so annoying

After watching that movie on Thursday I just felt as if I need to move countries. Health care here is so expensive and even without it it is just as pricey. And I can't believe people are denied if they have preexisting conditions. It should not be like that at all, so if someone is dying we should just let them die instead of helping them. I am someone who is not insured so we just pay the fee, but it is stressful thinking that if something serious were to happen how we pay for that. I have minor reasons that I visit the doctor and it is always so expensive, because of the visit plus medications and any exams that need to be done. And if those exams come out bad I have to go for more and its just super pricey. There has been times that I have refused to go get checked one I dislike the doctors office and two because of the amount I would be paying. I do think the way the other countries are running is a good way because they are helping everyone in their country and they do not have to worry about anything, if they need assistance.

I VOTED

So this isn't super big news, but after standing in line for over an hour and a half in the stupid early time of day, I did it! This was my second election to vote. The atmosphere seemed different this time around (it's really difficult not ending sentences with prepositions. Why is that a grammar law? Don't like). People seemed more interested as demonstrated by large increase of people at my polling place over 4 years ago. One thing about this election that was increasingly more confusing was figuring out where/how to vote. I wish I could vote for president anywhere. I understand the logic, but even though my license says Houston, I know more about what's happening in San Marcos than I do back in H-town. I should've been more informed about Houston policy, but I really wasn't. I hadn't been thinking about anything other than president that I hadn't thought to research candidates running for offices in Houston. I didn't want to make a blind vote, so I ended up just voting for president. I felt bad, but I'd rather not vote for positions that I am completely ignorant about. I'll take this one as a learning opportunity for next time hopefully.

Sicko

After watching the movie in Sicko in class, I have been extremely upset this week. Hearing the stories from some of the individuals made it all the more real that as a nation we have a problem that is just swept under the rug. It was not just about the treatment by the companies to some of their customers but the other things i had never thought about. Such as our time off policies or I guess I should say lack of policies. Hearing other countries have mandated how many hours are to be given to working individuals at first was just a strange concept. However the more I thought about it the more I realized that those countries were not just thinking about making money or spending money. They were thinking about the mental health of their citizens. But what made this so upsetting is I don't, in the wonderful U.S., feel like my country cares about their citizens.

Texas Swing State???

http://thedailybanter.com/2016/10/texas-swing-state/

I came across this article last week and it really grabbed my attention.  Since Texas hasn't voted Democrat since 1980, this could be the first time us millenials see our very own Lone Star State turn blue!  I do not consider myself a republican or a democrat, but I believe it would be HUGE to see Texas vote Democrat this election.

"...while it is supposedly easier for everyone eligible to actually vote now, unless they actually go out and cast their ballot none of this means anything."

This line from the aforementioned article also really grabbed me.  I am registered to vote and plan to vote early this week.  While I admit I am constantly torn between arguments similar to the one in this article and the fact that the electoral college's votes are the only ones that really matter, voting can't hurt right?  And it was something K. Stone mentioned in class one day that I have tended to draw on when conflicted about this issue--she referred to a past presidential election, I believe when it was between Bush & Gore, when even though the popular vote was disregarded we were able to look at those votes to see what the popular vote actually was.  I'm not exactly sure why, but I feel like it's important to have those votes to look back on.

SO GET OUT THERE AND VOTE PEOPLE!!!

America putting a price on our bodies...

Anyone else leave class last week pissed off at America and ready to pack their things and leave?  Two things made me sick to my stomach.  One, that people are being denied medical care who desperately need it and two, how blind I have been to all of this.  I am one of those people who have been fortunate enough to be under my mother's insurance. I do not pay for my birth control, my co-pay for a doctor visit is never more than 20 bucks, and any prescription needed is never outrageous.  However, after watching the film I felt angry at myself.  Strange, I know, but goodness the guilt has been eating at me.  This system is just outrageous and statistics clearly showing IT IS NOT BENEFITING AMERICANS HEALTH.  (insert steam blowing out of nose emoji)

