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de-gerny-to-deutschland · 7 years

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Hi! I know this may seem a little bit out of the blue... but, I'm applying to UWC ( I'm Canadian ) and I really want to attend UWC RBC! Do you have any pointers or tips to help my application or something like that? I would also really like to know about RBC, I'm really interested in all the things it stands for. Like what's it like living there? And what's the weather like and how are the classes? It would be a great help. Thanks :)

Hey neighbor up north!

The best and most obnoxious and overused tip is “be yourself”! It is extremely cheesy, but it’s true. In hindsight, I think I actually learned so much from my application process. It was one of the first times I had to think about everything I had done and reflect on how it has affected me, and I think in doing so, I was able to portray myself genuinely. Put it this way, the national committee is not working against you. They are also trying to make sure they put the right people in the UWCs, after all, they want the students to have a good and enjoyable experience. Another way to think of it is not that “I want this so bad,” but “why would the NC want me?” As in, let them know who you are and how that matches the UWCs, show them how you align with UWC’s mission. But really stay true to yourself. How sad would it be to pretend to be someone you aren’t, get in, and hate it because you feel like an imposter, right? If you show yourself truly and UWC is the right next step, then the chances definitely will not be stacked against you. If not, remember that there are still so many paths to the right one and that you can still live the UWC mission.

Practical “tips”: I would say definitely stay somewhat informed, check the news, have an opinion and be able to share it? Although if you are not outgoing and outspoken, that is also okay. I think the NC knows what they are doing and can see through things.

RBC: We focus on environmentalism and we have sheep and lots of grass.. haha. I am not sure what you want to know, but I would love to follow up if you have anything specific. There are pros and cons to every place and that includes UWC, which I think is a very healthy thing to keep in mind, it is not a utopia as much as we might think it is. I don’t think there is any single way to say what “we” stand for as we are a community of 200+ people with very different interests, goals, backgrounds, etc. I guess many people are ecocentric (surprise surprise), politically involved (ish), and I feel that we are pretty liberal, although I also think that that comes with being kind of narrow minded towards ideas that are not our own? Such as if you aren’t as liberal as people think you should be, you might not be comfortable sharing your opinion, which I find quite sad because we are supposed to be diverse and I believe that extends beyond our nationalities.

The weather is not great 70% of the time, around 5 days of grey, dreary darkness and then a weekend of sunshine (which is quite nice). We are apparently called “Robert Posh” college by the other UWCs, and having visited Mostar, I guess we kind of live up to that. Although we are definitely not the most extravagant school, we have it pretty good. Many of our facilities are newly renovated (cafeteria, called “Mensa”, our dorms, and the Karthaus), and our dorms are especially nice, I would say they’re the best dorms compared to all the others. They were so well thought out and we have “walls” where we can all corner off a space and get privacy in a community where being alone is a currency we can hardly afford - we definitely get quite some freedom to decorate and dictate how our rooms should look and be designed, I enjoy that a lot. Living in Freiburg in my opinion did not feel so different from the US, the people’s ideas, the food, the culture, not a stark contrast.

The classes: I personally love all my classes, with the exception of German but I am lazy and I have a hard time with languages. I especially love my HLs which are anthropology, English, and European history. I LOVE LOVE LOVE anthropology, I am so glad I am taking it, I am learning so much, I think it should be a required subject it is so so so interesting. I also really enjoy English because we also do media analysis and not just literature which I think is very relevant and interesting. And history is interesting, especially living in Germany, we are learning about WWI now and just visited the socialism exhibit at the local museum, which is a really nice supplement to the class and puts things into a (hauntingly real) perspective. The teachers are really nice, over-qualified, and I would say they all teach because they want to!

Hope this helps. Good luck! :)

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whatisonthemoonarchive · 5 years

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Terrorism, IBM & the views of Robert Maynard

Hi Don,

I am not familiar with the particular book you referred to, but am very familiar with the notion of the use of technology to create a “Surveilance State.” I used to be so obsessed by the idea that I actually thought we should return to a more primitive lifestyle. My views have since matured to the point where I have come to realize that communication technology is empowering private individuals far more than it does the state...

