Most of our holidays in the United States have become way too commercialized. I would like to know how much revenue is created by Hallmark alone on such holidays as Mother’s Day and Easter. Now Earth Day has also become one of those holidays. Everyone in the marketing business is selling Earth Day for more profit on their end.
According to Leslie Kaufman, author at New York Times, “forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services, like office products, Greek yogurt, and eco-dentistry” (Kaufman para 2). I didn’t even know that Earth Day existed until a few years back when someone asked me if I wanted to buy a t-shirt supporting Earth Day. Now it’s just not the t-shirts they’re trying to sell, they’ve moved on to bigger and better things.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully support Earth Day. What I don’t believe in is all the marketing schemes out there. The true meaning behind Earth Day has been lost in the last 40 years. Kaufman adds “To many pioneers of the environmental movement, eco-consumerism, creeping for decades, is intensely frustrating and detracts from Earth Day’s original purpose”(Kaufman para 5). Earth Day started out as a way to impact the world environmentally, such as keeping the air and water clean. Today I think it is much more of a marketing tactic than an earth saving movement.
Kaufman, Leslie. New York Times: At 40,Earth Day Is Now Big Business(WEB)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Older Americans Going to College
American adults aged 25-60 are attending college now more than ever in the past. There are many contributing factors to why this is happening. One of the biggest reasons is that a lot of Americans are losing their jobs. “ The U.S. economy has 3.2 million fewer jobs today than it did when President George W. Bush took office, including 2.5 million fewer manufacturing jobs” (Birnbaum). Multinational corporations are sending the jobs to countries where the wages are lower, thus forcing companies to shut their doors in the United States.
One year ago at this time I found out I would be losing my job that I had for twenty five years. TRW would be moving all of our jobs to a different facility and sending many jobs to their plant in Mexico. My first thought was, now what? I started working right out of high school, so I didn’t have a college education. The only option that made any sense to me was to go to college. I along with many of my co-workers was forced to make the choice between taking a lower paying job or go to college.
Veterans are coming home from overseas having served time in the war. Many of them no longer have a job when they return. “ Since the end of the Second World War, with returning soldiers taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, the U.S. Armed Forces have helped millions of Americans go to college” (Sallie May). With the help of the federal government these veterans are able to go to college and get back into the work force.
Around the United States veterans are flooding the campuses and changing the student population at many colleges. Twenty-three Wisconsin universities and technical colleges are military friendly schools."Just your age and the way you look. It makes you stick out," said Paul Dolan, 25, a biology major from Sparta who served in the Marines. "You don't meet many other 25-year-old sophomores"(Jones). All of that is changing with the increasing number of veterans and people without jobs entering college.
Not all of the older people going to college these days are without jobs. Some adults have different reasons for going. There are people who are interested in seeking a new career or starting a new business. The joy of learning is another reason some are going back. Years ago a lot of the courses weren’t available. Computers are a huge reason why some older adults are going back. Today’s world is highly impacted by the use of computers.
Birnbaum, Jane, American Jobs: Going, Going… AFL-CIO (web)
Sally May College Answer.com (web)
Jones, Meg, After war, veterans go off to college, Milwaukee Journal Online (web)
One year ago at this time I found out I would be losing my job that I had for twenty five years. TRW would be moving all of our jobs to a different facility and sending many jobs to their plant in Mexico. My first thought was, now what? I started working right out of high school, so I didn’t have a college education. The only option that made any sense to me was to go to college. I along with many of my co-workers was forced to make the choice between taking a lower paying job or go to college.
Veterans are coming home from overseas having served time in the war. Many of them no longer have a job when they return. “ Since the end of the Second World War, with returning soldiers taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, the U.S. Armed Forces have helped millions of Americans go to college” (Sallie May). With the help of the federal government these veterans are able to go to college and get back into the work force.
Around the United States veterans are flooding the campuses and changing the student population at many colleges. Twenty-three Wisconsin universities and technical colleges are military friendly schools."Just your age and the way you look. It makes you stick out," said Paul Dolan, 25, a biology major from Sparta who served in the Marines. "You don't meet many other 25-year-old sophomores"(Jones). All of that is changing with the increasing number of veterans and people without jobs entering college.
Not all of the older people going to college these days are without jobs. Some adults have different reasons for going. There are people who are interested in seeking a new career or starting a new business. The joy of learning is another reason some are going back. Years ago a lot of the courses weren’t available. Computers are a huge reason why some older adults are going back. Today’s world is highly impacted by the use of computers.
Birnbaum, Jane, American Jobs: Going, Going… AFL-CIO (web)
Sally May College Answer.com (web)
Jones, Meg, After war, veterans go off to college, Milwaukee Journal Online (web)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
My Best Friends
I have heard the phrase, “a dog is a man’s best friend”, many times in my life. Since I was old enough to move out of my parents’ house I have had a house dog. They are the one animal who is happy to see you even if you’ve only been gone for a minute. When you need someone to talk to they are always there. You never have to worry about them judging you or repeating what you say.
I found my first dog by looking for ads in the local newspaper. When I first thought about getting a dog I knew I wanted a cocker spaniel. I had seen so many cute pictures of them and had my mind set. So off to French Island I went. At first when I seen the litter of puppies I wasn’t sure which one I wanted. They were all so cute and cuddly. Then I spotted the runt of the litter and fell in love. I named her Muffin. She was tan in color, had long ears, and the saddest eyes ever.
Muffin proved to be a very good dog. At that time in my life I had plenty of time to train a dog. She could sit, lie down, speak, roll over, and could even flip food from her nose and catch it, all on command. We had many enjoyable times together. When it came time for me to have my first child, Muffin moved over and never bothered the babies. When I brought them home from the hospital I would let Muffin smell them and check them out. She never once hurt them in any way.