Voting Turnout

So even though this election has been one of the most complicated and most controversial the voter turnout has been better than the previous election years. This is awesome because people are finally realizing that they can make the difference. What is interesting is that most people I talk to are not happy with the way the election is and are not happy with the presidential candidates we are forced to choose from.
So are voters voting for the lesser of two evils?
Or are voters voting because they actually have an ideal candidate in mind?
Either way I'm glad people are voting I just wish it was under better circumstances

Lost my V(oters) card

This is my first election to vote in. My first election and what a sucky one to be my first. This is my first election to vote in and I didn't feel good hitting "submit ballot". I early voted (because I love being early) and I just felt so icky. I grew up expecting this sense of pride and empowerment when voting, especially for the first time and I didn't. I really just felt relief that being done with my part in voting in the election was over and the anxiety surrounding that had left me. Not pride. Not empowerment.  I felt extremely hopeless because "what does it matter?". I don't personally believe either of our two main candidates are fit for the position in the slightest and I almost didn't vote because whats. the. point. I look at this in two ways. One: hats the point because in all honesty does the president really have that much power anyways? I mean don't things have to go through layers and layers of people before they actually count? Two: what does it matter because eno matter what who is chosen on November 8 we lose. in my eyes this is a lose lose situation. Right now regarding this election and things going on in politics I'm in a very "I dont care and you can't make me" mood. Should I? Probably. Do I? Hell no... ask me tomorrow. 

Health Care/Homeless

So I spent my weekend in SA and I knew that there was quiet of few homeless that walked the streets daily, but when my girlfriend told me that she saw women/girls standing on the corners and hanging out in allies I couldn't help but not want to tell these girls that they have the ability to do better for themselves. Unfortunately this is did not happen, due to the side of the town not being safe for me to go with-out male in my preference. It has been hard for me to know that there are women on the streets selling themselves, I understand these women are put into these positions by being threatened or culture. We sometimes do not realize how lucky we are until we see those that are really in need, but this to me falls into place with our topic of the week (healthcare). With having heath-care more affordable the percentage of homelessness would go down. A lot of people are on the streets are because they have drowned in health care bills... This will truly kill someone. We need to take care of each other and we have to start doing this by having free health care and just have it taken out of our taxes. I just wish people would stop and look at the big picture, and realize that money isn't everything....   

what I feel

After watching SICKO I have been really thinking about our country and comparing it to others. While watching the movie I kept thinking our country was horrible and why can't we have healthcare benefits like other countries. So I considered all the pros and the cons. I was talking about it with my dad and he brought a point up that made me think. Just like here in the U.S we dislike the healthcare system because it basically screws us over I realize other countries are screwed over in different ways. For example the countries related to the movie have a different type of government, so they may not even have a voice like we do where we go and vote on issues. We also have lower taxes. Overall I feel like every country has its ups and its downs. During the film I kept thinking maybe I want to move somewhere else but now that I've really thought about it I feel like I would really have to think things thoroughly.

Trial Regarding a Psychiatrist Sexually Assaulting His Patients

A man, Dr. Charles Fisher, is on trial in Travis County for sexually assaulting up to 10 of his patients. All of the patients he assaulted were diagnosed with a mental illness. There have been three men who have testified against him, all of which were sexually assaulted by Dr. Charles Fisher when they were teenagers between 2001-2003. One man was forced to watch Dr. Fisher masturbate, while the other two were raped by him. All of them were emotional during their testimony, and now their credibility is under attack. Apparently this is not the first time their credibility has been questioned.

These men showed emotional responses during their testimony, according to the Austin American Statesman, by crying, sighing heavily, asking for a break, and getting up and leaving. One on the men said, "I can’t do any more testimony! I’m sorry!" The man was in tears as he was saying this and then left the courtroom. He returned minutes later. If he had not return, his testimony would have been asked to not be considered in the ruling.

When the men were asked why they did not initially report being assaulted, one man said, "I didn’t think anyone would believe a 16-year-old who just got out of a mental hospital." Two of the men said they thought they were targeted by Dr. Fisher, who is openly gay, because they were gay as well.

