Friday, September 30, 2016
Lil' Chick: A feels update
South Carolina School Shooting
Before the shooter went to the school, it is suspected he fatally shot his father. Also before the shooter began shooting at the playground, he called his grandparents crying and mumbling. His grandparents became worried and went to his house where they found the shooter's father, their son, dead.
The shooter never made it inside the elementary school because a firefighter, Jamie Brock, apprehended him. The shooter is being charged with the murder of his father, and the attempted murder of the two students, and teacher.
It is upsetting to me that will live in a world where children are attempting to murder other children. The shooter being a teenager, leads me to consider how impulsive this boy probably is. Had he taken the time to truly think about what he was doing, I wonder if he would have made the same decision.
I am incredibly saddened for the parents of Jacob Hall, who is in very critical condition in the hospital. I cannot imagine the pain and fear they are going through right now knowing their child may never recover. I am saddened for the other student and the teacher who were shot, that they had to go through that trauma. I am saddened for the children and the families this shooting has affected. I am saddened for the family of the shooter. How do you deal with knowing what your son, grandson has done, and grieve the loss of his father? I am also saddened for the shooter himself, because there are so many other options than to kill. He will have to live with this decision the rest of his life and suffer the consequences of his actions, as he should.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
The environment
U.S. taking step towards protecting the elderly in nursing homes
Monday, September 26, 2016
Poor Kids Extra Credit Video
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Post 3
Class this week taught me a lot about how sometimes things like all lives matter can be offensive. I learned that in times like these I need to be more understanding of other peoples views.
Thursday's Discussion
Another H-E-B...
stuff
Though i feel like i am more aware than i was about a month ago i still feel like i don't know hardly anything and its kind of upsetting because i want to be more involved and know whats going. I need to start paying more attention. Some of the things we discuss in class i have no idea about and i want to be able to think "yeah i heard about that too" so my goal is to continuously become more aware. I still enjoy listening to npr while I'm driving!
I read an article that Texas State had a record setting enrollment of 38,849 for the 2016 Fall semester
and a 6.3 % increase in new graduate students. With such an increase, it really makes me think about the parking situation on campus.. something needs to happen to accommodate all of these students. It is so hard to find parking unless i get to campus before 8:00. They really should not give out parking stickers to so many people if there are not enough available spots.
Protest
Not Terrible News to Brighten Your Day
Environmental Concerns
I did not take into account how us being brainwashed to believing we need the newest, biggest thing was a major reason why we are having environmental problems. I knew that destroying resources, creating pollution, and throwing away items that our Earth cannot properly dispose of was hurting our environment, but I forgot to think about the big arrow. The whole reason we destroy the resources, pollute the air through factories, and then throw away the "old items" is because our society, media, and government convince us that we need the newest thing; thus, starts the cycle of destroying the environment all over again.
How do we stop this mindset of needing the newest thing? How do we change a societies way of living? More importantly, how do we convince the corporations to stop being so greedy?
I am not saying out society should completely stop shopping, but our society needs to stop being so wasteful if we have any hope of repairing our environment. We need to start saying no to the a new phone, television, or whatever the newest item is just because we want it. This planet is all we have; we do not currently have a back up plan. We need to protect our home, plain and simple.
Mirrors - Hillary Clinton
The link is provided below if you wanna watch the ad.
https://youtu.be/vHGPbl-werw
Black, white, or purple.
New York/New Jersey Bombings Last Weekend
Taking a stand..or the lack thereof
Collin Kaepernick, a football player for the San Francisco 49ers, was the first to start the "epidemic" of not standing during the national anthem. His reasoning behind the gesture is to show support for people of color who are being oppressed in the United States and to take a stand against police brutality.
I do agree with Kaepernick that these are major issues that our Country needs to bring awareness and a solution too but I'm not sure sitting during the national anthem is the best way to send that signal to the rest of the world.