I used to be a Product Engineer at IBM, and have done my share of data analysis, using very large sets of data. That experience has taught how useless collecting a large amout of data is if you do not have a clear idea of how to break it down and separate what is and is not relevant. In fact, without the right approach to data analysis, you can end up lost in the endless space of data that is simply not relevant. For our purpose, let’s look at the nightmare U.S. Intelligence has when it comes to tracking potential terrorists. I would like to refer you to the book “Chasing Ghosts: The Policing of Terrorism” by John Mueller and Mark Stewart.

Robert Maynard

https://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/188343218753/technology-the-surveilance-state-vs

Thank you, Robert, for your thoughtful response. That said, I'm alarmed by your current views towards the government and its "collection of data". Therefore, I hope you'll still consider studying the material found in the book "Surveillance Valley".

As to the topic of terrorism, it is my strong opinion that John Mueller and Mark Stewart are giving the world an incorrect view about this important matter. To indirectly counter the article written by Mueller and Stewart, I am providing a link to the organization called The Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS):

http://www.cetisresearch.org/

The research director for CETIS is Jeffrey Bale. Does that name ring a bell, Robert? It should. Mr. Bale wrote an extensive article on the Moon Organization for the British publication "Lobster" back in 1991. I submitted the article to HWDYKYM three years ago, and it was posted shortly thereafter:

https://howwelldoyouknowyourmoon.tumblr.com/post/147695217233/the-unification-church-and-the-kcia

Here is Jeffrey Bale's bio:

https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/jeffrey-bale

It is my hope, Robert, that you will be an "informal" student of CETIS. Maybe you should give Prof. Bale a phone call? I might have to do that myself. Prof. Bale & I would have a lot to discuss concerning the years 1951-1959. It is these years that Jeffrey Bale & Daniel Junas (whose article on the Moon Organization I also submitted to HWDYKYM), found it impossible to get ahold of concrete data that would suggest HSA-UWC was established in 1954 with "behind the scenes" help of western intelligence agencies and the China Lobby (not to mention Ewha & Yonsei Universities).

Keep in mind, Marvin Liebman, one of the China Lobby's main leaders, was an advisor to a 1958 steering committee for establishing a World Anti-Communist League...a committee that George Paik just happened to be on. I'm assuming you know, Robert, that it is my contention that Mr. Paik was involved in the creation of the Moon Organization:

https://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/187381937122/mr-moon-was-always-an-opportunist-who-is-george

https://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/188109333954/one-less-person-to-tell-us-the-truth-about-the

By the way, Robert, you said you worked for IBM? It's important to note here that your one-time employer collaborated with the Third Reich. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news:

“IBM at Auschwitz, New Documents”; By Edwin Black; Reader Supported News; 2/29/2012.

Newly-released documents expose more explicitly the details of IBM's pivotal role in the Holocaust - all six phases: identification, expulsion from society, confiscation, ghettoization, deportation, and even extermination. Moreover, the documents portray with crystal clarity the personal involvement and micro-management of IBM president Thomas J. Watson in the company's co-planning and co-organizing of Hitler's campaign to destroy the Jews.

IBM's twelve-year alliance with the Third Reich was first revealed in my book IBM AND THE HOLOCAUST, published simultaneously in 40 countries in February 2001. It was based on some 20,000 documents drawn from archives in seven countries. IBM never denied any of the information in the book; and despite thousands of media and communal requests, as well as published articles, the company has remained silent.

The new "expanded edition" contains 32 pages of never-before-published internal IBM correspondence, State Department and Justice Department memos, and concentration camp documents that graphically chronicle IBM's actions and what they knew during the 12-year Hitler regime...

http://spitfirelist.com/news/devastating-update-to-the-story-of-ibm-and-the-holocaust/

Once again, Robert...I'm sorry that I was the one that had to bring IBM's history with the Third Reich to your attention. I'm sure all the "good people" that have worked for IBM, must feel terrible about Mr. Black's book.

'til the next,

Don Diligent

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