One man was describing how his mother was telling him to drop the charges. Apparently his own mother did not believe her son. She told him that he should drop it because "this man could lose his job."

This story makes me sick. I felt very angry and upset after reading this article. No only were these poor men sexually assaulted by a man who was suppose to help them, but they are also being told that people do not believe them.

I cannot imagine what these men had to live with the past 15 years. Now that they have the courage to fight the man who did this sick, terrible thing to them, they are being told that people do not believe them. Even by their own mothers! How messed up is that? No wonder they are so emotional during their testimonies. They are having to re-live everything that happened to them, while also knowing people are questioning if this even happened to them. It makes me sick. I think this says a lot about how our society sometimes views rape victims, and it is not okay. I can only hope these men get the justice that they deserve.

SICKO

Sicko really made me angry and made me want to move out of this country. How can our healthcare system be this way?? People are dying left and right because they can't afford the treatment or medicine they need? It really is sickening that it is like this. The stories of the families that lost someone due to being denied care really hurt my heart. Luckily i have not been effected like them but i cant imagine going through anything like that. Other countries get it for free so why can't we? And if you have a pre-existing condition you get MORE CARE?? That makes sense but here that means you get denied. Also, the comparison of the costs of child care made me angry too. I am scared to bring a child into this world. I am still on my moms insurance so i really didn't know hardly anything about how it all works. I am terrified to get off of hers and do things on my own after watching this.
 I planned to vote last week at LBJ but i didn't because i wanted to read the pdf files Kelly emailed us first! I am so glad she is so helpful. So this week it is.

ya makin me nervous

I read about a plane with Mike Pence aboard that skidded off of the runway at La Guardia airport. The plane was landing and overshot the runway and ended up stopping in a grassy area near the runway. So Mike Pence and the other 48 passengers we not injured.

Then I just read another story about a FedEx plane catching on fire and exploding at Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday. It said that the landing gear collapsed after it touched down sending the plane skidding down the runway before it caught on fire. And this happened on the same day that another plane in Chicago caught on fire and the passengers had to evacuate the plane. There was a video of people screaming and yelling at people to get out of the way.

I personally am already afraid of flying and I will be flying home soon for thanksgiving so this is all making me very nervous.

Bringham Young University's rules regarding sexual assault

Bringham Young University  in Utah has announced that it would no longer look into honor code violations when students report sexual assault. The school is Mormon-run and has “Church Educational System Honor Code” that prohibits drinking, drug use, and premarital sex and requires modest dress.  After a sexual assault was reported the university would look into possible honor code violations made by the student before or near the time of the assault. So for example if drinking was involved the reporting student would face punishment. The mission behind the new ruling is to encourage victims to report assault without fear of honor code punishment. In 2008 a study in Utah found that only around 12% of sexual assault victims came forward.

It’s crazy to me that a school would look use an assault to launch an investigation against the victim but I’m glad that the old system is no longer in place and hope there is justice for the victims of sexual assault in the future.

Who else wants to move to France or Canada?

Watching the video in class discussing our health care system versus health care in other countries around the world has really had me thinking why does everyone think America is so great?  I cannot believe all the stories these individuals are sharing regarding their horror stories about their health insurance. How can these companies be so careless and not give a second thought about what happens to all of the individuals who are denied the care that they need? Why is this even allowed to happen? If I worked for an insurance company I  would not be able to sleep at night knowing how so many people are suffering from medical issues simply because the company does not want to pay for their treatments, surgeries, nor medication. These individuals would rather make more money for themselves than to use it to help someone in need. How can these companies be so selfish and not care about helping save someone's life? This issue is just yet another example of how money can be an influence and how it gives you power over others which is sickening and unbelievable. The checks these insurance companies and doctors are receiving should be based on the number of patients they are helping to get healthier, not for the number of individuals they reject from getting assistance. I feel like going home and telling my family to pack their belongings because we need to get the heck out of here. Imagine living in a country where we do not have to worry or stress about having to pay for healthcare or education? Life would definitely be less stressful!

