Here we are to list five important things we have learned about China, India, and/or other developing countries.

1. China is making some huge greenhouse gas emissions and may even surpass us soon. Meanwhile, their emissions are our emissions. Not surprising given how much we out-source production to China.

2. India is doing a lot to help sustain the environment. We often think of countries such as India as being too impoverished to focus on such things. This is proof that this is simply not true.

3. Many of my classmates are under the impression that our butting in to the policies of "developing" countries is in those countries' best interest, even if we are exploiting them for our own gain. "We've raised them up from nothing," is a quote from a fellow classmate. Talk about making my blood pressure go up! Not everyone wants to be an American and not everyone wants to live like us either! Further, we have often done more harm than good.

4. Though, I am a big fan of the E2 series, I noticed they too sometimes take the view that "developing" countries want what we have. So now I must go on one of my soap-box tirades. This viewpoint by E2 became abundantly clear when focusing on various places in Africa. The narrator and the people interviewed kept going on about how these people live in poverty. Yet, everyone they filmed appeared clean, well-fed, beautifully dressed (even taking time to wear aesthetically pleasing designs, colors, and patterns). Their clothes were in good repair too and were nicely accessorized. To me these people looked more like they were living simply than that they were poor. And while they are finding ways to bring sustainable electricity to many who have not had it before and improving energy use (like with the tea vendor) it is important to remember that not everyone wants to be electrified. Also, I hate the terms "developing" and "third world". Call them what they are for the most part: post-colonial! That's right --own up to what Western imperialism has done to these countries. Colonial occupation has forever disrupted the natural path of many of these societies. Once the colonists were gone, and the people had their countries back, they had no choice but to attempt to survive in an economically driven world since for centuries, their lives had been devoted (and the path of their economies changed) to serve the desires of the colonists. Now these countries face a new brand of imperialism --what Edward Said refers to as "economic imperialism". Watch "Black Gold" if you doubt this. To survive, frequently these countries have to do things our way and on our terms. They are only perceived as lesser because we created the image of them as such.

However, I must defend E2 on another count. Recently, our class took a trip to ECHO, a church run experimental farming organization. They focusing on doing God's work by feeding the hungry of the world. I noticed that all of the ECHO volunteers in the DVD presentation were white and all of the "students" were of a much darker complexion --many of African ancestry. I got the sense from the film that ECHO sees itself as saving the poor brown man --and isn't he so lucky that we white people are so charitable and are here to help him. Though, on the whole, they are doing good work, this creeped me out. Plus, I also wonder how often Christianity is foisted upon the recipients of their help. E2 in contrast spoke to people making a difference of all races and ethnicities both inside their own countries and across the world.

5. I'm still fascinated by the reaching of peak-oil in Iran and the timing of the Islamic revolution. My graduate studies will focus on a creative work set in Iran. I look forward to studying this little nugget of information further.