I have a friend who hates his job. More specifically, hates the machines who make his job needlessly difficult. What does he do you ask? He works in a mass production factory that produces canned meat. He is only doing this job for the summer to make money for college but I highly doubt he will going back, regardless of how much they are willing to pay him.
The thing he hates most about it is the inefficiency of mass production and how much the company wastes everyday, which is a contributing factor to why food prices are so high. There is no work incentive to do a good job because the line is so huge that that he does not see the end product nor will he get credit or blame for the finished product. So why should he care how much he throws away if the company is still going to charge their high prices for cheap products?
I apologize for this turning into a "debby downer" sort of blog but I feel this kind of topic needs to be shared because of how much not only big companies, but we as Americans waste products everyday. I try my darndest to take my recyclable bags to the grocery story and I'm proud to say my apartment complex has a recycling program, but I know it is still not enough.
Another friend of mine told me about a grocery store in Texas that recently opened and is changing the face of grocery shopping. Every shopper that comes into the store brings their own food storage containers because the food coming into the store is not sold in pre-packaged portions. That way you can take how much you need instead of wasting what you don't want. This bright idea also decreases the price of their food because consumers are not paying for the high price of packaging. Hopefull it catches on!
Be courageous.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Apology...
So obviously I'm not very good at this at 12 am so I made a few corrections in my last post. Still not perfection but I think its tolerable. Sorry!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I'm sorry I'm white?
I have a friend who I just met today at my new, very intense job. I am very excited to get to know him more as well as the other members of the staff and can't wait to learn and grow from them!
Upon meeting this one particular friend for the first time, we had a conversation about something that I love to discuss but it is very controversial and I am still on the fence about it myself. This discussion started when I asked my friend where he was from, how long he has worked here, ya da ya da. He said that he has worked at this non-profit (that shall remain anonymous) for 3 years and is planning to become a police officer in the very near future. He has tried to become a West Des Moines Police Officer and was 9 months into the process and they cut him. They said he wasn't the "right" fit. He has also tried to become a State Trooper and again, still not the "right" fit for the job. He explained to me that the reason he is not the right fit is because he is a male Caucasian who comes from a very nice suburb and the academy is required to have a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds in their ranks that have experienced urban communities and have also experienced prejudice themselves. But isn't that prejudice against him as an "ordinary" citizen?
I was immediately intrigued by his views because I have learned through many class discussions how Affirmative Action can work greatly in your favor as well as how terribly it can work against you. Before these class discussions, I thought Affirmative Action was perfect and awesome because it helped those less fortunate, especially minorities, earn an opportunity that they may not have had growing up in their community or environment because of a lack of funds or resources.
Post-class discussions, I have learned that many lawsuits have actually occurred over the years because Caucasians are now experiencing "reverse discrimination" in which they are denied enrollments or careers because their institution of choice only allows a certain percentage of a race or background and have filled their quota, even if the next minority they allow in had a lower GPA or less experience than him/her.
I may not have explained this in the best way possible but here is an excerpt from an article I used in a paper, giving an example of the misfortunes of Affirmative Action...
Oh and p.s.- if you are reading this blog, share your info by creating a blogger account or connect my blog to your gmail and start following me so I don't feel like I am talking to the air. If you have questions just e-mail me.Thanks!
Upon meeting this one particular friend for the first time, we had a conversation about something that I love to discuss but it is very controversial and I am still on the fence about it myself. This discussion started when I asked my friend where he was from, how long he has worked here, ya da ya da. He said that he has worked at this non-profit (that shall remain anonymous) for 3 years and is planning to become a police officer in the very near future. He has tried to become a West Des Moines Police Officer and was 9 months into the process and they cut him. They said he wasn't the "right" fit. He has also tried to become a State Trooper and again, still not the "right" fit for the job. He explained to me that the reason he is not the right fit is because he is a male Caucasian who comes from a very nice suburb and the academy is required to have a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds in their ranks that have experienced urban communities and have also experienced prejudice themselves. But isn't that prejudice against him as an "ordinary" citizen?