Oh politics

This has been filled with a lot of political issues that affect consumers, it first started with talking about food stamps then ended with having a candidate in the running for San Marcos mayor come in. It bugs be that our government believes that 50 dollars is enough for a couple to live off of and will allow them to have healthy options in the house... I don't think they have every stopped to test out,how much it truly cost to live a healthy life... we have a government to help the people,but yet freaking suck and never stop to really look out for the good for the people.  One day the right person will be in office and the people will be taken care of

Back to the Chapstick

I have such a bad feeling in my stomach and it has been with me since last night. I was with a couple of friends and we decided to grab a late night snack.. Well one of my friends apparently didn't like her tea very much so she decided to roll down the window and she threw the cup out!!!! Like what?!? She is one of those friends that I'm not like super close to so I couldn't just be like why the heck did you do that cause it would have felt sooo awkward but then again me just letting her throw it out the window like that without saying anything is just like me committing the recycling crime myself! So I sat there and contemplated for a little bit and then I was just like screw it, I'm going to say something regardless of how awkward it may feel. I then turned around and I was like "dude how can you just litter so easily? Doesn't that weigh on your conscious?" And she immediately like sunk down and regretted throwing it out. I felt bad for saying something but then again if everyone threw trash out the window that easily we would have a complete litter problem everywhere and I can't live thinking I didn't say anything about it! Ugh, it seriously makes me so mad knowing that people litter so often and don't think twice about it. Where is the respect? Where are the manners? I was so mad!!!

Anyways, I immediately thought of the chap stick story and how relatable the situation was. I am happy I said something the more I think about it though because hopefully she won't ever be a nasty littering crime committer ever again!

Police Chief Apologizes

The president of one of the largest police organizations apologized for past treatment of minorities by police. Chief Cunningham is the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which has over 16,000 members worldwide. In a recent speech he said “For law enforcement officials to regain the trust of minorities, they must begin “to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color”. The apology is a step towards change as it opens up communication about the issue. However despite the acknowledgement of the issue the organization has resisted change, and has not agreed to proposals that would encourage the police to use less force when confronting suspects. It confuses me why police use deadly force when they have other means of disarming a suspect. There is no need to draw a gun when they could easily draw a Taser. I understand that police are fearful but until proper training and accountability take place the issue of police brutality is going to remain and issue.

But i'm still hungry...

When watching the food stamp documentary in class I couldn't help but think about my parents and their struggle when they were younger.  Both working fulltime, my mom working during the day and my dad at night doing what they needed to to get by.  A family that could have greatly benefited from food stamps but because of their massive amount of income coming in (20 cents more than the requirement) they were unable to gain any kind of assistance. 

The couple in the video did not have children.  Imagine if they did...they were having to ration their food carefully, denying themselves of snacks and seconds.  How do you as a parent deny your child something as simple as an extra apple or second helping of veggies.  Ugh, my heart.

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Topics Discussed in class

We have discussed so many topics when everyone talked on Thursday. However there were a few that really made me think. One was about the man who did not get the amount of punishment for his abasement of his child. What is happening these days when it comes to this topic is appalling and makes me sick. When people make these decision about how many years or how much time should be served for their crimes. When these people do not get any time it makes their crimes seem like they are not that bad, this makes the victims feel like their attacks are not worth having justice. Its really terrible.

Also it was very interesting meeting the man who is running for Governor. He made many good points and lots of things to consider. I was happy to hear him talk and answer our questions.