More and more people continue to sit or make stands against the national anthem in a way to have their voices heard. Even some of our fellow bobcats sat and raised a fist during the national anthem at the football game on saturday night.
I'm thankful for the people who have chosen to speak out in this very peaceful manner. The rioting and the violence that is happening in other parts of the country right now are heart breaking.
The complicated part is finding a happy medium between violence and staying silent. Maybe sitting during the national anthem is what it will take to have our problems and our voices heard. Just maybe this will help solve the problems of injustice and discrimination that is happening.
I don't have all the answers to how to solve this problem in our world today I don't know if anyone does. What are y'alls thoughts? How do you feel about not standing during the national anthem? Will it make the difference? If not, then what will make the difference?
Protest at Texas State Football Game
Imagine...
The Civil War in Syria is devastating to learn about. They discuss Syrian refugees on NPR daily and share stories that leave you in shock. The wildest thing to me about the hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians being relocated is that the majority of Americans don't want them here. WHAT?
Can you imagine if my dream was reality? Can you imagine if the United States became a warzone and we were dying by the thousands and scrambling through the chaos to get somewhere safe? Can you imagine if other countries were turning us away?
Think about it.
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
-John Lennon
Being aware of the news
Macys Shooting
University of Illinois Shooting
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shooting-reported-university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign-campus/
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Macy's Shooting
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/24/us/washington-mall-shooting/index.html
WWCGD?
Parking
Friday, September 23, 2016
Story of Stuff
The video we watched in class this past week about the Story of Stuff was definitely an eye opener. I never really payed attention or even realized how wasteful we really are. We cause so much harm to the environment, and we are destroying our own home. In the video she made it sound like we were robots, always throwing away items in order to buy the newest model. The more I think about it the more I agree. Our society disposes of items so quick. We let companies, like Apple, hypnotize us. I myself have fallen into this cycle. I just got the iPhone 6s in December, and I have thought about buying the iPhone 7. There is nothing wrong with my current phone. I am just one of many consumers that have allowed companies to brainwash me. This video was an eye opener and was very informative. I want to become a conscious consumer.
"You will shelter me, my love. I will shelter you."
I have bought tickets to watch him do his thing live 3 different times, and all 3 different times the shows were canceled. He has officially taught me a thing or two about heart-ache. The most recent time he canceled his show was this week and it's caused quite the stir. He decided to cancel his show due to not believing in open-carry at music venues.
So, I'll start by saying I'm all about him (and others in the spotlight) using fame and public image to make a political statement/stand because if the people who have it don't use it- WHAT A WASTE. BUT I'll also say there are more professional ways to take a stand than canceling your concert TWO days beforehand when this law was passed MONTHS ago. Instead of searching for a new venue and etc. Campus Carry was approved many many months ago, before the show was even booked. So, why book the show? Why have fans take the time to take off work, buy the tickets, and get excited in the first place? There are plenty of other venues in Austin, Texas (THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD) So, why book at the one that allows open-carry if you do not agree with it? I also think, if he is going to cancel his Austin show for this reason, he should cancel ALL Texas concerts because this is not a UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ISSUE but a TEXAS POLICY issue.
COME ON RAY!!!! Just sing to me!!!
*was this about gun policy or my disappointment? IDK, i'm sad.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Coincidence?
Very random but I am so frustrated!!
Im graduating in December so I only have two classes this semester which are on Tuesday and Thursday. I also commute from New Braunfels so I typically park at LBJ everyday and pay at least $12 every Tuesday/Thursday. Anyways.. the point of this rant of mine is that this past Tuesday I parked at LBJ, ended up paying $14 for parking (the machine wasn't working and by the time the parking assistant helped me 2 more dollars were added) and then had to drive over to the University Registrar building to drop off a form to have my middle name added onto my diploma...When I got to the parking lot of the registrar building I was stopped by the guard who told me I could not drive into the parking lot without a pass (which is understandable), and I would have to drive to one of the parking garages and pay AGAIN for parking, and then walk back to the registrar building to drop off the form... I asked the guard in front of the parking lot if I could just run in and drop off my form that was already filled out...She said no. Everyone knows how big campus is, so by the time I would of parked, walked to the registrar building, drop of my name request form, and then walk back to the parking garage, I would of had to pay another $6!! Maybe I'm over exaggerating, but to me this is insane! To me this is Texas States way of doing anything and everything they can to get even more money from us!
