly Haitiens people) mainly because they do not have many access in medical care like patients in Boston.
About the irony of Alix's driven in a dangerous manner to get a place for Farmer to help save patient's lives, we can say that by driving like that you can hurt somebody else but he did not; he was driven fast or dangerously if not they might have not be able to save John. Also , we can see in the sense that by driving dangerously, rapidly, his goal was just to save John, so he did not put in his mind that driven like that can have a bad effect, that he can kill more than one people while wanted to save the live on just one person.
Delivery of medical care can be different in Haiti ( from Boston) in the sense that patients have to walk many miles to get treated and sometimes Farmer himseld is obliged to go out in order to treat them. the technology is also very old. For instance, Farmer was taking supplies like medecines from Boston in order to go until Haiti with these medecines on the purpose to treat the patients.

A-team fares well at World Trivia contest, November 14, 2007

2007-11-15T10:14:00.000-06:00

Our World Trivia team, the A-Team, brought home the bronze on Wednesday night. A-Team members were Quadri, Laura, Angie, and Brittany. Mr. Tesdell joined the team after teaching his night class. The World Trivia contest, held in CSU 253, featured some of the best informed students on campus competing for prizes. The questions came in four categories.
Initially the A-Team were told that they had not placed, but upon further checking, the quiz administrators noticed that the A-Team had in fact placed third. The team members were awarded coffee and coupons for meals at a local restaurant. Good job, A-Team!

Joleen and Jenna

2007-11-13T00:15:00.000-06:00

1.Scholarly buttressing is making sure that Farmer knows what he is talking about, and that he has his facts straight.

2.Yes, Farmer isn't around for his family, which is not very good for his daughter.

3.I think he loves the other children more because he is choosing them over her all the time. So I think he needs to stop trying to love the other children so much and start actually loving his daughter. That is really mean to say, but he is supposed to be there for his own flesh and blood first.

1.If you have a lot it is easier to think that you are giving a lot, when really you don't.

2.Americans are lazy democrats because they don't actually give as much as they can.

Da Balla & Da Maneater aka Mario & Brittany

2007-11-12T18:39:00.000-06:00

Chapter 22: 1. The information provided by Farmer needs to be checked that it came from an authoritative source.
2. Yes, he does and it is the fact that he spends more time working than he does with his own family.
3. It is so he can feel close and have a family feeling since he is always working. Also, so that the children feel more comfortable around him.

Chapter 23. 1.Because they have unlimited resources. Also they can go and do whatever they want. Farmer disapproves of this and considers those things as being priviledges.
2. A lazy democrat is a person who has loads of power to help those in need and yet chooses not to.

Chapters 22-23

2007-11-12T18:32:00.000-06:00

Chapter 22
1. Scholarly buttressing is the need to verify everything Farmer said in a speech and/or paper to make sure he was quoting facts.
2. A lot of people think he has a "chink in his moral armor" when it comes to his family life (he doesn't spend a lot of time with them). However, a lot of people use this "flaw" so they feel better finding something in him that could actually be considered a "flaw".
3. We think that Farmer is put in a hard situation. In order to give Farmer's patients the care he wanted to give and thought they deserved, he had to love the children as much as his own daugther. At the same time though, it doesn't seem fair to his wife or his daughter to love other children the same, and even spend more time with his patients than with his own daughter. So, Farmer's put in a very hard situation.

Chapter 23
1. Farmer says that the rich can always call themselves democratic because they have the means and resources available to them in order to be democratic. However, we don't really understand what he means.
2. Americans are lazy democratics because in many cases they don't use the resources available to them to help those, like the poor and the sick, who don't have those resources. They use the resources to their own advantage many times.

By Quadri and Angie

Chapters 22-23

2007-11-12T17:56:00.000-06:00

Chapter 22:
1) Every statement of fact Farmer made in a paper had to be verified as coming from some authoritative source.
2.) Yes, no one is perfect and they mentioned in the book that he forgives people if they don't measure up to the amount they should to help causes. He does so it will make them feel guilty but yet he gets criticized for not spending enough time with his family.
3.) Well we believe that the relationships are different. He truly loves his daughter but he also TRIES to love other children, but finds it's difficult. He more or less just empathizes with them.
Chapter 23:
1.) The rich have lots of resources and America in this case wants to call themselves a democracy.
2.) Someone who doesn't do something that could help others when they have the power to.
Deja and Yoon Beum

laura and Roxane

2007-11-11T18:12:00.000-06:00

Scholarly buttressing is the fact to verify all the statements made by someone.Yes Farmer has some chinks in his moral amor because he does not spent enough time with his family, he devotes more time on his work. About the fact that farmer trying to love others children as much as his own daughter, we can say that it is way for him to have family's feeling since he is not always at home. It is a way for him to feel close to his family since he is always at work. We can also say that it is a way to keep all children at the same level and make children more open to him, more confident toward him.
Farmer said that the rich can always call themselves " democratics" because they have a lot of ressources, they can travel everywhere they want - but farmer does not agree with them and he called all those things privilleges. The lazy democratic is a democratic which privilege some people to the detriment of others. normally in democratic, people have the same rights, the same duties, the same opportunities etc... while in the lazy democratic, all those things are not the same, some people have more advantages than others.

