Shopaholic Reform: Giving Gifts is Great BUT Giving Free Gifts is Better

Monday, April 5

Giving Gifts is Great BUT Giving Free Gifts is Better

That's right...free gifts. Let me explain.

I was home this weekend for the whole Easter holiday thing, and while home I whipped up a batch of killer cupcakes with homemade butter cream and some snickerdoodles for a friend who hasn't been feeling well. Sugar is a cure all people, get on board.

Please note: Sweet Tart ducks do not hold up well to the moisture of butter cream and best not stuck on top of cupcakes.

The free part comes from the fact that I used all of my mother's resources to bake said goodies. For those of you who know me, you also know that I am not so much the baker. Don't worry my mother carefully supervised as my father laughed at the whole situation from the couch. She assures me that I will be baking her famous pie recipe in no time (possible as soon as 10 years from now!). She even bought me a rolling pin, well technically it was for Christmas (it's no wonder where I get my shopping habits from, the woman has already started Christmas shopping!) but it was left out on the counter and I asked who's it was and the uhhh oohhh kinda gave it away. So I am the proud new owner of french rolling pin, of which I have no idea how to use. Notice the tapered edges so I don't pinch my delicate little fingers. Fancy.

1 comment:

Agatha said...: The snickerdoodles were highly impressive, they were browned just right on the bottom. Sharon is a good teacher.; April 7, 2010 at 8:22 AM

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Something to Chew On...

The downside to Globalization

1. “The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the non-rich poorer. It is wonderful for managers and investors, but hell on workers and nature.”¹

2. Multinational corporations are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labor wages and poor living and working conditions), as well as a lack of concern for the environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.

3. Multinational corporations which were previously restricted to commercial activities are increasingly influencing political decisions. Many think there is a threat of corporations ruling the world because they are gaining power due to globalization.

4. Opponents say globalization makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability. They also claim that countries’ individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanization.

5. Anti-globalists also claim that globalization is not working for the majority of the world. During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment, 1960 to 1998, inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources, while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent.

6. Some experts think that globalization is also leading to the incursion of communicable diseases. Deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS are being spread by travelers to the remotest corners of the globe.

7. Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. There is also an increase in human trafficking.

8. Social welfare schemes or “safety nets” are under great pressure in developed countries because of deficits and other economic ramifications of globalization.

As manufacturing continues to decline, so does our ability to innovate. In the long term, this means fewer well-paid jobs, lower productivity, declining wages, declining living standards and low economic growth. Globalization is a big part of this decline and will affect all jobs and all sectors of the economy. From the point of view of multinational corporations and Wall Street investors, globalization is probably viewed as a wonderful phenomenon with many opportunities. But from the point of view of American manufacturers, manufacturing workers, the middle class, professional service workers and overall economic growth, I think the disadvantages far out weigh the advantages.

-Mike Collins, The Pros and Cons of Globalization (2010)