Food Stamp Video

After watching the video on Tuesday I realized how difficult it is to spend $50 dollars on groceries to feed two people,because I realized that I spend way over 50$ feeding myself . And those times I do forget a couple of items, and I get so stressed because the bill was high and I didn't have all the items I needed. My boyfriend and I eat out so much during the week so there's more money going into food. I never realized that the amount of money families recieve is so low. They don't even get the chance to eat out especially if they have to feed themselves and their kids. I never realized how lucky am I to be able to get the organic groceries and eating out as much as I do.

food stamps

Growing up my mom would get food stamps for my family and watching the film this past week brought back so many memories. I remember whatever amount she got she would have to make it last to feed my family of 5. My siblings and I would always see all these different snacks on tv growing up, but we could never get any because we had to stay to our budget. It's crazy looking back and seeing all budgeting and meal prepping my mom had to do. Now we're fortunate enough to be able to afford a whole lot more without even relying on food stamps. I just wished some people didn't take advantage of a program made to help others out.

Today in Netflix News

Jessica Jones show runner, Melissa Rosenberg, has announced that the Netflix series will only have female directors for it's second season.

The discussion about diversity has gained a lot of attention the past couple of years, not just racial diversity but also gender diversity.  I might be alone in this but I don't notice a lack of gender diversity within the entertainment industry.  I know about the lack of female directors and female led shows in general but when it comes to the team behind the scenes, I don't pay as much attention to the inequality effecting them. 

A 2015 report showed that women made up only 27% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network shows. I started to think about all of the shows that I do watch on TV and after a little internet digging, very few of them are ran by a gender balanced team. We talked a little about the lack of women holding executive positions but in this day and age where TV is available at our fingertips, are we concerned with the lack of gender diversity in all of the industries that we support? 

I don't think that I should only watch female led shows but I should give those shows a chance and even move some of them into binge watching rotation. 

Canada Out Canada'd themselves

We've had a lot of discussions about the problems in our country and the problematic issues with the upcoming election. It is easy to embrace the negativity and forget the positive aspects of our country. We are really lucky to live where we do and I don't think we recognize that enough. This past month, an agency in Canada launched a a campaign called "Tell America it's Great." It's adorable and uplifting to see another nation rally around us in a somewhat confusing time. The video illustrates and notes several accomplishments in America's history and mentions all of the wonderful things about our country. I know I easily get caught up in the weeds of our nation, but we really do live in a pretty great place. We have a lot of issues, but America has overcome adversity in the past and we can absolutely do it again. Anyway, here is the video. Embrace all of the fuzzy feelings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stGhjokq57U

Food

Watching the food stamp video in class made me feel very conscious about how much money I been spend on food. For another class this semester I had to do a spending track report for the month of September. At the end of the month my tracker showed that I spent around $350 on food. Majority of the time I usually eat out or I pick up fast food because I only have an hour break from school to work. Seeing how so many of the people who rely on food stamps do not even get half of what I spend on food is very upsetting. How can we expect families and their children to have a healthy diet if they cannot afford it? There definitely needs to be a change in how food stamps are distributed and how much each family receives. Families and especially children need healthier options for food.

In the video I did like the idea of how they taught the children about what they were eating and how to prepare meals using those items. I wish someone would have done that with me when I was little because I did not start eating vegetables until about a couple of years ago. My mom never forced me to eat vegetables when I was younger so I always thought they would taste gross. So many children now a days have such poor diets because they eat nothing but fried food, pizza, and burgers. Parents need to expand their food choices by introducing fruits and vegetables to their meals. I also think teaching children how to prepare meals when they are young will help them want to choose cooking a meal rather than just eating fried food or picking up a pizza. There should be more programs in schools that support this idea of teaching children about what they eat and how to prepare it.

Police Officer Training for Dealing with Individuals Who Have a Mental Illness

Today, I read an article in the Austin American Statesman about a 21 year old boy, Garret McKinney, being fatally shot by a police officer about a year ago. The shooting happened on September 21, 2015.

The shooting after Officer Keele was trying to detain McKinney for "obstructing traffic on a highway." When Keele tried to detain McKinney, McKinney punched Keele in the head. Keele then fired his Taser at McKinney, but it had no effect. Then McKinney dislocated Keele shoulder, leaving Keele unable to defend himself.  In response, Keele shot McKinney two times in the chest. When McKinney still came at Keele, Keele fired two more shots. McKinney died from the gun shot wounds.