Chapter 19, 20 and 21

2007-10-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

Chapter 19: Second line TB drugs are those drugs that were used in replacement of the drugs WHO used to cure MDR. These drugs before the intervention of Jim were sold for very high prices because they were produced by very few manufactures so they pretty much could predict the price of the drug they produced. Jim tried to stop it by compelling a lot of manufactures to produce these drugs inorder to create competition in the market and then get WHO to add second line TB drugs to their list. After he suceeded in doing this, the prices of the drugs went down, consequently, the drug was available to the poor for very low prices.

Jim and paul's interest in second line drugs was to reduce the price thereby making it affordable by the poor because they believed these drugs were the cure for MDR which was a very prominent disease in the poor nations.

Chapter 20: Farmer usually felt relunctant to fly to Haiti because the book said he kept looking back at haiti when he was on the plane, and while on the plane he would look back at the structure of Haiti and find out that it was pretty much over populated.

Chapter 21: The Cuban health system distributed drugs very equaaly amongst its people, drugs were at fairly low prices which were accessible by the poor and therefore reduced diseases but in Haiti, drugs weren't fairly distributed and were at high prices leading to inaccessibility and spread of diseases.

Cuban health system had a lot of very well trained doctors but Haiti's hardly had any doctors at all.

By Quadri & Angie.

Cash Money n Card Money (aka Mario n Brittany)

2007-10-29T19:13:00.000-05:00

Chapter 19: It is more affordable and is similar to the expensive type, just a different brand. They want to make it so that the poor have access to these drugs.

Chapter 20: Its hard on him because he is able to leave, however most Haitians will never have that opportunity. He still wishes he could save everyone.

Chapter 21: Cuba has managed to control most diseases whereas Haiti hasn't. Cuba also have access to medical supplies etc. etc, and Haiti seems to lost in the wind.

Chapters 19-21

2007-10-29T17:21:00.000-05:00

Chapter 19
1.) Second-line drugs are a more affordable drug that is just like your expensive drug, but a different type. For Jim and Paul, they both want to find a way to get these drugs out to the poor.
Chapter 20
1.) It was hard for Farmer to leave, he said it's easy for them to leave but most Haitians will never get the chance to go anywhere. It still seems he regrets not saving everyone there.
Chapter 21
1.) Cuba has achieved control over diseases whereas Haiti has not. Cuba has more medical privileges whereas Haiti is almost being overlooked.
Deja and Yoon Beum

Laura and Roxane

2007-10-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

second -line drug is the backup of the primary drug. For instance , if the primary drug is not working or if it is finish, the patients can take that second-line drug which has almost the same effect as the primary drug. Jim kim and paul are interested in that drug because they think they have the possibility to lower the price and make the committe to control the price.
When Farmer was leaving haiti for Miami he was sad,depressed because haitians can not leave when they want. he was regretting the fact that he was unable to save the little girl, he did not treat as much people as he wanted. he was not reluctant when he was leaving because in haiti, he did not have a lot of money to buy treatements for all his patients, so by staying there it was just a loss of time. So he prefered to leave in order to go and find some patners or friends who can give him money ; so he would be able to go back to haiti and to treat his patient.
In haiti ,health system is very poor,since the country is also poor , they do not have enough doctors, some sick people do not have enough money to buy all their drugs and we can see also some sick people who bought some drugs but after selling them again to buy food. also there, farmer was always busy,he does not have time to rest, to enjoy life etc... while in Cuba, the poverty is not as severe as in haiti; Patients have doctors to treat them, their drugs were most equally distributed and most of them were able to afford of buying their drugs. we can notice that Farmer was not too busy there and that he was able to have his rest as he wanted to.

Chapters 16-18

2007-10-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

Chapter 16
1. A gringo is someone who is foreign to the Spanish language and culture. Spanish speakers normally call white people gringos or gringas. Farmer is called a "fake gringo" because he is white, but he understands the language and the culture just as well as any native spanish does. He is completely immersed in the Spanish culture.

2. The moderator called Farmer's speech provocative because he was basically calling the audience "fools and villains". He was talking about all the "myths" of MDR-TB that a lot of those experts believed and stood by, so he was definitely stepping out on a limb.

Chapter 17
1. Paul and Jim were basically stealing medical supplies and drugs from the Brigham pharmacy before they left to go down to Peru. But after the Brigham found out White sent a check to pay for them, so really they were only borrowing. It's hard not to disagree with their methods because they were for a noble cause, but they should have asked permission first, because technically it's still stealing. But with the system the way it is, can you blame them?

2. Farmer contracted Hepatitis A. He allowed himself to get so ill because he was way more worried about other people than himself, so he kept going and going and going. The other people needed him so he kept on getting sicker and sicker without stopping to recover.

