Mixed Blessings

Ireland has always appealed to me. The beautiful, open country and people with amazing accents is what I think of when I hear the word Ireland. Watching this video was eye opening to me in that it showed what Ireland is about and how they practically revolve around the Catholic church and have for quite some time.

However, things are tough right now over there and the church went up for sale. To the Irish people, this was devastating to hear because that is where they worship and have done so their entire lives. It was priced around $5 million. Later on, a business man purchased the church for more than the asking price. This man was thinking about just leaving it a church for the Jesuits (members?) to worship. The people were hoping that he would do so.

The video also covered families and how women work outside of the home, when 15 years ago they did not. The women now need to work as well in order to support their family. Also, Irish women were known to have 4 to 6 children but now only have 2 to 3. Twenty years ago you would have never heard of an Irish couple getting a divorce, but today it happens frequently.

Another topic that caught my attention was that marriages were arranged. The parents of the son or daughter would arrange a partner for them to marry. I don't know if I could handle my parents choosing someone for me to spend the rest of my life with. I would take their opinion into consideration but for them to actually choose my future husband, I don't think I would be able to allow.

In the future I would love to visit the beautiful country and maybe even pick up their accent :)

Third Time Around

This video about the American troops in Iraq was an emotional one. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that we are in a war and there are men and women overseas fighting for us and their families as well as other things. This war has been a part of my life for eight years now and I hope and pray that it will be over soon. I really don't understand totally why we are there or what we are doing but I pray that all of the troops come home alive to see their families. The part of the video that showed a troop die due to a roadside bomb and then for another soldier to tell his family about it was hard for me to see. I know that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that the troops who died did so in honor.

I don't know how the family who are at home wandering every day if their son or husband will come home alive do it. It has to be so difficult to raise your child alone and to think that your spouse is missing a lot of the child's life. There were some soldiers interviewed that actually want to stay overseas until the Iraqi people have a stable government and when there are no more suicide bombers etc... They feel like they owe it to the people and to the fallen soldiers. Words cannot express how thankful I am for U.S. troops.

I know a person who has deployed overseas and I think about him often, wandering if he's ok and what he's doing. God is in ultimate control and all I can do is support the troops and pray that they are safe.

Toxic Toys

Why is America importing toys from China? I really don't think that it is a good thing especially when some of the toys can be toxic. I don't understand why America can't make their own toys and export them to other countries which in turn would benefit our economy. I think that our country is known for importing material from other countries but there should be a limit when we are importing more than we are exporting.

As for toys, I think that we should inspect every toy the U.S. imports and make sure that they have no phalates in them. I know that it will be expensive but if I were a parent, I would want to make sure that none of my kid's toys were toxic. As a parent I would thoroughly check all the toys bought for my children and make sure they were safe.

I also think that if America would start making more of their own toys or anything for that matter, our economy might be better off than it is right now. China seems to be booming and I would like to know why that is. I think part of it has to do with the U.S. importing more things than importing which helps other countries more than us. If we didn't ship so much stuff overseas to China, the U.S. might be "ok" and China would be hurting. I know the United States is a country of freedom and wants to help everyone but when it comes to our own "income" so to put it, we need to satisfy our needs first. You might think this is a harsh statement but sometimes it's the only way to survive economically.

We need to double check everything that is imported and make sure that there is nothing toxic in the products. This might take a lot of money and effort but in the end I think it would better benefit America.

Christians United for Israel

Israel has been an important topic for quite awhile now. The United States has always and should always support and back up Israel. Israel is the holy land and is a very important part of the Christian's life. I don't know a lot about the end times but I do know that the Lord is coming back and that those who believe and trust in Him will be taken up into Heaven to live with Him for eternity. I believe there will be a rapture and a second coming and am ready for whenever it happens.

The video I watched was about the United States and Israel. It talked about John Hagee and what he believes will happen. Some people might think he's insane but I think it makes pretty good sense. I might not agree with him on everything but I do think that he knows a lot about the scriptures. Psalm 12:2,3 says: (the Lord speaking about Israel) And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." I believe this verse to be pretty obvious about just how important Israel really is. I understand that people have different beliefs than I do, but I just want to be able to share my beliefs (not force) with anyone and everyone.

Sick around the world

Sick around the world was a video that taught me about other countries and their health care system. It was interesting to hear how they treat their patients and how the doctors are paid...

The first country visited was Britain. Their health care is different from Americas in that it takes on a more socialistic view of how they run their hospitals and so on. Doctors are paid based on how many patients they have and if they stay healthy. Patients do not, however, have to pay doctor bills.

The next country, which was Japan, has a health care system similar to the U.S. Japanese are known for a long life expectancy. How their system works is that people have to sign up for health care. There are no high taxes and all citizens are covered. This system is called Social insurance. If the patient or citizen loses their job, they will not be at risk of losing their health care (as Americans would). The down side to this is that half of the hospitals are in financial deficit because they don't charge enough.

The next country is Germany. Germany has a system known as the "Bismark Model". They only have to pay a $15 co pay every 2/3 months whereas Americans pay one every time they go into the hospital. Hospitals are not being paid enough and doctors here only earn half of what doctors in the U.S. do.