I was immediately intrigued by his views because I have learned through many class discussions how Affirmative Action can work greatly in your favor as well as how terribly it can work against you. Before these class discussions, I thought Affirmative Action was perfect and awesome because it helped those less fortunate, especially minorities, earn an opportunity that they may not have had growing up in their community or environment because of a lack of funds or resources.
Post-class discussions, I have learned that many lawsuits have actually occurred over the years because Caucasians are now experiencing "reverse discrimination" in which they are denied enrollments or careers because their institution of choice only allows a certain percentage of a race or background and have filled their quota, even if the next minority they allow in had a lower GPA or less experience than him/her.
I may not have explained this in the best way possible but here is an excerpt from an article I used in a paper, giving an example of the misfortunes of Affirmative Action...
1. City of Richmond v. Croson
This case involved affirmative action programs at the state and local levels—a Richmond program setting aside 30% of city construction funds for black-owned firms was challenged. For the first time, affirmative action was judged as a "highly suspect tool." The Supreme Court ruled that an "amorphous claim that there has been past discrimination in a particular industry cannot justify the use of an unyielding racial quota.(Meaning they can’t establish this quota without reasonable cause that there has been discrimination) It maintained that affirmative action must be subject to "strict scrutiny" and is unconstitutional unless racial discrimination can be proven to be "widespread throughout a particular industry." The Court maintained that "the purpose of strict scrutiny is to `smoke out' illegitimate uses of race by assuring that the legislative body is pursuing a goal important enough to warrant use of a highly suspect tool. The test also ensures that the means chosen `fit' this compelling goal so closely that there is little or no possibility that the motive for the classification was illegitimate racial prejudice or stereotype."
This case involved affirmative action programs at the state and local levels—a Richmond program setting aside 30% of city construction funds for black-owned firms was challenged. For the first time, affirmative action was judged as a "highly suspect tool." The Supreme Court ruled that an "amorphous claim that there has been past discrimination in a particular industry cannot justify the use of an unyielding racial quota.(Meaning they can’t establish this quota without reasonable cause that there has been discrimination) It maintained that affirmative action must be subject to "strict scrutiny" and is unconstitutional unless racial discrimination can be proven to be "widespread throughout a particular industry." The Court maintained that "the purpose of strict scrutiny is to `smoke out' illegitimate uses of race by assuring that the legislative body is pursuing a goal important enough to warrant use of a highly suspect tool. The test also ensures that the means chosen `fit' this compelling goal so closely that there is little or no possibility that the motive for the classification was illegitimate racial prejudice or stereotype."
Oh and p.s.- if you are reading this blog, share your info by creating a blogger account or connect my blog to your gmail and start following me so I don't feel like I am talking to the air. If you have questions just e-mail me.Thanks!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Welcome Home
Sorry folks about the inconsistency in my blogging these past couple of weeks. Lots of things on my to do list including introducing another friend I would like to share with you. I decided I am going to make it a habit to blog Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday of every week so let's see if I can hold myself to it. Although it is 1:15 am on Wednesday I am counting this as my Tuesday blog since I have not begun my Tuesday night slumber. Enough said, let's move on.
I have a friend who just came home from serving our country in a year long deployment to Afghanistan. I have known several people who have served overseas to defend our freedom but this was my first time witnessing the coming home ceremony. I anticipated a lot of emotions and happy reunions between families but what I did not realize was the amount of intense emotions I surprisingly felt that day. Don't get me wrong, I was very excited for my friend to come home and if you're reading this post, "friend-who-I'm-talking-about," you are probably making some very sarcastic yet humorous remarks right about how I am now back down to #2 in the family (inside joke ;)), but I haven't been able to get to know this soon to be brother-in-law as well as the rest of the family and I'm hoping that now he is home that will change. So, yes I was excited but I was willing to wait my turn in the line of hugs from wifey, parents, daughter, and siblings.
