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Are You a Feminist?

Before reading this post asks yourself this question: Am I a feminist?

Earlier this semester in my writing class everyone was asked this same question and at first no one raised his or her hand to admit that they were feminists. When no one raised his or her hand, professor Nielsen-Dube told us that she believed that we in fact were all feminist and that we were simply afraid to admit it because of the negative social stigma that surrounds the word feminist. Yahoo blogger Elizabeth Eckert describes in one of her posts what people picture when they hear the word feminist, “…frumpy, overweight lesbians who don't shower and have hairy legs.” The word feminist is not meant to describe someone’s physical appearance, rather their belief that men and women should be have equal opportunities and rights.

Some may believe that in our present time men and women are equal. They may point out to women like Condoleezza Rice and Hilary Clinton, both very influential figures in current political sector. While Clinton and Rice may be proof that women have progressed the truth is that we are not completely there yet. In 2009 Maria Shriver along many other journalist and researches released the Shriver Report in which they highlight the progress that women have made. As of 2009 women have become primary providers in 4 out of 10 American households. The percentage of women becoming self-employed has increased by 35% and is increasing at a rapid rate. Women also comprise fifty percent of the entire workforce population. Women have clearly made their mark by entering the workforce but the truth is they still have a long way to go.

Although women comprise about fifty percent of the workforce they are still not paid equally as men. Women are currently earning 81 cents to the male dollar. Does that seem fair? As a business student this aspect of the feminist movement interest me the most. Aside form not being paid as well as men the current workforce also lacks equal opportunities for females. Aside form working full time jobs women also have to tend to their families. This includes taking time off when a child is sick or maternity leave when a woman becomes pregnant. Right now, as pointed out by the Shriver Report women must use sick time and vacation days to tend to an ill family member, leaving no room for their own leisure. The report also points out that women are entitled to up to twelve weeks of maternity leave all of which are not paid. A report released by USA Today reveals that in Sweden women are entitled to a full of paid maternity leave. They also have the option of having someone come to their house and helping them take care of their children.

Women have become a large part of the workforce and it is time that changes are made to benefit the new primary caregivers. The thought that I am working hard to some day achieve my dream job but may still make less than my male colleagues honestly enrages me, which is why I am not afraid to call my self a feminist: a person who believes in equal opportunities for both men and women.

Now that you have read a little more on the subject do you consider yourself a feminist?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-07-26-maternity-leave_x.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/308706/the_feminist_stigma.html

http://www.shriverreport.com/awn/index.php

Immigration

Immigration has been a continuous tradition in the history of America. Huge number of people from all over the world come to America every year and most of them are undocumented workers. Undocumented workers are the most vulnerable and exploited workers in America. They are often victims of unpaid wages, dangerous conditions and uncompensated work place injuries, and other labor law violations. Workers who attempt remedy the abuse routinely face physical and immigration related threats. There are an estimated 6.5 million undocumented immigrant workers in the U.S according to the 2010 immigrants statistics., representing a vital workforce in manufacturing, service, construction, restaurant, and agriculture sectors. Immigrant and non-immigrant communities alike must be informed that all workers—documented or undocumented—are protected under the country's most basic federal and state employment and labor laws.
The most common protections denied undocumented workers include:
The right to receive the promised wage and/or at least the minimum wage and overtime pay for work actually performed.
The right to healthy and safe conditions on the job.
The right to receive workers’ compensation benefits for injuries on the job.
The right to be free from discrimination based on sex, color, race, religion, and national origin; age; and disabilities.
These unfairly treated workers are the one helping the country grow and compete in market places. They are hard working people and they deserve their rights and freedom as American workers. There is a tremendous need to inform workers and employers of their rights and responsibilities under the country's employment laws, to provide greater resources for enforcement of such laws, to increase access for workers to the legal system and community organizing, and to adopt immigration policy reforms that will remove the vulnerability of undocumented workers. Lately, the economy of America has not been good as before. Americans are loosing jobs everyday due to the fact that the results of the census are not always correct because undocumented workers are not included, so the government falls short on how much job opportunities should be created. With undocumented workers without documents, who really suffers? What are the pros and cons of undocumented workers becoming legalized in America? Is it fair for those who are helping the country grow, to be treated as criminals and disadvantages to the country?

Less Salt, Better Health

Teens are the number one consumers of salt in the world today which is a leading cause to health problems such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. Studies show that if teens begin to eat ½ teaspoon less of salt a day, it could lead to a 43% decrease in the 2.7 million people that suffer from high blood pressure which can lead to more severe and fatal health problems. Consumption of salt is a habit many teens acquire from a young age and become unknowingly addicted to the salt and not the particular food. The USDA recommends people over the age of two, to consume about 2,300 mg of slat per day, and it has been found that teens consume well beyond this suggestion.