Chapter 18
1. Often times health care professionals have to make a choice in number of people they can save when talking about epidemics. Do they spend a lot of money on a few that eventually might help heal the rest? Or do they spend a lot of money on a lot of money, but run the risk that more difficult to treat diseases, like MDR-TB might make even more people sick? We don't like either answer.

2. The quote by Margaret Mead was, "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world. Indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." Margaret Mead is an anthropologist, intellectualist, scientist, and author. She is also the president of many anthropological organizations.

By Quadri and Angie

Super Mario 64 and Toad ( Mario n Brittany)

2007-10-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

Chapter 16. 1: It is a name given to foreigners, mainly US citizens. He was american who knew a lot about TB. Which is shocking.
2: he basically said that DOTS only treats TB not MDR. So, they need to find a new treatment to works for both.

Chapter 17. 1: They talked the pharmacists into letting them walk away with medicine to take back to Peru. They racked up a bill of $92,000 which, they later payed back.
2: He contracted Hepatitas A. He wanted to better understand the symptoms, as well as, how people who have this disease go through.

Chapter 18. 1: The argument was about money, where to spend it, and what cases required the most treatment. We feel they need to find a better less expensive treatment that can work for everyone, not just thoses who can afford it. Also, because no one has the right to chose who lives or dies that is up to their higher being to decide.
2: "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world. Indeed they are only ones who ever have." Margaret Mead is an anthropologist.

Chapters 16-18

2007-10-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

Chapter 16
1.) Offensive term for foreigner. Even though there is no TB cases in the U.S. Dr. Farmer has had alot of experience to know what and how TB affects people; he has traveled to so many countries and seen the outcomes.
2.) Someone in the audience called the director of Peru's national TB program and told him "Paul Farmer says you're killing patients" when Dr. Farmer was talking about treating sick people when they already have the technology to do it.
Chapter 17
1.) They would sweet talk the pharmacists into letting them walk away with the drugs to take back to Peru, they soon racked up a bill of $92,000. We think it's kind of funny that they could get away with something like that, but at least they paid back what they owed.
2.) Hepatitas A, he was so dedicated to his job he didn't really want to take the time off to get better.
Chapter 18
1.) The arguments are about how much money they should use for the treatments and where they should spend it, meaning what case of TB requires the most help. We feel the money should go to the children of Peru, because their children and they have their whole life ahead of them.
2.) "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world." Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist.
Deja and Yoon Beum

2007-10-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

1. A gringo is a person from a different culture who visits Latin America. Dr. Farmer is referred to as a "fake gringo" because he is no longer just a visitor, he is almost fully submerged into their culture, and has a true idea of who they are as people, that is the knowledge no gringo really has.
2. Dr. Farmer is thought of as a provocative speaker because he addresses the fact that DOTS is not the best way to help the people in Haiti, and this is a new idea for the people there to consider.
1. I think that Robin Hood sydrom is always wise. The rich can take care of themselves, and the poor need taking care of, therefore, taking the pills from the hospital that can easily be replaced, is a smart (?) thing to do.
2. Dr. Farmer got Hepatitis A because he never got the vaccine. He explained that he didn't think that he was sick because doctor's start out hypochondriacs in medical school and once they get over that, they think they are invincible.
1. They need to decide between helping a few really bad and expensive cases, or a lot of really easy and cheap cases. I would favor the latter because it affects more lives, however I see Dr. Farmer's point that you can't just let a dangerous contagious disease like that go.
2. I do not know who Margaret Mead is, but I also read that quote in "Chicken Soup for a Veteran's Soul" and I find it to be encouraging. It states that you shouldn't question whether a few caring people can change the world, because they are the only ones who ever do.

Roxane and Laura

2007-10-21T19:29:00.000-05:00

"Gringo" is the name assigned to foreigners, expecially someone of United states given by people in Peru.The Purivian physician refer to Farmer as a "fake grigo" because , since he is from United States and that there is no TB there, it is incredible to see him know a lot about TB and its treatements. The Moderates refer to farmers' speech as provocative because he is contradicted in the indirect way the total efficiency of the DOTS. he said DOTS is just treating TB and not MDR which continues to expand. it seems as if he is telling the Moderates that DOTS is not the best treatment of the TB and that with the advance of technology, it will be better to find another treatment which can cover TB and MDR.
Paul and Kim's activities consisted of going to the Brigham pharmacy and taking as many drugs with them as they could in order to give to people who can not afford to buy those drugs. They had Tom White pay for the drugs later on. We think it was a good method since it was a non-profit activities; they were helping poor people to get treated. Farmer contracted " Hepatitis A" .We think Farmer allowed himself to feel sick because he wanted to better understanding the symptoms and also to try to feel like people who has this sickness to better understand them.
The arguments and choices healthcare professionals have to make when treating the sick are that : since they have short ressources, they can not provide medecine for everyone. So they need to make a choice of who is going to be treated and who can not have advantages to those treatements. What area of population should be treated. That is a very difficult decision to make. we do not like either approach because as humans we do not have the power to decide who should live and who should die. so for us it will be wise to find another treatment ( which can even be less expensive as DOTS since they have technology) to satisfy everyone. Jim used "Never understimated the ability of the small group of committed individuals to change the world" as a quoted from Margared Mead who is an antropologist ( she worked to understand human culture).