What Keele did not know is that McKinney had paranoid schizophrenia. Had he known, would he reacted differently to the situation? Police officers tend to get very little training in how to deal with mentally ill individuals. With this lack of training, how would they know that someone may be mentally ill?

We hear fairly often about how mentally ill individuals are shot by police officers. It has been said over and over again, in our class and in the media, how police officers get very little training dealing with individuals, especially in vulnerable circumstances. Are we setting up our officers for failure?

 I believe we are. How can we expect our officers, who may have not had any previous experience interacting with individuals who have a mental illness, to interact effectively with this population if they are given little training on what to do in these type of situations? Also, they need training to teach our officers on how to spot someone who may have a mental illness, so they can be prepared to deal with the circumstance effectively.

It is always upsetting to hear about circumstances like this. Especially when you know that the situation could have been avoided or handled in a nonfatal manner. I would like to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Abortion...

     In class this past Thursday we talked about the debate and how abortion was debated among our two wonderful and intelligent presidential candidates. It was a conversation that I wish had never happened because it made me feel sick to my stomach.
     In my opinion abortion is a personal opinion. I have always been pro-life but that is my personal opinion. I don't think kids are for everyone and some people don't make the wisest decisions when it comes to having kids. Abortion is good for some people because they aren't fit to be parents but I will always wish that their was a better alternative than abortion that wasn't just adoption.
     It is ridiculous for our country to rely on one person to decide this decision for the entire country. Everyone views this topic differently and yet we still take a stand and vote on the issue. Where is the option to completely remove this policy from being a policy? It needs to be a personal decision that is made based on each individual's personal circumstance.  

Food Stamp Video

After watching the food stamp video in class on Monday, I realized how lucky I am to be able to actually afford food. Majority of the time I eat out instead of eating at home. I looked at my bank statement, and I spend about $100 a week on eating out. On top of eating out, I get groceries every two weeks.  I spend about $300 a month on groceries. In total, I spend around $700 on food. I didn't realize that families receive very little when it comes to food stamps. I couldn't imagine having such a small budget for food, or even having to portion my food every day. There are many people that look down on the use of food stamps, but they don't know the other side of the story.

Anthropology Professor at Texas State

I read an article that I've seen shared on facebook a few times and on the statesman about a professor at Texas State. Apparently, in class on Tuesday he was teaching his regular cultural anthropology class in a teaching theater of almost 400 people and he was discussing issues with race. He touched on the Black Lives Matter movement as a very important issue. The main point of what he was talking about was the evidence for modern human origins in Africa based on DNA analysis. After he was talking about all of this, apparently multiple students left the classroom out of anger. I completely see standing up for your beliefs but what good does walking out do? Also, it was said that multiple students started to argue about the statement and it became pretty uncomfortable for others. It is pretty ridiculous to me that people can't respect each others opinions and feel as though they have to get up and leave instead of being respectful. I linked the article below if anyone wants to read it.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/texas-state-students-storm-out-after-profs-black-l/nss3f/?ref=cbTopWidget

How could this happen

I was watching the news earlier today and heard that the institution Career Point College was shut down immediately over the weekend.This institution was a private two year, for profit career school with several locations including Austin and San Antonio. Students and teachers received a letter from  president and CEO Larry Earle over the weekend with this horrific news. In the letter, Larry Earle said school management had received information about three employees who had been violating rules regarding student aid. Larry Earle claimed that they reported the issue to the Department of Education and they were planning on repaying all the funds that had been taken. The president said the college had already exhausted their available resources and they had major funding restrictions from the Department of Education because of  the violation of rules, therefore they had not choice but to shut down the college. As a student this is one of the worst nightmares, I cannot imagine waking up and receiving an email saying "Hey by the way your school has been shut down, have a great day though!" So many students and employees are now stuck in a stump because of someone else's decisions. I hope all the individuals affected  get some type of support and the institution comes up with a better solution than to just shutting the school down.

http://www.ksat.com/news/career-point-college-students-teachers-receive-letter-saying-schools-shutdown