As a college student, I know how hard it is to find cheap groceries that are healthy. One familiar hit, Ramen noodles, contains about 560mg of salt per serving. Similarly, “easy-mac” as well as other frozen, and processed foods are more than likely to share this large number. People instinctively look first at the calories and sometimes do not even realize the risks of high sodium contents in foods. I think there must be something done so that teens, especially college students become more aware of the risks of high sodium content products. College institutions should provide and make students aware of the risks that come along with consuming products like these. The production of processed foods is only increasing and innovating new products, and if teens do not become aware of these risks, more people are going to find themselves in heart related predicaments later on in their lifetime.

link: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/14/reducing-hypertension-in-u-s-teens/

Skyllore White's Post

Should Third World Countries Pay the Price for Our Technology?

Have you ever recycled your old computers, or sold them to secondhand parts dealers? Do you know what happens to them? Do you know where they end up? For many people the answers to where the old computers go and what happens to them is a mystery. But for others, they know of it and are ignoring the facts. "Everybody knows this is going on, but is just embarrassed and don't really know what to do about it," Smith said. "They would just prefer to ignore it."

Many environmental groups have said that there is a chance that your old computers go to a dump in a developing world. "I've seen a lot of dirty operations in Third World countries, but what was shocking was seeing all this post-consumer waste," said one of the report's authors, Jim Puckett. Where thousands of laborers basically rip apart the electronic waste to get to the precious metals inside. They are exposing themselves and their surroundings to a number of toxic hazards. In this article a report was documented on “cyber-age nightmare” this was where villages in southeastern China were ripping apart computers that still have the labels on them, and they were dumping the scrap metal along rivers and fields. Not only are the computers being sent to third world countries but most of the computers have been used once by us; Americans. I feel as though this is really awful because those computers could’ve been useful for people who don’t have enough money to pay for one or they could’ve been donated to those less fortunate. This portrays Americans as ungrateful and basically wasteful. Investigators, actually visited Guiyu, China where the waste sites occur, they witnessed men, women and children basically dismantling the computers by pulling wires from it and burning them at night; which puts carcinogenic smoke in the air. They also witnessed other laborers, working with little or no protection, burning plastics and circuit boards and poured acid on electronic parts to extract as much silver and gold as they can. In result, the ground water is so polluted that the drinking water has to be brought by trucks from a town 18 miles away. For example, one of the rivers had samples taken, and it had 190 times the pollution levels that are allowed under the World Health Organizational guidelines. Computer waste is becoming a difficult problem, because millions of different devices are being produced faster and faster. One report has said that some in the industry estimate that 50% to 80% of the United States electronic waste that is collected as recycled goods gets shipped out of the country. This involves situations like the dump in Guiyu or the similar ones in India or Pakistan, this is where the labor is cheap, and the laborers make a big deal about trying to salvage every last screw or bit of silver that they can.

Companies are trying to avoid this problem or at least help recycle the electronics in a humane way. Large retailers and a few PC makers have launched recycling programs, and they are requiring consumers to pay an additional charge of $30 to ship their old PC’s themselves. Like the bottle deposit, organizations believe that the cost of recycling computers should be added to the initial cost of the product.

Now that you have been informed on this environmental catastrophe will you help by asking that your recycled electronics are not being shipped out of the country? Do you think this is fair?

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/25/computer-waste.htm

Do the new airport security measures invade your privacy?

Airport security has been an issue for many years. Officials ponder every day about how to ensure people’s safety when flying from one destination to another without going too far as to invade their privacy. Officials have come up with an idea that could speed up the screening process while preventing prohibited items from getting passed security without having to physically search the passengers. They have been testing “millimeter wave whole body imaging” machines, which are elevator-sized screening devices that reveal, within seconds, what’s underneath travelers’ clothes. The machines work by projecting electromagnetic waves over a person’s body to produce a 3-D image within two seconds. The faces on the images are blurred and the files are deleted after being reviewed. Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman for the airport security said, “Our first responsibility is to preserve privacy and the protection of passengers.” She also said that the millimeter wave images would be “hands-free and user-friendly.” These machines can see what the magnetometers that passengers walk through now can’t detect because they can see both metal and non-metal items that may cause harm to others.

Although these machines are speeding up the security process and eliminating more harmful materials, they are also causing an outcry from privacy advocates who say the images are too revealing. Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty Project for the American Civil Liberties Union, said about these new machines: “These are virtual strip-searches. American passengers should not have to parade around naked in front of security screeners in order to board the plane.” Even though this process is optional the officials do not express passenger’s rights clearly. They make it seem mandatory. A Salt Lake resident, Darren Johnson, stated that he didn’t realize he was using some new technology until officials asked him to step into the body-imaging machine. Passengers say that this new invention is very intrusive and a violation of their privacy. They also exclaim that these “3-D image” searches are completely unnecessary.