Ch13-15

2007-10-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Chapter 13
1.) Translate Médicos aventureros. Adventrous Doctors
2.) Describe the TB disease and its best treatment. It is a disease that eats at the lungs and is best treated by a seres of antibiotics designed to kill off the strongest known strands.
Chapter 14
1.) Was Farmer supportive of the Carabayllo Socios en Salud? Not at first, but once it got underway he did what he could to help them.
2.) What was medically different about these TB cases compared to those in Haiti? Several cases that were improperly treated in Carabayllo lead to mutant strands that could not be destroyed, where as in Haiti Farmer made sure that the patients were looked after durring treatment to avoid what happened in Peru.
Chapter 15
1.) Does Farmer support the WHO's (World Health Organization) philosophy and methods? Do you? Farmer supports what the WHO says they are trying to do for the world, but he does not like the way parts of the organization are being ran. I do think that they have a great idea put out there, but to save the world you have to be willing to change your approach and customise it for the culture and people you are trying to save.
2.) What causes amplification in multidrug resistant TB cases? Doctors will kill off one or two major strands at a time, but allow for incubation of the strands that are more drug resistant and those would then mutate.

Chapters 13-15

2007-10-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

Chapter 13
1. Adventurous doctors
2. TB devours the lungs, other organs, and sometimes bones. There are many good first line drugs that are used to treat TB over a span of around eight months. Many times these drugs are inaccessible to/by poor people, like the people of Haiti, because they are too expensive and the pharmaceuticals aren't willing to find cheaper ways.

Chapter 14
1. At first Farmer wasn't too enthusiastic, but after a while, Jim convinced him, and then Farmer did everything he could to help out there.
2. The TB cases in Peru were mostly multi-drug resistant (MDR) and therefore couldn't be cured by the DOTS program. The TB cases in Haiti could almost all be treated, and cured, by the DOTS program.

Chapter 15
1. Farmer supports the philosophy of WHO but not all of their methods. He applauds them on their DOTS program, because it has been successful in many parts of the world, like Africa and Haiti for instance. However, he doesn't like their reluctance to admit their are other ways to treat some types of TB, like the cases in Peru, and wishes they would work to find another program. Quadri agrees with Farmer. Angie agrees with their philosophy and many of their methods, but thinks that pride gets in the way of finding new treatments, and plans.
2. Treating people with MDR with the wrong drugs, the ones they are resistant to, causes an "amplification" to their TB. That's what was going on with the DOTS program in Peru.

By Quadri and Angie

Cash Money n Da Maneater (aka Mario n Brittany)

2007-10-15T18:38:00.000-05:00

Chapter 13: 1. Medicos Aventureros- means adventurous doctors
2. It infects the lungs. Using DOTS which stands for (Directly Observed Treament Short-course Chemotherapy.

Chapter 14: 1. He didn't like it at first but he eventually became a big supporter.
2. There was any cases of drug resistants in Haiti like there was in Peru because there were cases of multidrug resistants which became real severe.

Chapter 15: 1. Yes, he was a very big supporter of it. We support it because all people get the help they need.
2. The wrong drugs being given to patients. Which become useless and very dangerous.

Chapters 13-15

2007-10-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

Chapter 13
1.) Medical Adventures? Possibly because of all the obstacles Dr. Farmer has to go through to help provide medical care to those that are extremely sick in poor countries.
2.) A disease that infects the lungs sometimes other organs and bones. There is an antibiotic for TB but unfortunately it's hard to come by these drugs in poorer countries.
Chapter 14
1.) He wasn't too enthusiastic at first, but he eventually gave in and did everything he could to help.
2.) The country did have a problem with TB but than they built a nationwide program with the help of WHO (World Health Organization) that would help to control TB.
Chapter 15
1.) Farmer does support WHO and their plans to help people in poor nations with bad health care.
2.) The fact that the patients are not taking their pills on a regular basis, so this causes them to become even more sick.
Deja and Yoon Beum

Laura and Roxane

2007-10-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

Medicos Aventuros: Advenures doctors. The TB disease is a sickness devouring the lungs, somes organs and some bones. The best treatment of TB is DOTS ( Directly observed treatment short-course chemotherapy).
Farmer was not enthusiatic with the the Carabayllo Socios en Salud at first, but after he changed his mind and he asked Tom white for money and gave Jim advice and encouragement to keep working at the clinic.
The medical about the TB case compared to those in Haiti is that in Haiti, there is no cases of drug resistant while in Lima there is. We can notice the case of Brigida from Lima who was re-treated again with the same drug and who got sick again.
Farmer supports the WHO's philosophy. We can notice it on page 138 where " he applauded WHO's plan to spread it all over the word". we support that philosophy because it will permit to many people , mainly poor people to get treated.
Multidrug resistant TB cases was ampified by the fact that the WHO was given wrong drugs to patient which were both dangerous and useless. Also in the poor countries they usually died because they can not get good treament since it is very expensive.

