What Will Go And What Will Stay?

Every person has a few things in life that they could easily get rid of; however, they often struggle deciding exactly which items can go. Some do not need a phone, others do not need a computer, a few may not need lots of clothes, but many need all of it. Most think all their possessions  are too important to let go of. I am one of the people that have a hard time deciding what goes. I think the item I can most easily give up is my TV. I mostly use it for background sound because I usually do not like sitting in a quiet room. But that sound can be replaced by another device, such as a computer. A year ago I would have been able to give up my computer as well, but since this school year I have needed it more than any item I own. It is now an item I can not live without because of the amount I use it. Another device I can let go of is my iPad. I use it a lot for reading and as a pass time, but I could use my computer in place of it. The cell phone is something I would not give up because that is my only means of quick communication with friends and family. If it really comes down to it I could get rid of more, but it would be hard to get used to a life without certain items. When an item becomes a regular part of one's life it becomes hard to let go of, even if it is not necessarily a needed possession. In order to give up items, one has to be willing to adjust to a life without it. Most are not willing to do so. 

Air Pollution

One would not think air pollution is that risky, but it leads to far more problems than people realize. The World Health Organization has reported 7 million deaths caused by air pollution. Air pollution has become the largest environmental health risk. In 2012, 4.3 million deaths were caused by indoor air pollution and 3.7 million from outdoor pollution. Indoor air pollution happens from cooking on coal or wood stoves, seen in China. Having stoves that work on coal and wood are equivalent to having a campfire in the kitchen. Outdoor pollution comes from factories and cars. The most deaths from pollution occur in China, they suffer from both indoor and outdoor air pollution.
Maria Neira, the agency's public health and environment director, has said air pollution is a greater risk than people realize, especially for heart disease and stroke. Women are exposed to indoor pollution more because they cook, but men have a higher chance of death because of health problems. Air pollution worsens underlying health issues such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory infection. A professor of toxicology, Michael Kleinman, says "people don't die of air pollution alone; they die of other things the pollution tends to exacerbate.”
- Tony Barboza
- March 25, 2014
- http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-deaths-world-health-organization-20140325,0,5308688.story

Colbert Report - Cross Controversy

In this segment The Colbert Report discusses atheists and the ridiculous statements they make. Apparently the 9/11 memorial ground, aka "Ground Zero", has displayed a cross made out of beams from the towers. Atheist believe that it is not okay to display a "christian cross" because it causes them discomfort. Stephen Colbert takes the opportunity to satire the atheist thinking process on this particular issue. Mentioning how the cross will cause them "anguish" but nothing else in the memorial ground would, as long as the cross is not there they would have a great time exploring the 9/11 memorial. Obviously that is untrue, cross or no cross a trip to "Ground Zero" would be saddening. In this segment satire is being used through obvious sarcasm. Stephen Colbert is out right making fun of the atheists. One could hardly consider this complaint by atheists an issue. It is more of a dumb statement and satire aids us in understanding the ridiculousness of it.
My opinion on this video is that Stephen Colbert goes about making fun of the atheists well. He is brutally honest in a sarcastic way and that is always humorous. I think this "issue" could not have been discussed in a serious way, it is something to be made fun of. The Colbert Report did a fantastic job at presenting this topic with satire.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/433642/march-10-2014/cross-controversy-at-9-11-museum?xrs=share_copy

No More Complimentary Pressurization

American Airlines has been suffering from recent budget cuts. Recently they have decided  to take away complimentary cabin pressurization. This change will start on March 15th. It does not make "economies sense" for the airline to provide breathable air for its passengers. On the bright side, those willing to pay may be upgraded to first and business class. American Airlines is apologetic to those who will receive "altitude sickness, blood problems, dimmed vision, or hyperventilation that may result from air pressure less than a third normal levels" but they assure their passengers that it will go away as the aircraft descends. This airline has also been thinking about discounting landing gear for the flights under 4 hours. They are finding new ways to cut down on costs everyday.
Recently airlines have started cutting back in order to save money. There has been an occasion where an airline took out one olive from their salads to save money. In this article the budget cuts of airlines are being satired. At times the news over exaggerates in order to get a point across, therefore not always being completely accurate. This is funny because sometimes an airline will cut back on such ridiculous things. Although it would never come to cutting back on air pressure in the cabin, it is funny to even consider an airline having such a ridiculous cut back to save money.

