Learning Objective: This is a discussion class. At the end of the session, the participants are expected to be able to develop critical thinking skills and practise conversation confidently.


Casino Capitalism - How New Gambling Houses are Taking Over Laos

Chinese casinos are popping up all over the Special Economic Zones in northern Laos. Bettors come from across Asia, mainly from China and Thailand where gambling is still illegal.

In the Golden Triangle where Laos, Burma and Thailand meet, forests are making way for four-lane highways. Gas stations, market stalls and kiosks are already prepared to handle more tourists and traffic. New hotels and gambling houses are going up everywhere, and payments are made in Chinese currency. It's not just people's hard-earned cash that's at risk here, but also the production of food and bio-fuel.


Discussion


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Climate Change - Energy Self-Sufficiency in Denmark

For years the Danish island of Samsø has been carbon neutral. It generates more energy from renewable resources than its residents need. Still, the island isn't entirely eco-friendly.

Generating electricity from 11 wind turbines and heat from four power stations which burn straw and wood, Samsø's 4000 residents are completely energy self-sufficient.

The island has become a model renewable energy project for communities around the globe. However the island is only considered to be carbon neutral because its emissions are balanced out by its excess energy production. The cars and tractors driven on the island still run on diesel or gasoline. However, that's about to change.

Discussion


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Rwanda's Vision 2020- Corrugated Metal and the Internet

Civil war and genocide left Ruanda in ruins -- both socially and economically. Much development aid has poured into the eastern African country since 1994. Yet President Paul Kagame has a different vision of how Rwanda should develop. He plans to transform the nation's largely agriculturally-based economy into a modern knowledge-based one.

To do this Rwanda is being rebuilt -- albeit in a fairly autocratic fashion. New residential districts and skyscrapers are springing up in the capital, Kigali. A conference center is under construction. Fiber optic cables are being laid across the country and electrical supplies centrally regulated, to ensure that everyone will soon have high-speed internet access. The government has already distributed over 70,000 so-called "one hundred dollar laptops" to local schools.


Discussion


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United States - The Consequences of the Drought in Texas

Texas is turning into a dust bowl. There's been no rain to speak of for close to a year and temperatures often hit 40 degrees Celcius. The drought threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in the south and south-west of the United States.

Texas is the biggest producer of meat and cotton in the U.S., but the cotton plants are drying up and the cattle have little water to drink or grass to eat. Farmers in the region are drastically reducing the size of their herds. As Texas has traditionally been a major meat exporter, experts predict that the effects of the drought will be reflected in higher meat prices on the world market.


Discussion