Entry #6½: Capitalism: An Abusive Relationship

For years now I have been refusing to watch Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism: A Love Story not because I don't agree with him. Because I am a true Anti-Capitalist. Capitalism exploits the worker in every way possible. It basically says the boss is going to pay you less and expect more productivity because you are replaceable. The boss capitalizes on your hard work, from the sweat off your brow the boss will gain a dime. I work for a company that is the eighth largest retailer in the US and it's annual revenue was $58 billion in 

True story.

2014. The company gained $58 BILLION. Meanwhile I live paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford to live by myself.

The saddest part of this is that I am a success story in capitalism.

 I have what is considered to be a decent job, a nice car, a dog and cat I can feed as well as feeding myself and a roof over our head. There are single mothers working three part time jobs that cannot afford what I have. People who have worked their whole life are now unemployed and are kicked out of their homes to live on the street. All for the sake of capitalism, all because a few people feel like they need all of the money in the world. Yes Michael Moore fits under that millionaire umbrella now but here's the difference between him and the CEO of a multinational corporation, he never exploited workers to get where he is now. Capitalism is exploitation of every possible resource. Whether that resource be factory farms exploiting the land and animals, water bottling plants bottling every drop possible taking that water from communities, farms employing undocumented workers to pay them less, companies in the US laying off higher paid workers to employ less experienced workers for less pay or never increase the minimum wage. If minimum wage is increased all other wages will increase.

All workers lose if they look at wage as a form of competition or this job is more important than flipping burgers. We are ALL underpaid and over worked. If only everyone could see this maybe then we could organize to create a world where everyone lives a comfortable life. A life where everyone has a bed and no one goes hungry. People can afford healthy food and are able to get proper medical care without thinking, “How am I going to pay for this doctor visit?” The over worked will only have to work one job instead of many. Those same people will be able to take a real vacation instead of working 40 plus hours for 52 weeks straight. Oh what a wonderful life that would be, I only hope to be alive to see it happen.

Entry #6 : Pets are Family

My neighbors are great but they have a dog. A dog they don't look after. Everyone has this neighbor in their community. It doesn't matter what breed of dog there is always one that mostly lives outside. It makes me wonder why have the responsibility of a pet if you are not going to take care of it. As a child I did not understand how much a pet depends on its' family. Not only must basic needs be met like food and water but the animal needs a pack, especially dogs. Dogs are much like humans and thrive in social situations. They need to be nurtured and cared for emotionally. They need to feel like

 they are a part of the family dynamic or that the family is a part of their pack. Dogs that don't have this element in their life can be aggressive or acquire bad behavior. Some dogs will try to dominate members of the family or mark their territory in the house if they feel there is no alpha. This in return makes the family push the dog farther away resulting in a cycle of disownment on both sides. Except the dog is the only one to suffer. A social animal left alone with no emotional support; a life of solitary confinement. This happens all the time, on every block, in every city, neglected family pets. How could we as a society have gotten the idea that pets

are disposable objects? Pets have emotions and remember our faces and voices. They are beings that deserve happy and loving lives. Pet are companions not property would you equate your dog to your bedroom set? Or

would you punish your child that misbehaves by making them sleep outside? Would you feed your child once a day and leave a continuously dirty glass of water out for them to drink? If parents did those things to their children they would be thrown in jail for child neglect. If you have a pet look at him or her, give them a big hug and a good pet down. They deserve it.

Entry #5: To Hybrid or Not to Hybrid

Angry hybrid ADHD baby

It seems that hybrid courses are becoming more popular among colleges across America. If you are thinking, “What is this hybrid course you are talking about?” Then think of the hybrid course as if a traditional course and an online course had a baby, a baby with ADHD. This offspring is half in-class meetings and half online work. The ADHD is because the course is 7^1/2 to 8 weeks, half of a semester, instead of 15 to 16 weeks or a full semester course with the same course load. As a student I absolutely have mixed feelings on shorter classes. For basic classes or if one excels at a certain subject then a hybrid course would be a great way to earn those credits quickly, as we all know time is money.

The equation of the American Dream.

 But if more time is needed to process information before full comprehension is achieved then a hybrid course is not the way to go. As someone who has passed one hybrid course and in the middle of another, I am not sure I will be taking another one unless it is Basket Weaving 101.I'm fairly positive anyone who works full time and goes to school full time could ace BW 101.

It's so easy this guy can weave underwater.

 Which makes me think of parents who are full time students that also hold a full time job. Props to all those people killing it to achieve their goals. Three full time activities I cannot imagine the stress involved. On the other hand hybrid courses really do prepare students for the real world. Having been in the work force for 15 years short deadlines are a daily occurrence. Most of my deadlines are dropped on me same day with the expectation of getting my regular work as well as the new deadline done by the end of the business day. So in a time restraint world hybrid courses do prepare the student for abrupt deadlines. I am just not positive teaching students in this manner is in the best interest of our future architects, engineers, or healthcare professionals.