So, as the bag pipes played and the Freedom Riders rolled in, I was instantly overcome with a multitude of emotions: pride, happiness, love, joy, excitement. Maybe I was surprised because I have never been a big fan of war but that was completely washed out of my mind when I saw these brave men and women marching into the UNI-Dome and I almost shed a few tears when I saw two little boys (in their own little soldier outfits-so cute!) in front of me jumping up and down, frantically searching for their dad in the crowd of soldiers.
I am still not a big fan of war and I hope for better strategies than sacrificing human lives someday, but it is an absolute necessity to defend our country from foreign enemies and I know I would never have the strength or courage to do what I am proud to say that my fiance and all 3 of my future sibling-in-laws are/will be doing to keep our country safe.
I have a friend who just came home from serving our country in a year long deployment to Afghanistan. I have known several people who have served overseas to defend our freedom but this was my first time witnessing the coming home ceremony. I anticipated a lot of emotions and happy reunions between families but what I did not realize was the amount of intense emotions I surprisingly felt that day. Don't get me wrong, I was very excited for my friend to come home and if you're reading this post, "friend-who-I'm-talking-about," you are probably making some very sarcastic yet humorous remarks right about how I am now back down to #2 in the family (inside joke ;)), but I haven't been able to get to know this soon to be brother-in-law as well as the rest of the family and I'm hoping that now he is home that will change. So, yes I was excited but I was willing to wait my turn in the line of hugs from wifey, parents, daughter, and siblings.
So, as the bag pipes played and the Freedom Riders rolled in, I was instantly overcome with a multitude of emotions: pride, happiness, love, joy, excitement. Maybe I was surprised because I have never been a big fan of war but that was completely washed out of my mind when I saw these brave men and women marching into the UNI-Dome and I almost shed a few tears when I saw two little boys (in their own little soldier outfits-so cute!) in front of me jumping up and down, frantically searching for their dad in the crowd of soldiers.
I am still not a big fan of war and I hope for better strategies than sacrificing human lives someday, but it is an absolute necessity to defend our country from foreign enemies and I know I would never have the strength or courage to do what I am proud to say that my fiance and all 3 of my future sibling-in-laws are/will be doing to keep our country safe.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Take that!
So I have a friend who looovesss soccer. Absolutely obsessed with it. He has more soccer jerseys than actual shirts. This friend has tried to get me as interested in soccer as he is but I just haven't been able to sit through an entire match while waiting for only a few goals to be scored. Until....
I have to be honest and say I have not been watching very much of the women's world cup, mainly because I can't sit for that long without changing the channel and the friend who loves soccer hates it when I do that ;)
But I decided to be nice on Sunday and as he turned on the tv I didn't complain about what we were watching because atleast we were watching girls kick butt. I knew USA has been pretty good at soccer for quite some time but this game was not looking so hot for them and even I knew the referee made a poor call on the first penalty shot. I was about to ask my friend if we could change the channel, because the game was in extra time and Brazil looked like they were going to win. Side note: For those of you who didn't watch it and know as little as I do about the sport, Brazil was HORRIBLE towards the end of the game, wasting time and even faked an injury to run down the clock so USA couldn't score(the clock doesn't stop in soccer)But...
the above video was taken 1 minute before the game ended and tied up the score and USA went on to win in penalty kicks!
Again, I am still not that big of a soccer fan but there are a lot of messages you can translate to everyday life from this game:
1. Playing dirty won't get you very far
2. Don't give up Hope (I capatilized Hope because my new favorite player in my "amateur" soccer book is Hope Solo, USA's amazing goalie :))
3. It's hard to win all by your lonesome.
I was also inspired to write this post because I recently watched a really great movie with my newly adopted life soundtrack in it and I think it is very fitting for this post. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Who runs this world?
