Obama Tapped Trump Towers

President Trump had his phones tapped by Barack Obama during the election. So he claims. As I read into the story I was intrigued because: why would obama tap his phones and not do anything with it? But as I delved deeper into the internet and read about what trump had done over that time span, my suspicions were proved correct. I suspected that trump made up a false story to take media attention from something he did concerning something political, and well, it was true. Trump cut 25% of funds to the EPA, removed 3,000 jobs, and essentially ended the project dedicated to cleaning our great lakes. Absolute buffoon. Opinions aside, climate change, global warming, and destruction of our earth is an actual thing. Removing the white house page on climate control won't change the fact that our planet is dying, Donald. There is concrete proof that all of these things are real but some still claim it's not. Unfortunately one of those people is our president.

Why don't we care about the environment? I don't want to sound like an environmentalist because that's played out, but regardless the earth is really all we have. I understand that industrialism will never cease and that we will always be making pollution, but if there was a way to reduce our carbon footprint by funding research or making more regulations it would allow future generations to prosper as well. Instead of shoving 55 billion dollars to an already inflated and immensely funded defense system, if we even used a fraction of the military's budget for the environment, leaps and bounds would be made. I'm going off on a tangent that no one cares about. That's how it is. Our attitude has been the same for the past 100 years regarding the environment. So naturally, if no one cares why should I? Screw the great lakes, screw the environment, everything will be fine. Besides, who doesn't love those warm summer days swimming in the beautiful brown lakes?

Maker's Mark

Class this week was quite heated. There was a loud debate between many members of the classroom about women being "marked" and men being "unmarked". I wasn't involved with the argument because there was no debate to be had. I didn't agree with either side because every single person of every single race. sex and religion is marked. Everyone is identified as something and have something that marks them. I am marked as a 5'10, 16 year old, Albanian from New Jersey. Everyone is labeled in some shape or form. The argument that women are unmarked is very absurd. But the argument that because women are marked that they somehow go through harsher judgment for the choices they make about fashion and other things more than men is also absurd.

If I were to wear the freshest clothing everyday for months and months and then all of a sudden wear bummy clothes, there would be a comment made to me. I would be marked in that sense. It's no different for a woman, there will be a comment made to her as well. Point is, everyone is marked. Gender marking isn't a big deal to me because i think they are equal in regards to those issues.

Race marking on the other hand, is an issue and is a problem. Blacks and muslims are wrongfully marked as dangerous and as a threat to society. Their fashion choices are used to discriminate against them. Muslims who wear hijabs and other traditional clothing are feared. Black men who wear baggy jeans and their hat sideways are labeled as a "thug", but when they wear a suit and have a high paying job they are called "uncle tom's" and ostracized for being successful and dressing "white".

Of course, sexism hasn't been resolved but as the country becomes more united in the fight for women against someone who opposes it, there's real progress. Racism on the other hand is farther away from being resolved in the country as the country is split down the middle. Instead of uniting we have become more and more divided. Ending stereotyping and marking is the first step in a long journey to true equality.

Why are there so few women chefs?

Have you ever heard of the term "pizza girl"? Or "pizza woman"? Chances are, you haven't. There more commonly referred to as "Pizza guys" or "pizza men". This is because pizza making is a male dominated field. Where I work, there is not a single woman on the pizza line, or in the kitchen for that matter. I've always found that to be quite odd. At home the "traditional" role for women is to be in the kitchen and to cook, but in restaurants that I've worked at, there's no women cooking. If the kitchen is made out to be a place for women, why is there no women in kitchens at restaurants? Now I'm certain that there are women working at high class and common restaurants all around the world. Research and studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of all chefs are women. Let that sink in. Only 20. Why is that? Perhaps the expected role of a chef in restaurants is to be a male, while at home the chefs should be women and mothers. 

I think there should be more women in the kitchens of restaurants. Somehow we've built a culture where women should cook for families but not as a way of income. There is a flaw here. The aura of being a chef has somehow become masculine. There is no reason that women shouldn't be head chefs at 3 star michelin restaurants. Personally, I would love some diversity at my employer. I think that gendered spaces are detrimental, especially in places where it shouldn't be.

Comedians: Extra Credit

The stand up comedians at your local cafe aren't important in the grand scheme of things. Chances are, they'll never make it to a platform big enough to make a true social difference. Nothing against your local Adam Sandler but being a famous standup comedian is rare. Just think about how many comedians you know. Kevin Hart? Trevor Noah? Jon Stewart? there's probably about 10-15 comedians that are truly known. Now I don't want to discourage any up and coming comedians because their jobs are truly important. They talk about issues that no one else will and they make topics that are boring to many, and make it entertaining. 

