Entry #6: Thanksgiving

Can I just tell you all how excited I am that it's "technically" fall time! Now here in Phoenix, AZ fall time doesn't really exist weather wise. However, that doesn't stop me from throwing my shorts into the back of my closest and digging out my jeans and boots. Most of all, the high anticipated event of fall, Thanksgiving. No day is better because no day is focused solely around the point of eating until you take a nap then eating more, it's bliss. Nothing is better than having the whole family over and eating my Nana's red chile mixed with mashed potatoes. I come from a huge family so every holiday we're piled into my house and crammed around 4 tables with our favorite relatives. There's a certain amount of cheer and happiness around Thanksgiving that I feel is missing for Christmas. Christmas, everyone is worried about gifts and money while Thanksgiving is about nothing but food and family.

Entry #5: Wall-E & Technology

This clip from the movie Wall-E illustrates  a potential future for humans' dependency on technology. The entire movie Wall-E shows an earth completely obliterated by mass consumerism and human greed. All the humans have left Earth and boarded a large spaceship while robots are left to take care of the mess. Throughout the movie it's shown that this dependency on robots was not planned. Once Wall-E boards the ship and starts to cause problems, people start to "wake up".

Chuck and Mary are two people Wall-E tears apart from their technology. They both are going about their day, completely sucked into their chairs' screen. Both people seem amazed when they realize everything going on about them. This is an exaggeration on what is going on this day and age. Often people get so engulfed into their phones, televisions, and computers they don't realize all the activity going on around them.

We, as people, have also become very dependent on technology. I'm guilty of having to use my phone's GPS every time I go somewhere new. Don't get me started on how into Panda Pop I can get on my phone, often having to have my boyfriend repeat what he just told me. Even just walking from class to class without my headphones and music is difficult because God forbid someone speaks to me. The very technology we use to connect to others is what we use to create boundaries, some good some bad.

I think the most important thing with anything in life is moderation. We can still use technology and all its' wonders while still connecting with people in person. It's important to realize that while technology is so vital to our lives nowadays human connection is something irreplaceable.

Entry #4: Honor Killings

Source: behance.net

An extremely concerning issue that I feel doesn't get enough national attention is honor killings, specifically those committed in middle eastern countries. Every year thousands of women and girls are killed by family members because the victims bring "shame" to their family. Various reasons can be enough to warrant an honor killing in numerous cultures: refusing an arranged marriage; wanting a divorce; being raped; being homosexual; or various other actions that can be received as inappropriate for women in that culture. 

Honor killing are something most people think doesn't happen anymore. It's barbaric and uses violence to control especially women and young girls in cultures. The most horrifying point in honor killings is many of the killer will get away with it. Many laws allow people to find loopholes around being punished for killing family members. In certain countries families are allowed to forgive the killer, meaning they will serve no time. Many countries excuse killing if the women was caught cheating on her husband or most sexual acts. This allows many families to complete honor killings without facing serious consequences. Some progress is being made though, laws are being written almost every year in an attempt to help. Pakistan has just this year proposed a new bill that would revise a previous honor killing law, closing loopholes for killers. 

Despite all this progress many people worry that no law will fully eradicate honor killings. There is a deep rooted patriarchal society in these cultures that puts less value on women's lives compared to the overall honor of the family. It's difficult to remember that cultures all have different value systems than our own. These value systems allow for certain things we find barbaric, like honor killings, to be an unspoken truth in those cultures. It will take many years of educating the youngest generation to change this underlying culture. I hope that in my lifetime there continues to be improvements regarding honor killings and the importance of women's lives in cultures.

Entry #3: Biotechnology in the Home

In this video something very important to me personally, biotechnology. Biotechnology encompasses a large array of things such as, food, vaccines, even clothing. People often get confused or concerned when they hear bio-engineering because that sounds as if people are making new dangerous things. This is far from true. Biotechnology is extremely important because it allows us to alter organisms to create many thing. Insulin was created using biotech and continues to save millions of lives. Most vaccines we get throughout our lives are genetically altered through biotech making it an extremely valuable part of science.

A large shift that has been happening is more genetic research is being done outside of the lab. Computer scientist have made E.coli behave like a piece of film saying "hello world". A huge part of the shift is now we can make DNA, meaning we can make almost anything we think of and run tests on it eliminating the risk of running out of resources. Even the creation of 3D printing has allowed biotechnology to come more into the home. You can print most things on those 3D printers, allowing people at home to create some simple laboratory equipment.

Biotechnology is involved in so many areas in life that people don't realize. There are many advancements happening that could highly benefit people from all over the world. A huge part of Cathal Garvey's talk was the existence of patents in the scientific community. Patents make sure the people who come up with the technology or idea are paid for the idea. This is something both Garvey and I disagree with. He talks about the importance of making information free for people to continue to grow and develop on since now many people can't afford the expensive price of research.

I hope people continue to read more on biotechnology and realize it's not some scary voodoo but things researched to benefit lives. Biotechnology has continued to grow but without new people to keep research going no new discoveries can be made.

Entry #2: Why the Wage Gap?

Ever since I was little my parents always told me, "No one is better or less than you, everyone deserves the same." Imagine my surprise of finding out that to businesses women are worth less than men. Wage gap is something that, in my personal opinion, is barbaric. Nevertheless, women have been fighting this ongoing battle for many years with some success but still no equality. On average, women make 81 cents per dollar made by a male counterpart doing the same job, with minorities making even less than that.

Despite various efforts, including the Pay Act of 1963, employers still find ways to pay women less than men. Many women face challenges in their field, especially regarding time split between family and work. Women are often told to "want it all" referring to both a successful business and personal life, something men are never pressured to choose between. Many companies look at things, such as maternity leave, as an added cost to hiring women and use that to justify paying less to women compared to men. Many complain that the wage gap compares men and women in different careers but that is untrue. Studies done in various fields and careers have all shown the same thing, men are paid more than women.

I hope that as my generation enters the workforce we close the wage gap and truly make it equal pay. Women deserve the same amount of pay for their work regardless if they decide to have children or not. It's surprising the amount of ways companies can deny equal pay without violating laws and I constantly learn more about what to expect as I enter the work force. Wage Gap is sometimes called a myth but I implore everyone to do some research on the matter and realize inequality is a very real thing plaguing our society.