So a lot of you may know what this post is about if you have heard Beyonce's new song "Run the World (Girls)." Very few songs capture my full attention for the entire duration and after watching this music video I found myself in a daze over the awesomeness that is Beyonce. This girl never stops! I don't know why but my favorite part of the song is when she sings "My persuasion can rule a nation..."as creepy as that may sound I think I like that part so much because I was thinking, "How many girls would be courageous enough to say that? I know a few men out there who probably say that to themselves every night before they go to bed. There is a female writing this blog so you had to expect I was going to slip a little "woman power" talk in here sometime. I don't call myself a feminist really but after I heard this incredible song I naturally thought of three of my closest friends that I would like to mention as the "I have friends who" part of this post.
So...I have three friends (you know who you are) who have amazed me (and still do) with their life adventures and have taken some pretty big risks without even blinking an eye. These three beautiful, young women have given me more courage and strength than I ever thought possible by showing me if they can accomplish these amazing tasks, surely I can. They may hate me for saying this but I think the four of us have had a little competitive streak between us over the many years that we have been friends, but it's a positive one. It is one that pushes us to better ourselves and remind us that we have so much left to learn from each other and the world around us. We are all going in VERY different directions these days but I seriously believe these girls will run the world someday.
These wonderful friends of mine have given me sympathy when I need it, tough love when I don't want it, and laughter when I least expect it. I hope and pray everyone reading this blog has at least one friend like this to lean on and if you have not been fortunate enough to come across someone like that, lean on Beyonce. Cheesy I know, but her new song just made my night so she just might make yours. Live the dream.
So...I have three friends (you know who you are) who have amazed me (and still do) with their life adventures and have taken some pretty big risks without even blinking an eye. These three beautiful, young women have given me more courage and strength than I ever thought possible by showing me if they can accomplish these amazing tasks, surely I can. They may hate me for saying this but I think the four of us have had a little competitive streak between us over the many years that we have been friends, but it's a positive one. It is one that pushes us to better ourselves and remind us that we have so much left to learn from each other and the world around us. We are all going in VERY different directions these days but I seriously believe these girls will run the world someday.
These wonderful friends of mine have given me sympathy when I need it, tough love when I don't want it, and laughter when I least expect it. I hope and pray everyone reading this blog has at least one friend like this to lean on and if you have not been fortunate enough to come across someone like that, lean on Beyonce. Cheesy I know, but her new song just made my night so she just might make yours. Live the dream.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Really?
I have a friend of mine who just recently got me addicted to Anderson Cooper 360. I swear I'm not kidding you but after watching his show tonight I googled him and found his live blogging page with this quote below that describes, to a T, what I've been trying to pinpoint in this blog and what he has been doing all along. Darn you Mr. Cooper.
"Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news."
Now I am NOWHERE near as good as Anderson Cooper in accomplishing this goal and I am certainly not striving for it but I just wanted to put this quote out there and let you know if you don't like the way this blog is going try out some Anderson Cooper because he is amazing at getting the word out without being overly critical.
The other reason I was inspired to write this post is to let you know what I learned from Mr. Cooper today during his "Ridicu-list" segment. Are you ready? Kim Kardashian's butt is real!!!!! No lie!!! It is definitely ridiculous to know that some people spend their time criticizing someone's butt so much that she finally gets a "butt x-ray."
"Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news."
Now I am NOWHERE near as good as Anderson Cooper in accomplishing this goal and I am certainly not striving for it but I just wanted to put this quote out there and let you know if you don't like the way this blog is going try out some Anderson Cooper because he is amazing at getting the word out without being overly critical.
The other reason I was inspired to write this post is to let you know what I learned from Mr. Cooper today during his "Ridicu-list" segment. Are you ready? Kim Kardashian's butt is real!!!!! No lie!!! It is definitely ridiculous to know that some people spend their time criticizing someone's butt so much that she finally gets a "butt x-ray."
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