My Confession

I have chosen to make a confession in my blog this week.  I am a gambler and I enjoy winning all the time, but it sucks to lose.  I am on a roll this year, so much that I have to brag a little. My girlfriend tells me I have the Michigan lottery down to a science and I’m almost starting to believe her.   I have won 10 times so far this year and hope to keep this winning streak going ALL year long.  I prefer to play the Michigan’s lottery daily 3 and daily 4 digit numbers because I have better odds at winning.  You can play these games twice a day, every day but I choose to only play once a day.  You can win as much as $500 on the daily 3 digit and up to $5000 on the daily 4 and cost one dollar per ticket. I have won both amounts multiple times in the last year and my dad say some people are just lucky and I am one. He has been playing for over 10 years and has never won over $500.  I play 2 sets of numbers every day for instance one of my numbers is 329 which is my sisters birthday. I don’t believe in all the superstitions that come with playing the lottery.  For instance some people believe that if you tell others your lottery numbers its bad luck or if someone dies there are certain numbers you should play that stand for death. There are also dream numbers meaning if you have a dream about a dog there are numbers that play for dog, such as 820. I know weird right? But some people are very serious when it comes to the playing the lottery. People can also get carried away playing their lottery numbers as well.  I have stood behind people playing number who have spent as much as $100.  I don’t know how that possible but it’s not my busy nor my problem.  I spend $15 a week and some of you might even think that’s a lot. But my philosophy is that when you work hard you can take a percentage of your paycheck and play hard if that’s what floats your boat!!

The Jungle (Chapters 6-13)

The section I read in The Jungle was chapters 6-13.  It is not as gruesome as the first part of the book, but I found a lot of interesting sections throughout these chapters.  As I continue to read it’s hard for me to understand how immigrants can come to a country not knowing anything in hopes of a better life.  These individuals are taken advantage of in the worst ways and still have hope of living the “American dream”.  As this family moves through one difficulty it seems as if another is soon to appear.

One part I found troubling to read is how Jurgis and others on the killing-bed were robbed of their wages in chapter 8.  If a man is one minute late he would be docked a full hour but still made to work the balance of that hour, so e.g. he was made to work for free. If a man came to work early you would not get paid even though the packers would have them start work 15 minutes early.  And if a man worked for 50 minutes he would not be paid because it didn’t put in a full hour of work.  How could anyone really know what they were going to earn for the week or what they could afford being cheated in this way? No wonder this family was so worried about starving or how they could afford to pay for their home.  I find it appalling to know that people can be treated this way because they don’t understand their rights or not represented by a union.

Another disturbing part of the book for me is the conditions these immigrants worked under and the toll it has on their bodies.  One section describes how their nails had worn off from pulling hides or all the joints in their fingers would be eaten by the acid in the pickle-rooms.  The people who worked in the chilling-room had a disease called rheumatism and in the cooking-rooms the germs of tuberculosis might live for two years despite inspections.  I couldn’t even image working in such conditions, but as we discussed in class last week some people don’t have a choice or what they are doing is much better than where they came from.

 

The Jungle

It’s remarkable how families come to America not knowing anyone, our culture or even the language.  This novel is relevant in many ways to our discussions in class of about the meat packing industry and the lives of immigrant workers. These families are seeking riches, security and freedom that may not be obtainable in their native country. Jurgis is no different than any other immigrant worker coming to this county trying to make a living only to be subjected to low wages and indescribable accumulations of filth.

As I continue to read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair I can’t help but to notice how graphically detailed the explanation is of Jurgis’s new job. I’m not sure if I could work in such horrific conditions that have been described.  The atmosphere is really put into perspective when they describe that every hour four to five hundred cattle are turned into meat.  Not to mention the cows are treated terribly by being shocked and poisoned, their throats being slit, and being hung by their feet.  One fascinating part of the book thus far is the fact they use every part of the animal.  The bones are used for fertilizer, the bristle can be cleaned and dried to make hair cushions and the feet can be made into glue. Another part I to be interesting is how some meat is marker with a “kosher” sign, which indicates the meat has been killed by special methods and processes.  This meat is intended to be eaten by Orthodox Jew in conformance with Leviticus 17.10-14, based on the dietary laws of the Hebrew Bible.

 

My Modest Proposal

Slaughtering America the Pig

Time and time again we are being told that the meat we eat is safe, healthy and natural.  Only to find out they are loaded with unnecessary preservatives, additives or maybe even salmonella. In addition to all the additives our animals are injected with growth hormones, steroids and lord knows what else.  A lot of these animals are feed corn, which has been genetically modified and not the natural diet for these animals.  Federal authorities estimate that 1 in 6 Americans will become sick from a food borne illness such as Salmonella, E.Coli, or Campylobacter.