I encourage you to watch the following video over your break: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUizvEjR-0U

This whole video is Jon Oliver talking about a disastrous event that no one else seemingly wants to truly talk about. He discusses the problem of Flint, and although it's a grim subject, he's able to make you laugh but also be outraged of the atrocities occurring. This is why comedians are important. They make necessary news accessible to the public. How will there be true change without an informed public? Comedians have an important job, they can really make a difference. 

In our PC culture many comedians are criticized for going "too far". Fact of the matter is, the truth hurts. I believe this is a good thing because they are pushing social boundaries. "Stories and expressions that are normally unacceptable are met with laughter and agreement when they are told on stage. The fact that the content is encrusted in humor is like a sugar coating to bitter medicine. The laugh takes away the sting."(Cohen)

Of course, some jokes may go too far but most of the time these offensive jokes have an underlying message that many people don’t see. Instead of being offended right away and complaining about a joke, perhaps these jokes should be taken past surface level because they may reveal something more. So to all the local Letterman's out there, keep doing your thing. Keep telling jokes. We are going to need laughter. Make America laugh again. 

Wealth and Happiness

Money isn't bad as everyone says it is. Money isn't the root of all evil, money is the root of all people. Every goal, whether good or ill revolves around the almighty dollar. Money DOES buy happiness. So don't listen to those people who tell you chasing money is pointless! It's not pointless. You can't take money to the grave? No way, you can definitely be buried with it if you know the right people at the funeral parlor. Would you rather go to work on a bike or in a custom made mass produced italian luxury sports car? Don't let anyone tell you that your materialistic goals are empty. They are not! Think about it. Why are richer countries happier than poor ones? 

Why do you do the things that you do? Do you take ap classes because you love a higher paced education? No you do it so you can get into a good college. Why do you want to get into a good college? So that you can get a high-paying job after. What do most of your goals revolve around? What's the final outcome? Sure you  want to be a doctor or a lawyer, but why? Do you actually love helping people? More likely than not, it's the fact that they make good money. "But no David!! I love science!" OK, so would you do it for the salary of a teacher? Money makes a difference. 

Money is the true decider of our life. Everything is based off of a piece of paper and it's disheartening and I realize it. I know money wont buy me happiness but I still crave it. I still crave something that has no real value. I still strive for the thing that I know won't do anything for my happiness. We all do. We all know money doesn't create happiness but still it is the motivator behind all of our actions.

Growing Up

"Arm Wrestling With My Father " is a story all about the ever-changing growth and complexities of his relationship with his father. In many ways people can relate their own relationship with their parents to what Manning is saying in some way. Every child has the realization that their parents are getting older and that they won't live forever. The story is more about the effects of time on their relationship as well as showing love for his father. Time changes parent-child relationships because eventually roles are reversed and the child is now the caretaker.

As I get older, this is always in the back of my mind.This complexity affects my relationship with my mother more than eve. As we both get older we realize that we should spend more time together. My mom realizes that in a year I will be off to college and I realize that they we won't spend much time together. As i entered high school, my mother and I spent less and less time. I started taking ap classes, I studied more, I got a job, and slept whenever I had free time. This combination was detrimental  to our relationship. Eventually I realized that I needed to spend more time with her. Growing up changes a lot within the mother-son bond but there should always be time left over for the loved ones in your life. Brad Manning misses the time spent with his father just as I miss the time spent with my mother but we both realize that soon even more time will be lost. Unfortunately this comes with growing up. Everyone has to experience it and for me, I wish I realized this when I was younger.

Disability and the workplace

As I was working last night I took a look around the restaurant. I was trying to analyze if anyone could possibly work or even eat here if they had a disability. As I looked in the kitchen, there was nothing to help aid anyone that was physically disabled. The restaurant has lots of tight spaces, no wheelchair ramps, and nothing else that could help anyone disabled. Perhaps it's just the work needed and perhaps a disabled person couldn't do the tasks needed. But as I pondered about this on the way home, why couldn't a physically disabled person be a waiter? Why couldn't they make sandwiches in the back? Why couldn't they be a manager? I realized that there is no reason, it's just that the restaurant made the conscious decision not to do so and to not implement helpful things for disabled people. I tried not to be too critical of my workplace, so I went ahead and went to three different restaurants after work. Mcdonald's, chipotle, and bahama breeze. At all of these locations there was absolutely nothing there to help disabled people work there. No ramps. No railings. Nothing.

It made me sad because I realized that disabled people can be turned down just because the workplace can't accommodate for them. For me, I was only able to look at the restaurant industry. Hopefully in other service and manufacturing industries, there are more tools available to help disabled people work there. All in all, there needs to be a change in the restaurant industry at least. There needs to be resources available to those who need it. There needs to be equal opportunity for the physically disabled.