Mario "Cash Money" and Brittany "Card Money"

2007-10-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

Chapter 9: 1.- Means using the simplest technology for doing a job.
2.- It can be a useful emotion because you feel remorse when looking back on the bad things you have done.

Chapter 10: 1.- There was never any alone time for them. It was always about helping the poor. Even though they loved each other yvery much it ended up being too hard to be together.
2.- Tom White raised money for and helped create Partners In Health. Jim Young Kim a college friend did a lot the "dirty work" for Partners In Health. Ophelia was in charge of the finaical things.

Chapter 11: 1: The fact that they finally elected someone who could make a difference in their country and the army comes in and takes away their hope. Then takes over the country and its like their back at square one again.

Roxane and Laura

2007-10-08T18:10:00.001-05:00

Appropriate technology means using only the simplest technology required to get a job done.
White said that guilt is a useless emotion because he felt bad about divorcing his wife and he paid her money. Farmer thinks guilt is a useful emotion because the rich will feel bad and give their money to the poor.
Ophelia wants to spend lots of time with Paul and he wants to spend most of his time in Haiti doing work. Ophelia knows that Paul loves Haiti more then her. She chose not to marry him but later on they were friends. They were very close and they did spend a good deal of time together.
Ophelia, Tom White, Todd McCormack, and Jim Yong Kim helped Paul to set up the clinic in Cange. Ophelia raised some money and her dad paid for a clinic named Kay Epin. Tom hired a layer to help create Zanmi Lasante and he gave one million dollars. Todd was on a board of advisers. Jim is a medical student. The four of them and Farmer would stay up late into the night talking. They talked about political issues and cultural differences.
In this chapter the political violence was disturbing. If you do one thing to make them angry they will come after you and destroy you. Aristide was the president but he was deposed. He tried to change the conditions and that was why he was taken out of power. A man named Chouchou made a pro-Aristide remark about the road conditions and a soldier heard him. He was beaten to death for it. It is disturbing to hear about how far some people will go to get the power that they want.

Chapters 9-11

2007-10-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Chapter 9
1.) Means that one should use only the simplest technologies required to do a job.
2.) Guilt can be a real healthy emotion because it makes people regret the actions they did. In the book they say people ought to feel guilty, which in a way should be true, but that doesn't always happen.
Chapter 10
1.) They both really care for each other and work well together but their relationship becomes somewhat strained because Paul is so involved in his work and it's difficult for them to be real intimate, in the way Ophelia would like them to be.
2.) Tom White, who basically helped raise money for the clinic and created "partners in health". Paul's college friend Todd McCormack, who joined the board of advisers in P.I.H. and Jim Yong Kim, who joined P.I.H. after being convinced by Farmer of being apart of a new a new organization.
Chapter 11
1.) The fact that TB is becoming to "expensive" to treat, because Peru is already paying debt payments to American banks and such, that it's already too much money so they won't do anything about it.
Deja and Yoon Beum

Chapters 9-11

2007-10-08T13:01:00.000-05:00

Chapter 9
Appropriate technology means that "one should use only the simplest technologies required to do a job." In regards to Haiti, that meant that the poor had to use bad and often times inefficient technology in comparison to the rich using technology of excellent quality.

Quadri thinks guilt is a useful emotion because it makes you go back and look at the evil things you've done, and it makes you feel remorse. Angie thinks that it can be useful and it can not be useful depending on the situation you're looking at it.

Chapter 10
Ophelia longed to have some time with Paul alone, and to get away from things in Cange every once in a while. That often caused some arguments between the two. Ophelia felt like they didn't have time for anything for themselves, it always had to be about the poor and that sometimes put a strain on their relationship. They sometimes had a struggle for power too. Ophelia usually lost, but in the rare occasion that she won, she felt happy about it, and annoyed at the same time.
Tom White donated a lot of money, and therefore helped fund a lot of the project in Cange. Todd McCormack helped be on the board of advisors of Partners in Health. Jim Yong Kim became almost Paul's "partner" and did a lot of the dirty work that had to get done, but Paul didn't want to concern himself with (raising money, talking to politicians, some financial things/problems, etc.) Ophelia ran the Partner's in Health office at Harvard.

Chapter 11
The most disturbing part of this chapter was how after the people of Haiti finally elected someone as President that THEY wanted, someone who would help the poor, and make the country as a whole better, the army came in and took away that hope. They hurt people, took over the presidency, and once again, made things a living hell for the Haitian poor. Their hope was smashed once again.

By Quadri and Angie

Mario "Cash Money" and Brittany

2007-10-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

Chapter 7: 1: Blan is what the haitians call the things and people that are different than them. Farmer was happy being called a blan and would wave back. At first Ophelia was mad that another blan was on her territory, but then she started to like him. So it became ok.
2: Farmer believed that the U.S.A giving money to the dictators and using it for themselves.
Chapter 8: 1: One of the 3 elements was the fact that you had to pay for everything upfront. Second was that he could leave Haiti and forget about what was happening to the people of Haiti. The last one was the lack of equipment for simple things.
2: He found out what the health problems were in Haiti. This was important because he needed to know what he wanted to focuse on.
3: Being an anthropologist helped him to relate his work and the people's culture together to make his job maybe slightly easier.
4: He was fully formed at the age of 23. His living in Haiti and experiencing what the people go through. Also, how he grew up. At Cambridge he was known as Paul Foreigner because he go back and forth from Cambridge and Haiti.

