Shopaholic Reform: Weekend Damage (4/17 -4/18)

Sunday, April 18

Weekend Damage (4/17 -4/18)

Saturday

$19.97 - Panera (Lunch for Aaron and I)

Sunday

$63.96 Crate and Barrel (Bridal Shower present)
$56.29 - HomeGoods (giant pots for patio herb garden and some veggies)

I thought I would share with you a small success story from this weekend. Shannon (my cousin) has decided to give up meat, after watching the Meet Your Meat video. Shannon has been on the cusp for a while now, having already given up pork and barely eating red meat, but has finally made the jump. I am proud. We'll see how she does, it's hard for the first year or so, but I can genuinely say that it gets much, much easier as time goes on. I can't even imagine eating an animals flesh anymore, it makes my stomach turn. Stay strong Shan!

I for one will be be cutting out a lot of the dairy products and eggs that are currently in my diet. I'm not going completely vegan, I've tried that before and it just wasn't for me. I found it exhausting and it made eating out incredibly difficult. Maybe some day, but not any day soon.

This decision is spurred from a movie I saw in class a ways back that I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Among other things it showed what happens to cows when given bovine growth hormone, they're basically crippled and in excruciating pain. The constant milking also leads to chronic infections in the cow's utters, which causes pus to be released when the cow is milked. Very painful for the cow and yes, that means there's pus in your milk. It's organic milk for me from here on out, I'm just not down with drinking pus and find it very disturbing that this is found acceptable by our government. Here, here for regulations that do nothing but help industries and not people. Way to go guys.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: We use coconut milk as a substitute for milk. Another good choice is almond milk. It gives whatever it is you are eating a nice added flavor too!; April 19, 2010 at 4:16 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)