June 16, 2005

• Problems: 1. I don't want to write about Iraq 2. It needs to be a large event, not just the small, interesting minutiae that I tend to follow 3. I'm more of a history buff than a CNN junkie, and the regions with which I am most historically familiar are (happily? unfortunately?) quiet on the news front. Any suggestions from my fellow monkeys?
• fraught with peril. i wonder, are they sneakily trying to ascertain your political leanings? hmm. need more info. what kind of a position -- corporate? creative? small firm, large? stuff like that.
• ...the regions with which I am most historically familiar... You might get better hints if you specified what those regions are. It could also be helpful if you were more specific about what counts as a "large event." Not that I'm likely to have any good suggestions anyhow.
• How about the EU? You can attack that topic from a number of angles (by country, by the issues under conflict and so forth)
• How about the Michael Jackson trial? I keed.
• France's rejection of the EU constitution. Cleanup in the aftermath of the Indonesian tsunami. Iran's current nuclear gambit. Peace initiatives between India and Pakistan.
• I am a specialist in post-colonial francophonie (Vietnam in particular for this position, but also North Africa) I don't know what constitutes a "large event," that's part of my dilemma. It is a government position and I think they may be sniffing out my political leanings I thought about the EU no vote-- I may go that direction, but I was trying to avoid it a bit as I specialize more in developing countries
• Don't do the tsunami. What's to be said about it that isn't obvious and trite? I agree with the EU suggestion. You can tackle many different angles without being overtly political or partisan, partly because you can discuss views other than your own. Why does it make sense for the Dutch and French to reject the Constitution? Discuss.
• i still think you should tailor to your audience. that's why i was asking for details. if you'd rather not say, fine, but try to write about something that would be applicable to the position, whether or not you're into whatever "current event" that would be. and, again, realize this is probably not a "writing skills" test but a personality test. really. if it's for a large corporation, you can bet on that.
• Why not take something like the EU no vote and talk about the effects on developing countries--is it better for DCs if the EU is a stable entity, or is the competition from former soviet bloc countries now joining the EU a weight on the DCs? (f'rinstance). Would the DCs be better off if the EU collapsed? What are the prospects for francophone former colonies trading with a unified EU? It's 500 words. I don't mean to be a noodge, but sheesh a succinct proposal for a conference is 500 words. One page, single spaced. Pick something and go with it--you won't solve the world's problems in 500 words, they just want to see how you approach a problem and analyze it from multiple perspectives.
• It's a US government position, and knowledge of international affairs is important. (and I DO know what's going on in the world, I'm having problems choosing one story to go with!) Most applicable for me in the fairly recent past would probably be the Chinese/Japanese textbook scandal with China re-asserting a Chinese-centered Asia (skipping about 3 logic steps there for brevity's sake). sadly, it is a bit too old/small/forgotten for this
• Is the G8 debt relief a good subject? Should be v. important to your Francophone developing countries...
• MCroft: G8 debt relief! thank you-- that may be perfect. I don't know how I forgot about that when I started focusing my thoughts yesterday and came up with squadoo. decontructo: I like the idea of the effects of the EU no-votes on developing nations, but I think it is too complex for one page (and perhaps too extrapolated)-- But thank you. This is fourth hoop I've had to jump through for this position (interview, language tests, personality/skills test, and the current large package which tosses in the current event essay at the end). And, there are more steps to come! So I'm too invested to not overthink everything involved-- sorry for frustrating some monkeys!
• The women's European cup.
• You can write about the Live8 concerts' potential impact on G8 policy.
• The ongoing push for water supply sources privatization. The coming 'water wars'. Good luck on the next stages of evaluation. Remember - the Rorschach inkblots are always happy bunnies and nuclear families, NOT demons waging bloody axes or orgies between some ex and aliens. You might get in trouble with those answers... *cough*
• Vietnam, bird flu scare, pandemic, not if but when, ability of Asian countries to cope, pontifications and politically astute conclusions.
• thanks! though I'm starting to think that the application process itself is the psychological evaluation... and rocket88 sure is fond of the 8s... :)
• The poorer west of Bolivia vs. the oil-producing east of Bolivia.
• The popular mayor of Mexico City, the way Pres. Fox tried to shut him down, and the resulting fact that the mayor is now the favorite in next year's election.
• President Fox isn't having a very good year so far, is he? heh. and that is another good one, thanks!
• The Mexico City mayor was already quite popular, that's why the attacks and a media-based smear campaing against him and several underlings was launched. So far, it seems to have backfired or perhaps stronger skirmishes lay ahead. Fox's constant verbal bumblings (from his inept handling of a Fidel Castro visit to recent racist-sounding comments) are quite interesting. As are his wife's connections to the catholic radical right.
• Recently reminded by a comment above, I've finally gone through the trouble of looking up the words Pandemic and Epidemic. I mean, you hear pandemic everywhere nowadays, so I thought I'd find out how badly that it was being misused. Did you know that, in order to have a Chinese pandemic of Avian Flu, you would have to have most of the country infected? It has to be "prevalent over a whole country or the world," which, considering the size and population of China, would be a lot of cases. Okay, you may return to your previously on-topic thread.
• Darfur. more here Good luck and be sure to post your essay here. :-)
• Something upbeat and positive, that would make you feel good to read, that was not political, like: The discovery of a new species of giant seamonster. An isolated south american village that obtained a bio-diesel operated generator and a satellite connected internet browser. The discovery of a tablet that appears to allow translation of linear-a.
• Argentina's rebuilding of its economy following its World Bank/IMF-induced implosion? (And the fact that the World Bank just gave them a new $150 million loan to help start the whole cycle over again...) AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa? AIDS in India? The Western-backed [insert colour here] Revolutions in old Soviet bloc countries? Something about Turkmenistan? Something about Turkmenistan? Something about Turkmenistan? Or the discovery of a new species of giant sea-monster.