Chapters 7-8

2007-10-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

Chapter 7
1.) "Blan" means "white" since Ophelia was Caucasian and it was a rare sight to see someone of pale skin. For Dr. Farmer being called "Blan" he really didn't mind, he just waved and Ophelia thought he was silly for just taking that word in and not saying anything about it.
2.) He believes Haiti became that way because no one else cared to help, especially France and the United States.
Chapter 8
1.) -He was already attracted to liberation and theology.
-He was understanding about their beliefs.
-To make a difference, help the poor.
2.) He decided to raise money to buy the hospital it's own blood bank equipment because a pregnant woman died because there was no blood and she could not afford it.
3.) Since he knows about the culture he can use his skills of medicine to help those in need in the community.
4.) He was 23 when he considered himself fully-formed. He was called Paul Foreigner because he wanted to help people that needed it.
By: Deja and Yoon Beum

Ch 7&8

2007-10-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

Chapter 7
1) Define "blan." What did Farmer think about being called a blan? What did Ophelia think about Farmer being called a blan?
"blan" is anyone or anything that is unusual to the Haitians. I think what got a reaction out of Ophelia wasn't that he was a "blan" but that she was no longer the only "blan" and that he was adapting to the culture faster than she was.

2) What did Farmer believe to be the primary cause of poverty in Haiti?
A poor distribution of wealth, controled in a mophiatic fashion, and the use of religion that says "the poor will have riches in heaven" are major factors in his beliefes as to why Haitians are plaged with poverty.

Chapter 8
1) After reading pages 78-81, present 3 of the key elements that influenced Dr. Farmer's choice of oeuvre (or his "life's proper work).
For me the three things that stand out as very influencial for Dr. Farmer are:
The use of religion to hold these people down in poverty. He rebuked this with the "liberation theology"
While talking to another young man, the other said that he just wanted to go home and forget all that he had seen, he said "I'm an American." as if that was all he cared about.
The last thing that truly pushed Paul over the edge was that he collected the money to provide a blood bank to help the poor, and the hospital still insited on charging the patients for its use.

2) What was the first thing Farmer did before he established a clinic in Cange? Why was this activity so important?
He went out and talked to the natives and asked the Voodoo priests and others that helped the ill what their believes were and what they used to treat illness. He did this so that he would be able to understand and better treat the Haitians.

3) Explain how being an anthropologist helped Farmer in his medical work.
He was intrested in the Haitians as much for their culture as he was for them being people. The fact that he delved into their culture meant that he could better relate and there for treat them for various illnesses as well as educate them for the futur.

4) At what age was Farmer fully formed? What do you think most directly formed his world view & philosophy? What was his nickname at Cambridge?
23. Paul Foreigner. I think that watching the inequalities and inhumane treatment of the poor in Haiti and the fact that no one seemed to be making an effort to right the wrong helped to for his views and what he thought ought to be done about it.

Chapter 7 & 8

2007-10-01T13:29:00.000-05:00

Chapter 7

Blan is a name the haitans call a new thing they see around most especially people-white people.
Farmer liked being called a blan. He was enthusiastic about it, and he would wave back at the people. At first, Ophelia was annoyed and almost jealous that there was another blan in the community. But, after she introduced herself, she didn't mind it as much.

Farmer believed that the main cause to the poverty in Haiti was the Americans constantly supporting, with aid and money, the dictators that harshly ruled Haiti. Often times those dictators used all that aid and money to keep themselves and a few others rich instead of using that money to help the Haitian poor.

Chapter 8

The first key element was seeing Haiti first hand and seeing the way people lived. The second element was seeing the lack of money and resources in hospitals that the poor needed to get better. The third key element was seeing how, when given money and resources, the hospitals still didn't provide the free healthcare that the Haitian poor needed.

Before establishing a clinic in Cange, he raised money for a bloodbank in one of the hospitals he volunteered at. It was important because he saw how the hospitals didn't provide the healthcare the poor needed even after they got the blood bank. He saw a woman die because she didn't get enough blood because they couldn't find enough money and the hospital didn't have a bloodbank. Farmer saw her die, and that really inspired him to raise the money for the blood bank and to help the Haitian poor.

Being an anthropologist as well as a doctor enabled him to understand the Haitian culture and use the culture to help facilitate his health programs.

Farmer was fully formed at the age of 23. We think that seeing how the people of Cange lived formed his world view and philosophy and inspired him to fight the current health systems. His nickname was Paul Foreigner at Cambridge.