I am only on campus for about 4 hours, two days a week, so a commuter pass didn't make since to me. If anyone has any tips that will help me get through the next two and a half months that would be awesome!
I apologize for this long obnoxious post but clearly I am very frustrated...
That is all! Have a good weekend everyone!
Black lives matter
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-halstead/dear-fellow-white-people-_b_11109842.html
Sunday, September 18, 2016
poverty
The Media and The Presidential Election
Everything about the presidential election is just sketchy and the media is hard to trust with the way they manipulate and control the truth. The media literally ultimately has full control of what we believe is actually going on in the world and it's hard to believe anything other than what we hear and see in the news if we have no other source to go by. Money is a huge player in politics and I believe that it wouldn't be hard for someone with so much money and power to cover up secrets that they didn't want revealed. So how do we know who to trust?
Petition to Keep Uninformed People From Talking
Cheers to being broke!
I apologize for the very informal blog this week...but I am honestly just annoyed and needed to vent a bit. Although I am sure yall are feeling the same.
Cheers to being broke!
Child care and the presidential election
This week I have been reading over the proposed child care policies of the presidential canadates. I feel as though this topic is very important to those in the FCD major. SO .... If you haven't read up on NPR you should!!! First of all the Trump proposal discusses tax breaks for child care, howevèr it would only be for people who PAY taxes so that doesn't really help anyone in poverty. Also a main difference between both policys is that one, (trumps), provides maternal leave and the other provides both parents with leave. I think we can all agree that the later is much better. Not to mention, providing only material leave may discourage businesses from hiring women. Over all I think it is very important to look at every proposed presidential policy no matter how publicized. Making small informed decisions is how we make important decisions.
So confused...
Poverty
If you want to just watch the trailer, here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQW9Ks0GZUQ
If you have a Netflix account, and you want to watch the whole documentary, here is the link: https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Queen-of-Versailles/70229267
http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/the-queen-of-versailles-netflix-hidden-gems/
Individualism vs. Communalism
THAT is a community.
THAT is what we should be striving for.
Also, I realize that things rely heavily on those in charge of our tax money. And when we find out that our government is putting that money toward unnecessary projects it's super frustrating. Just another reason to be more educated and involved I guess!
Sitting During the National Anthem
Another issue that has been on my mind all week are the statistics on how many children are affected by poverty. This issue makes me think twice when I want to complain about how bad my day is going. I constantly remind myself that there is someone out there who is going through a worse situation than me, so I should be grateful with what I have. I cannot even imagine what these individuals go through every day not knowing if they will have something to eat the following day or if they will be able to find a ride to school. Some of these children do not even have the privilege to receive an education. I find myself being more appreciative of everything in life especially the little things. I also think it is pretty neat that there are programs who feed these children during the summer so they can at least have one good meal throughout the day. I am sure many parents are appreciative of these programs.
depressing
A few days ago i was listening to 96.7 and i heard about a daughter who is suing her parents because of facebook photos they posted of her when she was younger. She asked her parents to take down the photos and they refused so she decided to take them to court.. crazy right?! And then the woman on the radio mentioned something about how she could have contacted facebook first before taking it to court because they are able to control what photos are posted and all that. THEN she said something along the lines of "well we've heard about the San Marcos mother whose photo of her and her shirtless son got taken down so i'm sure facebook would have helped out the daughter.." I thought to myself "YEAHH THAT'S MY PROFESSOR". It was pretty cool to hear about it on the radio!