I HATE THIS ELECTION

I am struggling with my vote this year. I am not fond of EITHER candidate. I think there is a less of two evils but I do NOT think there is a good candidate. I honestly am not fond of the 3rd party candidate either. So, who does my vote go to? I feel as an American I am being selfish if I don't take my opportunity to vote and take it seriously, but I can seriously say........I don't know that I can in good conscious vote for any of my 3 options.

stressed

I watched SNL and their segment mocking the previous debate. It had me laughing so much and also made me angry because the debate really was such a joke and Trump is a COMPLETE joke.
A while back at work,  I dealt with a very disrespectful older man. 2 of my coworkers (both female) and I were printing out his fishing license and he says "why are you doing this? this is a man's job" He continued by tossing trash towards my coworker and saying "throw this away woman". He also said to me "aren't you in school woman? can't you read what my license says?" when i asked him which address was the correct one. This guy thought he was being funny and it was not funny at all. We should have gotten a manager but we just dealt with it and we shouldn't of had to. We were so uncomfortable and disgusted by all of his comments and thinking back his actions kind of make me think of Trump and how he disrespects women. "locker room talk" okay..
 I am ready for the election just to get it over with and i hope and pray that Trump does not win. It scares me to think of what will happen if he does. I know so many people that are choosing not to vote just because they do not want either but that does not help anything! Everyone vote. It does matter.
I am beyond stressed and completely unmotivated to do school work. I need to get it together so i can be done and graduate in May! I know i can do it.

Oh how ChapStick has changed my life...

Since professor Stone spoke with us about her fabulous ChapStick story, I too, have been picking up various things from off the ground.  My friends were a bit annoyed by my new nature loving duties, but they eventually got over it and are now joining me on my mission to make the world a more beautiful place.  I have always tried to use cloth bags when I go grocery shopping but would often start my car and do the whole, "Oh crap! I left them upstairs! Oh well." My forgetfulness has not changed, but my umf' to run upstairs and get them certainly has. I have even convinced my boyfriend to start using cloth bags as well as purchasing a reusable cup for work. 

Yay nature!:)

Like why?

I was on Facebook when I saw some news from back home, in Houston how a 911 operator was fired. I didn't think much of it at the time until later that night I started to watch the news and they had mentioned because of what happen in Houston, Austin was doing a search. I later looked into what happened and why she was fired. She was fired because she was being accused of having up on 1000 calls. That was such a shock to me because that is your job to answer the phone and see what you can assist the person with. According to the article she once even said " Ain't nobody got time for this. For real." Like how can someone, just not care about people that could be hurt, or even dying. Like why do you even have the job is she did not want to talk at times, like I think it was better if she didn't show up instead because then she wouldn't be risking someones life, by answering and just hanging up on them. Like one of the callers said regardless if she thinks its an emergency or not she should not hang up. Why would she even want a job like that if she doesn't even want to do it right.

Can this election just be over already?

This election keeps getting worse. After all the disgusting things Trump has said about women and the nine women who have come forward saying he forcefully groped or touched them people decided to go after Hilary regarding her husbands infidelity back in the 90’s and things she said about the mistress. Personally I think that attack on her is ridiculous. The things that come out of Donald Trump’s mouth are outrageous and these accusations against him should have people worried. Why would we want an abuser to be the leader of our country? To teach boys that this kind of behavior towards women is okay? A quote from the article that resonated with me was ““You guys talk about protecting me,” she recalled telling the men in her life who are supporting Mr. Trump. “But the fact is you’re voting for someone like that. So how can you protect me when you’re electing someone that you’re trying to protect me from?”” My own father is a Trump supporter and it blows my mind. I am ready for the nastiness of this election to be over and hope that we don’t end up with Trump.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/us/politics/presidential-election-voters.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

How can you afford to have kids?