What is your opinion on this new security invention? Are these new security measures reasonable and necessary to ensure the safety of mankind or are these machines intrusive and violating our privacy? What kind of safety measures should be taken in order to protect our people and not act in a violating way?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/061308dnbustsascans.fcd920.html

A Healthier America

Amidst all of the talk of reforming health care and fixing the economy, one very important issue with society is being ignored by politicians. This issue is the obesity problem in the United States. Now in some cases, people are overweight because they do not care what they eat. Other people are overweight because of their genes or their health. The government has no control over the weight of these people. However, there is one large group of people that can be helped by the government with their weight problem. Ironically, this group consists of the people are unable to afford food.

In my first paper in Intro to College Writing, I wrote about the WIC program and how it protects the rights of children to receive proper nutrition. As a recap, this program provides food aid to expectant mothers, infants, and young children. WIC pays for specific healthy food items to properly nourish mothers and young children. Only healthy foods can be bought with WIC - the cash register at supermarkets reject any foods with corn syrup or too much sugar. There is even a limitation that only wheat bread can be bought because it provides more essential nutrients to young and developing children. Unhealthy foods are cheaper, so the less fortunate often buy the unhealthy food so they can buy more of it. The limitations are a good thing because they allow WIC to provide children with healthy foods to start their diets off in the right direction.

A program that does not provide the same nutritional protection is the EBT program. The only restrictions on EBT Food Stamps are that cigarettes, alcohol, taxes goods, and prepared foods cannot be bought. Cookies, chips, soda, fruits saturated in corn syrup, and other junk foods are free game when it comes to buying food with EBT. I am a cashier at Market Basket and many orders I ring through that are paid for using EBT are loaded with fatty foods such as these. Many times, people buy more junk than actual food and it breaks my heart to see how obese many children are that are on EBT. I often see people watching the total for their order and they always grab candy bars to use up the rest of their card. This is a very unhealthy habit and in my opinion, any money not used buying regular groceries should be returned to the government to help someone else in need. "Using up what is left on the card" on impulse items (gum and candy) is very wrong and is taking advantage of the program.

There is another part of the EBT program and that is EBT Cash Benefits. With Cash Benefits, a certain amount of money can be used to buy taxes items as well (i.e. toilet paper, stamps, cutlery). There is a problem with this as well; the Cash Benefits portion of the EBT Card can be withdrawn from an ATM to provide an untraceable source of cash. This cash can be used to buy cigarettes, booze, and it can even be used for gambling (although these are not the intended purpose of the cash). I see people insert their EBT card into the ATM at work and walk directly to the Customer Service Desk to buy cigarettes with the cash they just withdrew. This also saddens me because that money was supposed to go to help the family/children with basic necessities. Parents neglect their kids to get themselves a fix of nicotine, and the government does not prevent this from happening.

One day, I figured out that 21% of my paycheck is taken out in taxes (and I am just part time, making often less than $100 a week). A large amount of these taxes are taken out for Food Aid programs such as WIC and EBT. I am all for helping those in need who do not abuse the system, but it frustrates me when that much hard earned money is taken out to help nourish people, who end up morbidly obese because the government is not restricting all food aid programs. Only healthy foods should be allowed. As far as Cash Benefits goes, people should not be allowed to take the money out of an ATM and they should only be allowed to buy the intended products of the program like toilet paper and paper towels. I love the WIC program for it achieves its goal of properly nourishing expectant mothers and their babies/young children. Other programs need to be reformed to have limits like the WIC program so they can do what they are intended to do. By limiting foods to only being healthy foods, manufacturers will end up reformulating their products so they will contain less fat, sugar, syrup, and sodium. They will reformulate their products so they don't lose profit (I see more junk food bought with EBT than I see bought with cash, credit, and debit orders). When programs like EBT are reformed, America will be at a healthier weight. When Americans are in better shape, they will have less health risks like heart attack and stroke. With less risk of disease, lives will be saved and our new Universal Health Care will not need to spend as much. With less government spending in one area, it can create more jobs and help more people. By creating more jobs, less will be reliant on government programs, leading in even less government spending. More people will then be paying into the system, resulting in more money for the government. The cycle will then continue. By fixing broken food aid programs, people will be thinner, healthier, and end up employed. The U.S. government will also have more money to help others and to pay back its own debts. A simple reform of the EBT program will fix many societal issues, including childhood obesity. So why do our politicians keep ignoring the issue?

Please voice your opinion. Am I right, do we need food aid reform? Is my logic incorrect? Am I too cynical of the programs? Does anything need to be changed at all?


For further reading:
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/17533/

An article that provides great coverage on the abuse and loose rules of EBT is at http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/banking-lending-credit-services-payment/15173799-1.html