- http://www.theonion.com/articles/american-airlines-to-phase-out-complimentary-cabin,35367/

Economy

Economy affects us more than people realize. Good economy means more spending money, bad economy means cutting back. I do not make my own money yet, my parents pay for the things I need and sometimes want. A few years ago the economy was bad, which meant my parent's business was not doing well. As a result my family had to cut back. I was being given less money to spend and we were being more wise with spending. It lasted a few months, but since then I have learned to spend more wisely. Depending on how well the economy is I may have more freedom with spending on things I want but do not necessarily need, such has new clothes and shoes. Even when I have more freedom to buy certain things, I try to do it wisely. For example, right now I am shopping for clothes to take on my trips this summer but I do not allow myself to buy items with unreasonable prices. It is important for me to know I am getting quality things for good prices. 

Recently my parents have started to look for something to invest in, to bring a stable income when economy is down, such as an apartment building. By making an investment like this it means my sister and I would have that building along with our current house to do whatever we see fit years from now. It is good to make investments during good economy, as a preparation for bad economy and the future in general.

Beef Recall

- Ricardo Lopez
- March 5, 2014
-http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rancho-cancer-cows-20140306,0,5117619.story#axzz2v9RAlqNZ

Rancho Feeding Corporation recently recalled nine million pounds of beef. According to the Freedom of Information Act the meat sent out to sell came from cows that had eye cancer. This corporation sold to many retail stores; such as Wal-mart, Food 4 Less, and Kroger. They also worked with Nestle who had to recall their Hot Pockets because of the beef. U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said they found two cattle heads with cancer and it made it into markets without having been inspected. Logically and thankfully, it is illegal to sell meat of diseased animals for human consumption. The recall started off with only 42,000 pound, later expanded to 8.7 million pounds, the largest recalls in recent history. Even though consumers are unlikely to get sick from this, regulators have been investigating Rancho Feeding. So far "they have accused of processing and selling 'diseased and unsound animals' without a full federal inspection". Along with this, more documents have been found stating unsanitary conditions in Rancho Feeding Corporation. In months before investigators  noticed fecal on carcass, excessive flies, and improper sanitization of surfaces and knives. Since then the slaughterhouse has reopened under new management.

Disconnect from Internet, Connect with Nature

In this day and age everyone has a phone, computer, tv, and/or other electronics. These electronics take over our lives and often cause us anxiety and stress. I will admit the internet causes me anxiety because I often find myself worrying about what is going on in my fandom that I am missing when I do not check twitter. I also find myself bored when my phone or iPad are not with me. Stepping outside with no electronics with me is something I have not done before, when I hang out in my yard I always have my phone or iPad with me. The little while I sat outside was actually quite relaxing. I went out at around noon, sat on the steps of my porch and looked out into my yard. It was a beautiful Sunday in LA. It was fairly warm out with a breeze. My yard was quiet, with the exception of the chirping birds and the humming of the cars in the distance. The trees were blowing lightly to the breeze. A few times birds flew down just low enough to skim the water of the pool. I decided to go dip my feet in the pool, the cold was felt nice against the warm weather of LA. I run my hands over the rough tile that outlines the pool, taking in the relaxing moment. To be honest, nothing that deep and philosophical came to mind as I thought. I did not think "what is the meaning of life?", "is there really an after life?", "how exactly did this world come together?". I tried to think about those things, but my mind would wonder elsewhere. I thought about the upcoming week, all I need to get done before Armenia and the bipolar weather in LA. I suppose the closest I came to thinking deeply was when I wondered why people do not leave all electronics behind and go out more often. I sat out for about twenty minutes and I decided I will do this more often. Disconnect from the internet for a while and just relax outside, maybe read a book or even study. Most of the time the weather in LA is perfect to be able to do that.