All my classes are hybrid, now I have a bleeding ulcer.

The question that needs to be proposed is, “What information is really being retained with this fast paced course?” Colleges are currently assessing what other courses can be converted to hybrid. This is worrisome because students are carrying the same course load in half the time. Imagine driving through a residential area at 25 mph. The driver would be able to glance around at the houses, the cars, neighbors talking in their yards, a father and son washing the family SUV, or maybe perhaps an elderly woman planting flowers. Now imagine driving down that same road at 50 mph. The driver would not only be endangering all of those residents in the area but they would not be able to retain, in detail, the neighborhood. Retaining information is a process which takes time. I for one would think twice about driving across a bridge built by an engineer that was able to graduate with their master's in six years versus eight. Not to say it cannot be done but for the average person the odds may be against them with hybrid courses.

Entry #4 Update on the Garden

Cucumber

Carrots and tomatoes

Bell pepper and hot pepper

A few blogs ago I finally started my tiny backyard garden. I was not expecting much success through the summer due to the scorching 110+ heat. I was pleasantly surprised by the harvest of tomato, cucumbers and carrots. The bell peppers and hot peppers began to produce but not very successfully. Since then the garden has grown to several more containers with watermelon, cantaloupe, red and white onions, pinto beans, more cucumbers, broccoli, red lettuce, and finally potatoes. Along with the tomato plants that survived the bitter desert winter,

Roma tomatoes

Pinto beans and tiny mushrooms

Potato plants

The potato plants have taken off and seem to be very healthy. The pinto beans produced bean pods but have now yellowed in the leaves and little tiny mushrooms have started growing in their container. The broccoli and red lettuce grew wonderfully and I am taking the plants to seed. The term “taking to seed” means to allow the plants to flower and produce seed for the next crop. This is also a form of seed saving. I suppose the point of this blog is not to brag about my mad gardening skills although yeah I am sort of bragging. But to show you look at what can be grown in the desert.

Broccoli flowering

Red lettuce going to seed

Broccoli going to seed

 One of the most extreme and harshest (in my opinion) of growing conditions. While I don't get snow I do get several weeks of below freezing temperatures and months of the most extreme and punishing sun. To put it this way, if I water at the wrong time of day the plants will become sun burnt and die. In Arizona water and sun can actually kill your plants. The best times I have noticed to water are very early in the morning before direct sun light and at dusk. If I can grow vegetables in the hot Sonoran Desert then you can grow vegetables anywhere. Food is free start a garden today and get growing!

Entry #3 Gross Misconduct of Reporting

**Warning this post contains disturbing details and may trigger some readers**

      In today's media it seems like all they want to do is sensationalize headlines. Whatever has the most catchy headline will get the viewers attention. Unfortunately in most cases in order to achieve this the media must put a spin on the facts, or slanted reporting. When someone mentions slanted reporting in media there is one particular case that comes to mind, Jessica Burlew. If you haven't heard about Jessie B here is the correct version. If you don't want to read the link here is the breakdown.

      On January 18^th, 2014 Jessie,16 years old, was apprehended by Glendale police for the murder of Jason Ash, 43 year old man. 43 year old Jason was engaging in sexual acts with 16 year old Jessie at the time of his death. Now if the age difference and the fact that Jessie was a minor and all of this qualifies as sexual abuse isn't enough for you to be baffled. She is also autistic and has been diagnosed as schizoaffective. She has been in and out of CPS care and was at the time of this incident supposed to be in CPS care. Maricopa county has held her in solitary confinement since January 18^th, 2014. She has been sentenced as an adult to 10 years in prison. Let me say this in other words, Jessie has been placed in jail for 10 years for a 43 year old man, who had an emotional power over her, that told her to choke him during sex. The most horrific part of her story is how the media portrayed her and her sexual predator. In this CBS 5 article it clearly states he is her “boyfriend”, anyone in their right mind would never EVER call a 43 year old man a 16 year old girl's boyfriend. This blatant disregard for the fact that a 43 year old manipulated an already very troubled child is disgusting. Also the fact that Maricopa county has been keeping Jessie in solitary confinement since 2014 is very troublesome. The media has sensationalized this horrible incident and the state has forgotten the laws about charging minors and consensual sex. He was a sexual predator plain and simple.

      Why is unbiased reporting so important you ask? If you cannot tell from the above story then I am not sure I can help you, but I will make another attempt. Unbiased reporting allows the reader or viewer to make an educated informed decision. If all of the information you are getting is half truth then it makes it very difficult to come to an informed decision. Typically people or major news corporations have a reason to slant news stories. Mostly that reason is sponsors and board members. It seems as if American news is more that of the opinions of the CEO's than real facts. So the next time you read a headline like Jessie's or see candid photos for white criminals instead of the mugshots that are placed on news story's of people of color think about slanted reporting.

