We live in a society where the value of the written word has steadily eroded in recent decades.  This erosion can be seen in a number of ways, starting with the rise of text messaging and instant messages as a form of communication in which shortening words is the norm, to the steady decline of basic formality.  Not only are most freshman college students incapable of spelling, but many have to be taught standard ways to address one’s elders in a letter (or an email to a professor).  Given such a decline, combined with the increased time that most of us spend in front of digital media (TV’s, computer’s video games…) one might think that the book- that indispensable, tome that has helped to shape our society, would be in decline as well, yet the contradictory is true.

Our society is one that has elevated literacy as a human good, and has, as a consequence of this elevated books.  We all have bookshelves filled with volumes of hard cover books, some of these we have read, but many (either given to us as a gift, or bought by us in a fit of passion and desire to change ourselves) will stand there for years collecting dust without having a broken spine; indeed, we often collect books as a sign of our intellectual prowess.  What amazes me is that in our world- where abbreviations are steadily replacing many words, we still value the spoken word as an “end in itself”, so much so that we judge developing countries on the literacy rate of their population.  The HDI (human development index), an annual report that rates countries from most, to least developed, looking at nations’ standards of living, mentions the issue of literacy as a key indicator of a States’ development.

Talking about the cost of books, this too has changed, from the days where all books were affordable, to today, where the cost of some books (almost anything printed 50 years ago or more) has shrunk virtually to $0, with e-books being freely available online, to the costs of others skyrocketing to a point where one is almost required to take out a second mortgage to afford a few textbooks (this may sound funny, but I kid you not, the cost of many accounting or business textbooks is upwards of $200, and students are required to purchase 4-5 of these books a semester!)

It is my hope that with the increased use of technology, e-books and other media, such as We Compare Books, book prices will again shrink as publishers realize the un-sustainability of such increases and figure out other ways to profit from our addiction to books (perhaps using product placement in examples, If Jimmy buys a bottle of Coke for $… and a bottle of Pepsi costs…, but here I am of course joking).

Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of the Global Environment by Jennifer Clapp and Peter Dauvergne is a book written, to shed light on the ongoing debate about the relationship between environmental issues and political economy.  Too many times, say authors Jennifer Clapp and Peter Dauvergne, is the big picture completely bypassed in order to delve into the details surrounding and permeating environmentalism.  By putting things into perspective using political and economic theories, one can illuminate the socioeconomic causes and consequences of environmental change.  This also helps to avoid any emotional or moral entanglements which many times accompany analyses of environmental issues.

In order to look at the socioeconomic factors behind environmental policy, Clapp and Dauvergne address four main camps involved in environmental change: market liberals, institutionalists, bioenvironmentalists and social greens.  These categories are intentionally multi-disciplinary so as to not be too focused on one portion of the issue.  By taking a wide swath of the areas which environmental issues touch, one can see the big picture instead of getting caught up in the details of one discipline.  It also lets one focus on the international and government levels, especially how globalization and the type of political economic system employed in a state affect environmental issues, challenges and outcomes.

Using these four groups, the authors take a critical look at various elements within today’s political economy, including globalization, trade, international and domestic markets, distribution of wealth, poverty, health issues, and so forth.  Each view takes a different stance on the issues.  For example, market liberals view globalization, trade agreements and free markets as good things which will eventually work to stabilize economies and give incentive to businesses and consumers to switch to sustainable practices and products.  Bioenvironmentalists, on the other hand, have a negative view of today’s free market economies, globalization and trade agreements which lead to over-consumption and over-population beyond the capacity of the planet.

I agree with many of the sentiments contained within the above reviews.  It is a very balanced book; it does not give priority to one viewpoint over another, giving each equal representation on all topics discussed.  The four viewpoints in themselves were also very helpful in making sense of the environmental debate.  The book did exactly what it promised to do: it took a “big-picture” look at the debate and issues without getting impeded by details or moral sentiment.  By taking an objective view on the different stances I was able to more fully understand the various groups involved in the debate, what they actually believe and why they believe it.  It is also very thorough, discussing the multitude of issues involved, including everything from the WTO and NAFTA to different industries (mining, oil, timber, etc.) to environmental NGOs such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund as they relate to the issues at hand and the four viewpoints at work.

The lessons taken from the book can be applied to the huge number of different issues, problems and cases in the environmental world, and in that it is an invaluable resource for anyone studying environmentalism, sustainable development or political economy.  It is also helpful in bringing light to different arguments concerning sustainable development and creating a dialogue which will hopefully aid in developing actual policy prescriptions to the various problems we face.

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This is a guest post by Julie Manhan

Author Julie Manhan is an independent college counselor and blogger for myUsearch.com, the Honest College Matchmaker, a site dedicated to helping students make the right college choice.

Making the right college choice is potentially one of the biggest decisions a person will ever make. Contrary to popular belief, the importance of the decision has little to do with a college’s name or prestige, but rather because it is the place that will likely shape your perspectives and relationships for years to come. For those reasons alone, you need to look carefully at more than just the info you can find on a website.

