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Final Presentation Analysis

I will be giving some feedback on the presentation by Jibran, Andrew, and Shay on the Nicaragua Canal Project. Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 3.16.31 PMFrom the onset I thought this was an extremely interesting topic to research. I thought the group did an especially good job of laying out the history and plan for the canal project. The narrative analysis was essential to understanding the context of the project. It was presented clearly and drew my interest.  I thought the role of Daniel Ortega in this project was especially interesting to think about and analyze. Moreover, it’s intriguing to think that a company would invest so much money in a project that poses so many risks of failure. I thought the group transitioned into describing the impacts of the canal very well. The canal seemed to pose clear environmental concerns to different regions of the country. First, there is the issue of displacement. I found it striking that the project would displace about 30,000 Nicaraguans from the autonomous regions.  The town hall style video illustrated an interesting dynamic between residents of the autonomous regions, as many of them felt they were not skilled enough to benefit from the jobs offered through the project. The issue of water quality in lake Nicaragua also raises several concerns. Will it still be a safe source of Drinking water? Will dredging negatively impact the lakes ecosystem? In analyzing the economic benefits of the canal, however, there seemed to be a lot of positive fallout from this project. While the less skilled workers may not benefit, the project would still cultivate upto 50,000 jobs. It would also make Nicaragua a trading hotspot. The balance between the economy and the environment presents a complex and interesting issue, that will take more discussion and research before a determination can be reached to decide on the best approach. I think this presentation could have benefited by comparing, in more detail and depth, the effects of the Panama Canal to the potential effects on the Nicaraguan canal.

 I thought the presentation was very good. The group was very clear and easily understood, even from the back of the classroom. The slides were well organized, legible, and had relevant and important information.