Entry # 2 Bookworm

Let's talk about books! I love reading, I read everything from non-fiction to graphic novels. I spend a majority of my time on Facebook reading science and medical articles versus interacting with friends and family. Any time someone starts to talk about a book they are really into I get nerdy excited and put the title of said book into the notes on my phone. Of all the things I have read I really only have two favorite authors, the first is Mark Z. Danielewski and the other is Chuck Palahniuk. I was about 15 years old when my older sister's new boyfriend recommended a book for me to read called, The House of Leaves. I took his advice and went to the bookstore and bought the novel. If I had known how that book would affect me as a child I'm not too sure I would have gone through with the read. The book rooted these emotions of wonder and unknown sadness into my brain as a teenager. To this day I am still obsessed with The House of Leaves and anything Mr. Danielewski writes. Over the holiday season I did something I normally do not do, I bought myself Christmas presents. The only reason I did this was because I found out Mr. Danielewski wrote several books. I obviously was out of my mind crazy to not know of this information, so I rectified the issue and splurged on all three, The Fifty Year Sword, The Familiar 1 and The Familiar 2. I have not read The Fifty Year Sword yet due to a busy work and school schedule, but I have started The Familiar 1. This first novel in the set of three so far is truly outstanding. The author has a very abstract way of writing and uses words, fonts and formats in some parts of the book as visuals. If this series is anything like The House of Leaves I am positive I will not be disappointed. The House of Leaves is a novel about a family that purchased a home and started to find discrepancies in the measurements of the house. Then it really gets weird when they find a closet that leads into a room that should not be there. The dad becomes obsessed, creates a team and explores the house. The book gets even more weird as the story progresses then melancholy. If you are into strange and slightly scary novels check out the work of Mark Z. Danielewski, you will thank me.

This is The Familiar 1 flip through.

This is The Familiar 2 flip through.

Entry # 1 Bloggers Unite!... on Your Own Laptop in the Coffee Shop.

For this entry I want to talk about blogs, blogging, bloggers, bloggies, blogarians, blogxperts... wait what? Being somewhat new to the blog game I have spent some time digging through websites that claim to tell you the best list of blogs, 90% of which are dead blogs. At one point they were thriving avenues of creativity and excitement until it slowly creeps up on them, boredom. Well that's how I am explaining why someone would up and stop posting on their blog. Maybe there are other reasons, family, health, work ect. But why put all that time and effort to just, poof, disappear. Maybe those who created the blog lost a bet and the bet was to create a blog and share a snip-it of your life for the whole internet to see; then once their time had been served they stop writing. Either way I still have the question of, “Why put all of that time and effort into a project then stop?” As a now reader of some blogs I would be slightly upset to go to my normal blog-out site and see no new posts. It is the same disappointment I have when I check Hulu to see if my tv shows are updated with the newest episodes to find... nothing. (A big apology to anyone who regularly reads this blog because of the fact that I, poof, disappeared.) 

Nevertheless I have managed to find a few blogs that are currently posting. The first is a blog called Oui We. I honestly checked this one out only because I took French in high school and thought, “Ha, that's a funny title.” It is run by Andi Eaton who is a designer and author. I personally like this blog because of the wanderlust section, or travel diaries as she put ii. If I could travel for a job I absolutely would, but because I cannot, or rather, haven't found the means to; I will read vicariously through people who can. The only thing I'm not to keen on are the full size pictures that obstruct reading the text. It slightly gives the blog that picture book feel. Although to her credit the photographs are quite nice. So maybe she just wants to show off her photography. If so, kudos, not many people can take a decent shot. Check out her blog here at Oui We.

Now the next blog is somewhat on the same road as the previous. This one is called Camels and Chocolate. Why camels? Why chocolate? The answer: I have no idea I haven't read that far back into the blog. Kristen Luna runs this blog or as she says, “boss woman of this here blog.” I like that her personality pretty much slaps you in the face. After reading just a few entries you feel as if you have known her since kindergarten. Her blog is aesthetically pleasing as well as the format of her photos are not giant, “fill up the whole screen and make you scroll six times before getting back to words” sized photos. I read this blog simply because I enjoy her writing style. If her style were not the way it is I would have never returned to her blog. Check out her blog here at Camels and Chocolate.

This next blog is completely about food. Why do I love this blog you ask? Because, food. Also I enjoy cooking almost as much as eating. It is called The Little Kitchen and looks just as inviting as the title sounds. This blog is run by an amazing chef and ex-software designer, Julie Deily. I stop by this blog for dinner ideas when I have no idea what I want to cook. 

The photos of the recipes are good quality and make me drool. The layout is great and I especially love the browse recipes section. Every recipe is categorized or you can search via alphabet. So if you are an avid fan of food like me check out her blog here at The Little Kitchen.