When Muffin was getting older I decided to get another puppy. I didn’t want to lose Muffin and be without a dog. My husband’s cousin’s dog had just had puppies and I thought it was a good time to get one. Of course I still wanted a cocker spaniel, but this time I wanted a different colored one. Maggie May was a black cocker spaniel with white accents. The night we brought her home she fit in the palm of my hand.
My kids were so excited to see our new puppy. This would be their first experience with a puppy. It wasn’t a lot of fun those first few months. They found out how much a puppy likes to bite and chew. A few of their special toys ended up not looking so good after Maggie got a hold of them. As time went on though the girls and Maggie were inseparable. One of the most memorable times is when Maggie had a litter of puppies. We had bred her with a red and white cocker spaniel. She had six puppies, three red with white spots, and three white with red spots. When it came time for the puppies to go to new homes it wasn’t so easy to let them go.
As the years went on Muffin passed away and Maggie was our only dog for many years. She grew up right along with my girls. We had many special family times that included Maggie. When we would travel out west to see my mother, Maggie would ride along. Camping trips always included Maggie. One of her favorite things to do was to ride in the truck with her head out the window. She loved to have the wind blow through her ears. Even when the weather got cold she thought she should have her head out the window.
Three years ago Maggie ended up getting sick. She ended up having surgery and was never the same after that. We tried to hold onto her as long as we could, but ended up putting her to sleep in May of 2007. That was one of the hardest things I had to do. The girls were so sad and it left us with no dog at all. My family was so lost without a dog that we only waited four days before finding a new puppy. My younger daughter and I took a ride and ended up coming home with yet another cocker spaniel.
Morgan is my current dog. She is reddish in color and is very much a spoiled dog. After my girls moved away to college two years ago, she has become number one in the house. Her favorite thing to do is play ball. She has four or five balls in the house and wants to play all the time. My husband says it must be his job to play, because when he gets home from work Morgan is right at his feet with a ball. Now that it has gotten warmer out I have started to take her for walks around town. As soon as I get home from school she knows it is time to go. I can hardly get in the house before she’s jumping up on me knowing it’s time to go. At night she lays right in the middle of me and my husband in bed. She lies in bed with her head on my pillow, just like a human.
So as you can tell I am definitely a huge dog lover. I do believe that they are man’s best friend. No matter how mad you might get at them at times, they are always there when you need someone to talk to. As long as I am able, I will have a dog in my life. And as you can see I have named all of my dogs starting with the letter M. Any suggestions for the naming of my next dog?
I found my first dog by looking for ads in the local newspaper. When I first thought about getting a dog I knew I wanted a cocker spaniel. I had seen so many cute pictures of them and had my mind set. So off to French Island I went. At first when I seen the litter of puppies I wasn’t sure which one I wanted. They were all so cute and cuddly. Then I spotted the runt of the litter and fell in love. I named her Muffin. She was tan in color, had long ears, and the saddest eyes ever.
Muffin proved to be a very good dog. At that time in my life I had plenty of time to train a dog. She could sit, lie down, speak, roll over, and could even flip food from her nose and catch it, all on command. We had many enjoyable times together. When it came time for me to have my first child, Muffin moved over and never bothered the babies. When I brought them home from the hospital I would let Muffin smell them and check them out. She never once hurt them in any way.
When Muffin was getting older I decided to get another puppy. I didn’t want to lose Muffin and be without a dog. My husband’s cousin’s dog had just had puppies and I thought it was a good time to get one. Of course I still wanted a cocker spaniel, but this time I wanted a different colored one. Maggie May was a black cocker spaniel with white accents. The night we brought her home she fit in the palm of my hand.
My kids were so excited to see our new puppy. This would be their first experience with a puppy. It wasn’t a lot of fun those first few months. They found out how much a puppy likes to bite and chew. A few of their special toys ended up not looking so good after Maggie got a hold of them. As time went on though the girls and Maggie were inseparable. One of the most memorable times is when Maggie had a litter of puppies. We had bred her with a red and white cocker spaniel. She had six puppies, three red with white spots, and three white with red spots. When it came time for the puppies to go to new homes it wasn’t so easy to let them go.
As the years went on Muffin passed away and Maggie was our only dog for many years. She grew up right along with my girls. We had many special family times that included Maggie. When we would travel out west to see my mother, Maggie would ride along. Camping trips always included Maggie. One of her favorite things to do was to ride in the truck with her head out the window. She loved to have the wind blow through her ears. Even when the weather got cold she thought she should have her head out the window.
Three years ago Maggie ended up getting sick. She ended up having surgery and was never the same after that. We tried to hold onto her as long as we could, but ended up putting her to sleep in May of 2007. That was one of the hardest things I had to do. The girls were so sad and it left us with no dog at all. My family was so lost without a dog that we only waited four days before finding a new puppy. My younger daughter and I took a ride and ended up coming home with yet another cocker spaniel.
Morgan is my current dog. She is reddish in color and is very much a spoiled dog. After my girls moved away to college two years ago, she has become number one in the house. Her favorite thing to do is play ball. She has four or five balls in the house and wants to play all the time. My husband says it must be his job to play, because when he gets home from work Morgan is right at his feet with a ball. Now that it has gotten warmer out I have started to take her for walks around town. As soon as I get home from school she knows it is time to go. I can hardly get in the house before she’s jumping up on me knowing it’s time to go. At night she lays right in the middle of me and my husband in bed. She lies in bed with her head on my pillow, just like a human.
So as you can tell I am definitely a huge dog lover. I do believe that they are man’s best friend. No matter how mad you might get at them at times, they are always there when you need someone to talk to. As long as I am able, I will have a dog in my life. And as you can see I have named all of my dogs starting with the letter M. Any suggestions for the naming of my next dog?
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