By Quadri and Angie

Roxane and Laura

2007-09-30T19:38:00.000-05:00

In chapter 7, " Blan" means a white person. Farmer does not care about being called a "blan", he just smile and wave back. For Ophelia, she thinks Farmer should not longer wave at people since he is not longer a tourist. Farmer believes that the primary cause of poverty in Haiti is the Americans because they give money to the dictector who used the money for himself instead for developping the country.
In chapter 8, many things have influenced Dr Farmer's choice of life's proper work. for instance we have his sickness there in Haiti due to the unprotected food he was buying on the street, the woman who was pregnant and who died with her baby because of the lack of blood and the fact that the patient must pay for everything before they get treated. Before establishing an hosital to Cange Farmer set out to find out the health needs of the people. The health census was important because it showed how bad the conditions were. Being an Antrhropologist was very helpful for Farmer because it helped himknow more about the culture so he was able to understand thier beliefs and that help him to be more open to patients. In return Farmer's patients were more open and trusting of him. Farmer was 23 when he was fully formed. Farmer's philosophie and world view are that all people are equal, we should help poor people and take care of them because as us- rich people-, they deserve to be happy . Paul foreigner is his nickname at Cambridge.

Chapters 5 & 6

2007-09-25T17:11:00.001-05:00

In chapter 5 some things that were unique about Farmer's childhood was the fact that he lived in bus. Then later lived on a boat. Also, there was a time when his family was quite poor. So his father had the family pick fruit with the Haitian workers to make some money. However, there were some things that weren't unique like his growing up with 5 other siblings. Bigs families were very common. I think that Farmer growing up on the slightly poor side and working with the Haitians made him decide to help them have a better life.

In chapter 6 I thought it was interesting after spending his entire child/teenage life on the outside. Then he goes off to college and starts to fit in he retreats from it. For my college choices i realized that it is ok to be yourself because you will find people who will like you for you.

Chapters 5-6

2007-09-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

Chapter 5:
According to most people, Farmer's life was unique. We're pretty sure that not many of his classmates lived in a boat and a bus for as many years as Farmer's family did. He went on a lot of trips with his family, whether they were day trips, or longer road trips. The setting of Farmer's life was unique, but the rest of it isn't as unique. He had siblings, and he had different likes and dislikes than them. He had jobs he had to do around "the house". Farmer had a difficult relationship with his father, but that worked out at the end. We think that all of Farmer's experiences growing up helped shape what he did later in life. He was used to constant change, and not having just one home. He never needed a lot of money or space to live, and he was always up for an adventure.

Chapter 6: We thought it was interesting how easily Farmer made friends, and how many people liked him. We weren't surprised that he got good grades throughout college. It makes sense to us that he would use every opportunity he had to study abroad and visit other places. After knowing what Farmer does with his life, what he did in college (what he studied, where he visited, etc.) makes a lot of sense, and so a lot of it wasn't that surprising. However, we did find it interesting some of the subjects that Farmer studied extensivelly.
We learned that we should take advantage of all the opportunities presented to us, because we may never have these opportunities again (like going to Paris for Farmer).

Quadri and Angie

Chapters 5-6

2007-09-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

Chapter 5: Dr. Farmer came from a large family of 3 girls and 3 boys. He was considered smart in his youth and in the fourth grade he started a herpetology club. No one came to his meeting so his father forced the family to be in the club. At age eleven he read books like "Lord of the Rings" and "War and Peace". When he started high school he had to pick citrus because his family was low on money and since most of the people picking citrus were black it was where he first became acquainted with Hatians.
Chapter 6: In college he was quite popular; and he made straight A's. He wrote his senior thesis on "Gender inequality and depression" He was also really interested in current events. It was on tour of North Carolina tabacco plantations where he met many Hatians and became quite fimilar with their culture, which is what brought him to where he is today.
Deja and Yoon Beum

Laura and Roxane

2007-09-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

Through chapter 5 and chapter 6 that we read, we found some unique things about Farmer's youth. For instance he lived in a large bus and a boat. But we have also noticed some things which are not so unique. For example, the number of siblings that he has ( six siblings, somethings more common generally in undevelop countries). Concerning his emotion, he was sometimes angry, affectionate etc...About his family, his parents were hardworkers. His travelling, the environment which he lived in, the fact that he doesnt quit have contribuated to his life's work.
We found many things interesting about Farmer's college experience. For example, he was smart- he got an A in class and he graduated summa cum laude - , he went to Paris and in one year he knew how to talk, read and write in French fluently, he also learn creole,he worked as a volunteer in the emergency room. After reading about Farmer's college path, we found out that in some ways we are also like him in the sense that we study other languages, we plan to get an A in class, we plan to be focused in our studies etc...

Chapters 5 and 6

2007-09-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

I think that Farmer's living conditions were the most unique part of his youth. He experienced many different adventures compared to his peers whether on a boat or in a campsite.The thing that is similar amongst all families is the bond which families have. Obviously working with the Haitians for those few days had some impact on Farmer, and then his experiences with the Haitians he met in college.

I think that it is interesting that Farmer chose to not be like all the other people, he had opportunity and decided to take the other path, and to not blend into the crowd of scholars. I learned that while in college you have the tools and opportunities to decide who you want to become and how you want to become that person. I learned that it is a myriad of daily choices that lead us to where we will end up. He chose to daily hang out with the Haitians, and therefore he developed a passion for their history and culture.