I read a really interesting article on the statesman that was titled just that and it was extremely fitting after everything we have talked about. It was a woman in her 20's thinking about having children with her partner and realizing that it is an extremely expensive thing to do. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Cost of Raising a Child Calculator" says that the average two parent household in the U.S. earning less than $61,530 a year, spends $11,850 to raise a child in his or her first year. That is such a large portion of their income and it really makes it almost seem financially impossible to raise a child and be able to afford all of their other expenses as well. It would definitely be ideal to have a significant amount of money before having a child but that is not always the case and it can be extremely stressful to raise a child in that way. The article went on to talk about how to save money now so that when you are at a point where you are thinking about having kids, it could be easier. It talks about how to plan for the future and I linked the article below if anyone is curious about reading the rest!

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/business/how-can-i-afford-to-have-kids/nsrkJ/?icmp=mystatesman_internallink_megamenu_link?icmp=mystatesman_internallink_megamenu_link

No opening on Thanksgiving day

I'm sure many of us don't get to spend a big portion of thanksgiving with our families because of Black Friday starting earlier every year. I was browsing online and I found an article on business insider that was talking about how many retailers and shopping malls have decided to actually remain closed on Thanksgiving! Mostly because business has gone down (I mean yeah because people want to have family time) during this day so being open actually hurts their business. For individuals in the world of retail this is great news because now we might get to spend a full Thanksgiving with our families. Black Friday should stay on the day it was designed for, Friday!

Texas Oil Money for Trump

The "big wigs" in the Texas oil industry have played a major part in Trumps campaign. So far, they have put in 8.8 million dollars. It is hard for me to imagine people supporting a man who degrades women in the worst way possible. It is hard for me to imagine that we have struggling fellow Texans who sleep on the street, yet, there are ignorant million/ billionaire oil tycoons to support a man who does not thing anything of women.
I guess I am looking for someone to help me understand why this man is being so heavily supported! 


http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/state-regional/texas-oil-money-still-priming-the-pump-for-trump/nsrjs/

Some Good News and a Small Rant

An American Cancer Society 5k for breast cancer in Point Pleasant, New Jersey had over 16,000 participants and raised over $1 million in donations. The number of participants is making this particular walk the largest in the state of New Jersey. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month but I feel like raising awareness has taken a back seat to the circus known as the Presidential election. 

I'm not going to pretend that the election isn't important but health care is a huge topic and it effects everyone, including people that are currently fighting or have fought some form of  cancer. Even though there have been a lot of questions aimed at the Presidential candidates about health care, none of them have actually given a thoughtful or appropriate answer. Contrary to Trump's belief, the answer to a question about healthcare reform is not "I will defeat ISIS." 

Hats off to New Jersey and the American Cancer Society for breaking records and raising awareness about breast cancer. I hope that the funds raised will do a lot of good for people fighting cancer and hopefully we will start seeing some real answers about the health care situation from the presidential candidates. 

A Forbes reaction

Forbes published an article on our beautiful city of San Marcos and its rapid growth. This isn't the first time we've been written about naming us as America's fastest growing city but wheres the article discussing how the families and citizens who live here feel about it? San Marcos sits perfectly between Austin and San Antonio with the quaint cities of New Braunfels, Wimberley, Buda and Kyle surrounding. It for sure gets my vote for one of the best places to live in Texas. Its got a small town feel but has the accessibility to get to Austin or San Antonio in an hour or less (unless you hit I35 at the wrong time). Coming from a small town this is what really drew me to San Marcos. It was a familiar size but had the larger cities nearby so I could dip my toes in the water before jumping in full force (unless were actually talking about our river). Its a unique place to live and get an education and this totally explains our attractiveness to those looking for a new place to live. However, how long will it be that we keep our quirky city before it turns into the next major city? I wasn't born and raised here, I've only been a couple of years and yet I feel extremely protective over San Marcos while we watch the university's incoming student numbers get higher and higher each year, the city limits expand and more businesses open up. We don't even really have the space for the people here now, we can't keep up with incoming amount of people wanting to live here. I mean who can blame them but wheres the fine line on keeping our quirky friendly town and just another metropolis? How do the people who were born and raised or those building a family here feel? Don't we get any say on this rapid growth?