A campus visit is essential before enrolling. Only by experiencing the campus firsthand can you tell if you will feel comfortable there. It’s also probably the best way to get a sense of what kind of students choose to go to school there, as well as experiencing what student-faculty interaction is like. Make sure you visit every department you may be interested in to see what’s going on both inside and outside of the classroom. These are the things that you really need to pay the closest attention to because they will end up affecting everything in your college experience.

Keeping that in mind, here are a few important questions you should ask yourself before you begin your college search or make your final college choice:

1. What qualities do I look for in my friends? Finding classmates you can relate to and who share your values is an important factor in feeling comfortable and being successful at a school.
2. Who are the best teachers I have had? What made them different? The relationships you form with your college professors can make a huge difference in your future plans.
3. What subjects would I like to know more about? Identifying what sparks your interest right now can help you find a school where you can explore all those interests.
4. Where do I feel most comfortable? Are you a city kid or a country kid or do you just need a change? Never underestimate the impact your surroundings can have on your overall learning experience and sense of wellbeing.
5. How do I learn best? Figuring out why you have done better in some classes than others may provide a valuable insight for you when considering schools that use some teaching styles more than others (i.e. lecture vs. cooperative learning).

Of course, there are other factors that need to be considered when making your college choice, such as cost and availability of any special services you may happen to need. However, the answers you give to the questions above should figure prominently in your list of qualities a college must have in order for it to be a good fit.

A guest post by Anna Lewis
Anna Lewis is the co-founder of the online print-on-demand self-publishing service CompletelyNovel held the Author Blog Awards in April 2010. You can also find Anna on Twitter – http://twitter.com/anna_cn

For anyone who is aiming for a career in writing, blogging is a fantastic way to hit the ground running. Find out about the main benefits of blogging and pick up a few tips to get started.

Blogging can improve your writing
Ever read Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Outliers’? One of the main messages of the book is that to excel at something, you need to put in the hours….around 10,000 of them in fact! You might not have that much time to spare, but the essential message is that the more time you can devote to writing the better your writing is likely to become.
There are very few successful bloggers who don’t blog regularly, and blogging regularly means that you have to write. You need to decide how often you will write a blog post and stick to it. Writing a blog is not like keeping a diary – it’s a public commitment, which means there is much more incentive to keep it up!

Use your blog to build up an audience
If you have an idea or are are working on a book which you are looking to either publish yourself, or get published, it will be very valuable to have built up a readership and a connection with your potential audience. Writing a blog is a great way to do this over time. Your publisher will definitely thank you for it later!

Your blog could get you published
Blogging could help you find someone to publish your work too. The recent winner of the Author Blog Awards was Emily Benet whose blog ‘Shop Girl Diaries’ caught the attention of a publisher – as a result, they asked her to turn it into a book. Having already shared your writing online and received good feedback is a real selling point.

So, ready to start blogging? Here are a few handy tips:

1. Don’t expect to have thousands of followers from day one – you’ll probably end up very disappointed. To begin with, just concentrate on writing, improving and creating quality posts.
2. The best blogs tend to have a focus that is beyond a person’s day to day life. Blogging from a unique perspective will make your content much more interesting and will help your readers know what to expect.
3. Link your blog to profiles on other networks such as Twitter and Facebook – it will help you to extend the reach of your blog and connect with others.

Links: Malcolm Gladwell: http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html
Author Blog Awards: http://www.completelynovel.com/author-blog-awards
Emily Benet: http://www.completelynovel.com/publishing-news/how-to-be-top-of-the-blogs-Emily-Benet

A guest post by Christopher Lynch

Christopher Lynch is a composer of children’s and adult poetry as well as the editor of several books. Christopher graduated from New Jersey City University with a BA in English Literature.

Today’s college environment can be very stressful. Tuition and fees are on the rise, professors are ever more demanding, and the slow, repetitive cycle of getting anything done can be very agitating. However, there is a solution to at least lighten the burden.

In today’s education system, many professors (especially liberal arts professors) use tests and evaluations in the alternative written format; meaning an essay or creative writing form. While this might sound like a drag, you can use it to your advantage.

For example, if you have a philosophy professor who wants a written assessment about a current event (let’s say, U.S. foreign policy) using a postmodernist view, you can negotiate a way to customize this to fit your comfort zone. You could ask the professor (in person) what parts of U.S. foreign policy he would like discussed. If his initial list does not fit your criteria, you could try and ask if your paper approaches the assignment from a different vector or perspective. If this does not succeed, there are other ways of making academics easier.

You can also try researching or creating a paper using medium you prefer (as long as it fits school standards), such as websites, television/radio broadcasts, or find information using good old fashioned books. Some professors still accept handwritten papers if you prefer such a format.

If you are a very social person, try discussing your paper’s focus with someone else, talking either from that perspective, asking for comments and/or criticism about it, or try role playing an argument about the paper (ex. how to negotiate with China over human rights.)

These methods of making writing fun can be applied for any subject in academia to improve both the completeness and content within a project. It’s a flexible and often pleasurable way to get a good grade.