Jo and Jenna

FYE student and faculty attend SCC's Global Conference keynote address

2007-09-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

Today Dr. Flannery, Roxane Geubue, and myself attended South Central College's Global Connections keynote address by Dr. Abdi Samatar, Professor of Geography and Global Studies at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Samatar's topic was 'The War on Terror and the Terror of War in the Global Project: The Consequences for Communities". He spoke for one hour to a full auditorium covering three interconnected themes: Political genealogy v. civic politics, war on terror v. terror of war, and Islam and politics. Dr. Samatar discussed these themes against the backdrop of the last 50 years of Somali history. He concluded by saying that as citizens of the United States we have a responsibility to hold our leaders accountable for global human rights and democratic values in the government's foreign policies.

Chapter 3 & 4

2007-09-17T21:11:00.001-05:00

Farmer used the word comma when he was with people he felt close to. The fact that he only says comma and not the word after it indicates that the next word was implied. He would only talk like that with those he knew well.Farmer gave some patients money and treatment and others only treatment. He talked to a woman who used to believe in sorcery and then didn't when she had medicine. He found out that she now belives in sorcery but she sill takes her medicine. Just like some people in the U.S. use prayer as well as medicine to get better. Farmer also explained that you can't make someone sick from sorcery.In the book mountains beyond mountains describes the location of Morne Michel, the most distant of all the settlements in Zanmi Lasante's catchment area. You might think that mountains will end but they keep on going.

Chapters 3-4

2007-09-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

Chapter 3: The direct term for "comma" is "asshole". Which in the way Dr. Farmer was using it was for the terms of how people are comfortable or ok with the way the medicine and money is being distributed to third world countries and Tracy Kidder shouldn't be the one of those people.

Chapter 4: It all came to Dr. Farmer when he had reinterviewed the people and came across one elderly lady who told him that you can believe in both medicine and faith, so he took that to mind and just gave the people their medicine instead of asking them if it goes along with what they belive in.
The proverb"beyond mountains there are mountains" was used to describe the location of Morne Michel, the most distant of all the settlements in Zanmi Lasante's catchment area.

Deja and Lee

Chapters 3-4

2007-09-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

Chapter 3:
Dr. Farmer uses the word comma when he is calling specific people assholes. Those people were the third parties who didn't see anything wrong with how medicine and money was distributed all over the world. They didn't attempt to make any changes in the system either, and therefore Dr. Farmer disliked them greatly.

Chapter 4: Dr. Farmer performed an experiment and he found that the people who had tb and Farmer gave them extra money for food, etc. and he gave them medicine they all recovered. On the other hand, the patients he didn't give money too, they only had 48% recovery rate. So, he set up a group of people who gave the patients the money, and made sure they came to doctor's appointments and to get their pills. Because of their belief in sorcery, some of his patients didn't think they had to take all their pills, so that group of people Farmer created made sure they did. Farmer also got to know all of his patients personally to help them want to take all their medications.
The proverb says that with life comes difficulties, once you solve one problem another one will always come up.
By Quadri and Angie

2007-09-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

In chapter 3 Dr. Farmer's use of the word comma was his way of expressing anger towards people who were ok with the way money and medicine was distributed in the world.

In chapter 4 the expression "mountains beyond mountains" just means that after ever obstacle there is another one you must face. Also how Dr. Farmer resolved the conflict between medicine and the cultural beliefs of the Zanmi Lasante was he invested time in his patients, he sent them money for food and education. He also got to know them as people not just as patients.

September 17th

2007-09-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

Chapter 3: Explain Farmer's use of the word "comma".
Farmer uses the word comma to express his anger twords those people in the world who do not see a problem with the way things are going in regards to money and drug distribution.

Chapter 4: Explain how Farmer resolved the conflict between medicine and the Zanmi Lasante's cultural beliefs. What does the proverb "mountain beyond mountains" mean?
Farmer realized that many of his patients believed that illness was sent by curses and that the illness that they suffered from did not come from germs. He decides that if he puts more into these peoples lives they will get more out of them. He insists on getting to know the people, sending them money for food and the childrens education, and he also tells them that they must come back for checkups.
Mountains beyond mountians means that in life there are many obsticals, that once you get over one another appears before you.

Reviews of Mountains Beyond Mountains

2007-09-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

Read these reviews on the Amazon.com site and compare your own reaction to the comments of the reviewers. Do you agree or disagree and why?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0812973011/sr=1-2/qid=1189612256/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_top/102-6891573-5597712?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1189612256&sr=1-2#customerReviews

I am looking forward to your posts

2007-09-11T21:55:00.001-05:00

Now that I have invited everyone to the blog, I hope to see your posts soon.

Welcome to the FYE Global Exploration blog

2007-08-21T09:35:00.000-05:00

You have found the course blog for FYE Global Exploration at Minnesota State University, Mankato. We will be discussing our readings and other course related activities on this blog.

Your instructors for this course are Dr. Brenda Flannery and Dr. Lee Tesdell.