Research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In May 2013, all things considered, I will be graduating from New York University with a Masters of Science in Global Affairs and a concentration in Transnational Security.  For those of you who have been on this journey with me, you know it has not always been easy. Balancing two jobs–working as a server and sitting two little boys (Austen, 6, … Continue reading →

Introduction

I’m Erin Hogeboom. And this is my ode to life! I’ve chosen to start this blog not because I think that my life is anything spectacular, in fact, I think that all life is spectacular! I just happen to know about mine the best and this is the most effective way I can think of … Continue reading →

M23 Advances on Goma

Hello Everyone,  I just wanted to give a quick update on the status of my research trip. As of this morning, the Congolese rebel group M23 has advanced in North Kivu and is on the outskirts of Goma. M23 is a faction of the Congolese military that went rogue in February. (They were originally a … Continue reading →

Human Security Spectrum

Hey everyone! This is going to be incredible this semester! I’ll be taking Ethnic Conflicts, where we’ll have totally legitimate guest speakers almost every week, and Human Security, which is what I think I’d like to write my thesis on. I’m working on my readings for the Human Security class now and am reading an … Continue reading →

Globalization

I’m going to jump right into a topic which needs no introduction: globalization. If you were one of the protesters at the 1999 WTO summit in Seattle, Washington this term probably evokes strong feelings, but even if you weren’t you still may have some thoughts on it. If you have any interest, I highly recommend the … Continue reading →

Speaking of Security…

How about one of the largest security concerns of our day and age… terrorism? I read this passage in Rick Steves’ book “Travel as a Political Act” and could not have put it better myself. If you find this stimulating I encourage reading his entire book, where he uses examples from his own travel experience to offer … Continue reading →

Some food for thought…

I was recently sent some thoughtful quotes made by Albert Einstein. The man was not only a genius in physics, but apparently in life as well. Enjoy! Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of … Continue reading →

The Tumultuous 20’s

Recently, I’ve found myself having the same conversation over and over again with my 20-something friends. I’ve come to call it “The Tumultuous 20’s Conversation,” and it basically consists of asking ourselves the rhetorical question, “What are we doing with our lives?” (No, not those 20’s, though I’m sure they were tumultuous in their own right.) For … Continue reading →

What’s happening in Pakistan?

For those of you unaware, I’ve composed some information on the devastating floods that are affecting Pakistan as we speak. The information compiled below is from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Acumen Fund, a “non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty,” http://www.acumenfund.org/. … Continue reading →