The meat packing industry has many lobbying organizations which prevent many safety initiatives from taking place. These companies spend their money lobbying lawmakers and regulators to directly impact their business. Did you know that over 70% of American food is processed and the FDA states that they currently do not have the time, money, or resources to carry out health and safety studies for every proposed GM food products? This is scary because these are the federal agencies that are supposed to ensure the health and safety of Americans.  The EPA is supposed to evaluates genetically modified plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluates whether the food crops is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether our food is safe to eat. And time and time again these federal agencies have failed to protect the American consumers.

I propose we slaughter America as we do our livestock.  We will decide which agencies are healthy and destroy the ones that are weak. The first agency to be slaughtered will be the USDA. This agency is suppose to regulate the meat and poultry processes, but because of weak regulations and little control over meat companies they have continuously failed to safeguard our meat supply causing more than 3,000 death per year.   Next we can slaughter the FDA because they regulate food, prescriptions, vaccines, veterinary products, tobacco and a long list of other divisions.  The FDA was accused of failing to properly inspect a New England Compounding Center which caused 48 people to die from a Meningitis outbreak.  This is a perfect example why one agency should not be allowed to oversee so many entities.  Lastly we will slaughter the EPA because they allow companies to spray pesticides during the growth and processing of our food. The fact that any pesticides are allowed to be left on food we buy is appalling not to mention studies are still being conduct to determine some long term effects of such products.

 

 

 

 

 

Rigoberto's Story

I have several mixed feeling about our readings this week.  It saddens me to know that people have to live in such horrid conditions and be treated as if they are animals. On the other hand, I found Rigoberto's story very interesting which inspired me to continue reading without stopping but it also leaves me asking many questions?    One thing I can’t understand is how people could continue to bring children in the world under such conditions.  Yes, we have poverty in America but these individual are living in situations that are unfathomable to me.  Even back in the 60’s its sounds impossible for someone to ever survive in a country earning 20 centavos a day. These poor people work hard in Guatemala picking coffee and receive the most unequal treatment. Another real issue for me is that we can pay over ten dollars for a 1LBS bag of coffee. Secondly, I cant understand how a person could keep having children? Eventually to watch them suffer and die from starvation, illness and diseases is even more heart wrenching as a mother.  Another point I found interesting is that they grow the beans but don’t eat them. All the beans go to the market so they can buy the few necessities they need such as soap.  And at the same time children are dying from starvation on the plantations?  She also mentioned several times how fat and overweight the landowner was, so obviously he was eating well.  This reminded me of the literature and documentaries we have been discussing in class.  How big Corporations have all the power and the little people have nothing and it’s not any different on these plantations. The landowners have all the power while starving, robbing and charging their workers for everything.   And lastly, I found it interesting that they have a fiesta before they harvest the maize. The seed is very significant to them because it is sacred, will multiply and bear fruit the next year. And after reading Rigobero’s story I can understand why they would perform ceremonies and vow not to waste the food.

Loaves and Fishes

Loaves and Fishes have been around for many years helping people in need within our community.  Families are living in poverty and children are going without food. These are two serious issues that we all need to pay closer attention to. Nobody should have to suffer from hunger and there are some great organizations within our community trying to end the fight against hunger.

 There are many ways we can help even in the smallest ways.   You can start small, as I did by donating.  You can bring in perishable items as well as turkeys, hams and fresh fruits and vegetables.  Even if it’s just 1 or a few cans there are many families who will be very grateful and appreciative for your donation.  You can even look on their website to see what items are on their wish list.  On the wish list are high demand items broken down by the months so you don’t have to guess what to bring in! Another way to help is just simply donating money.  I have given as little as $5 they were grateful for my donation and respected the fact that was all that I could give.  You can also help the organization by donating your time as well.  Not everybody is in the position to give money or food items but you can help combat hunger in other ways.  They are always looking for individuals to help distribute food to the needy, but any skills and talents are always welcomed.   So if you are in the position give a food item, donate money or volunteer your time we will all be helping to address the hunger within our community. I have included a link for another opportunity within our community for us to help fight against hunger- Walkday 2014!

Trimalchio's Dinner

I had a very hard time reading and understanding the roman novel Trimalchio’s Dinner. I found myself reading the same sentences several times because the tone, dialog and language flew over my head.  There were many words throughout the reading that I had no clue what they meant such as paterfamilias, which is a man who heads the household or the father of the family.  It started off a little weird to me as well especially when there was a slave holding a pot for Trimalchio to relieve himself.  He was also rood and uneducated using zodiac signs to describe people and food.  An important fact I did gather from the reading was the correlation between Satyricon and many of the books we have read and discussed in class.  There is a disconnection between the wealthy and the poor. Big corporation and rich people like Trimalchio have all the power over the weak and the poor, such as the slaves mentioned throughout the reading. He throws a lavish feast which represents dishes from the zodiac signs.  It also reminds me how we are so wasteful such as Trimalchio’s hundred year old wine that sours and our abuse of wealth.