Taiwan is the next country described. For twenty plus years, Taiwan had the worst health care. Now they are thriving because they looked all around the world comparing different health care systems and taking some tips from each and then making it better. Everyone is treated equal, meaning rich people cannot opt out of health care. Patients have a smart card that they just scan and the doctor can get their entire history and who they are right away. Bills go straight to the government insurance office and is paid immediately. The video shared that most of the citizens are very satisfied with this form of health care.

The last country they interviewed was Switzerland. Their health care system is like the U.S. but is reformed and has a more universal curve to it. They believe that everyone has a right to health care. There are three issues: 1) Insurance companies must accept everyone, 2) Everyone must buy insurance and the government pays for the poor, 3) Doctors and hospitals must accept one standard set of fixed prices.

Learning about each of these countries different style of health care was eye opening. I don't know much about America's health care system but I'm sure there can be improvements. I think that if we do what Taiwan did and look at the other countries and what their system is like and then try to make it better, we would fare well. I do know that U.S. health care is very expensive. I know we can change something without going universal but I'm just not quite sure what that would be.

Tank Man

This video was moving for me. To watch an ordinary man run out during a stressful time in China and stand in front of several tanks was a courageous thing to do. Back then, China was not a free country and if someone were to do something the government wouldn't like, that person could possibly die. That's what shocked me the most, was watching those soldiers driving the tanks just stop and not really do anything about the man blocking their way. No one knew who this "tank man" was, but for people to witness and even years later see pictures of this gutsy move was an inspiration. In a way, this reminds me of David and Goliath in the Bible; how Goliath was this enormous Philistine with armor and a sword and how David was a man of God with only a sling shot and a little stone. David stood against Goliath and in the end, defeated him. Both David and this "tank man" had amazing courage to stand up for what they believed in.

What also amazed me was to watch a part from the video that was interviewing three college aged students from China about the "tank man" and who he was. They saw a picture of him standing in front of the tanks and didn't have a clue as to who he was or even what the picture stood for. The narrator explained how many students from around the world knew about this man and what the image meant, but when it came to students in China they really didn't know who he was. This tells me how strict China was and is and how the government doesn't want their people to know things that would have a negative effect on them.

This video has also made me realize how proud I am to be an American. Sometimes I lose sight of that but I don't think I would want to live anywhere else. Even though I've never been to a different country, I know that the United States of America is a special country and that's why so many people want to live here.

Mind, Maps and Poverty

This video I watched by Han Rosling was interesting yet I was kind of lost in it. He explained about many different countries changing over time along with the economy... He showed graphs of child mortality in Asian countries going down over time and many others that I couldn't quite understand. Mr. Rosling also mentioned that certain parts of Africa are not in need of things like we think they are. He said that they have everything they need and more. I don't know if that is true but I would think that it would be.

The thing I thought was most intriguing was the fact that China and its economy compared to the United States and our economy is coming to a point where China is equal with the U.S.

Mr. Rosling seemed to know what he was doing and tried to show what he wanted people to know in his graphs. He was very easy to listen to and I enjoyed hearing a Swedish accent.

The Singularity

This video wasn't really that interesting to me. I believe it was about the human brain and explaining how it works compared to software. It was based on Ray Kurzweil's book: "The Singularity, a hard or soft takeoff". What caught my attention was when he began talking about evolution and how we've been around for "billions" of years. I totally disagree. Mr. Kurzweil may be a genius and be able to figure out things some people can't even imagine, but when he thinks that we evolved from worms, he doesn't seem so smart to me. Everything on this planet was created by the one and only God-in six days, not by a "big boom" that occurred billions of years ago. I don't know how anyone can think of this magnificent world being formed by an explosion. What really surprised me was that Mr. Kurzweil studies human brains and how they work. Knowing how complex the brain is, I don't know how he could think we evolved from worms or parasites even. In the end, I suppose people have different perspectives on how we got here and how it happened. I believe that God created each and every one of us along with animals and nature-EVERYTHING- and accomplished it in six days.

Mr. Kurzweil then talked about neurons and what's involved with them. Most of what he was saying, I couldn't comprehend. He seems very, very smart and is accomplished.

As for the discussion we had in class, I thought it was very interesting yet confusing. Trying to think of a future that would be nothing but technology is hard to fathom. If I had a choice between staying human or becoming part of technology, I would choose to stay human. I believe that God put us on this earth as humans for a reason, and that is to share His Word with others. Even if this future of technology were to come true(which I don't believe to be true) I pray that the Lord will come back or I will die. I know that sounds bad but if that's what it comes down to, I think I would rather die than to become part of a technological world.

Wal-Mart: High Cost of Low Prices

Is Wal-Mart really a good store to support? After watching this movie about small businesses going out after years and the way Wal-Mart treats their employees, I'm not really sure anymore. In the movie the CEO of Wal-Mart was saying how well they treat their employees and that they are paying them well, but the employees say something entirely different. Small businesses who had been thriving for over forty years were now closing their doors because Wal-Mart was coming in and building another "super center". I don't think Sam Walton would have wanted this to happen when he began this franchise. I also witnessed on the video that when small towns got wind that a Wal-Mart was "intruding" they immediately started a campaign to protest against it. I never really thought about the intricate details of a Wal-Mart and what they do, but after watching this movie it's changed my perspective on the way I look at it.

Moving on to the employees; I was shocked at the way they were treated. In order for them to have decent health care, they had to "buy" it from Wal-Mart and some employees were on medicaid or other certain government health care. Employees in China at the Wal-Mart factories were treated even worse. They were provided with apartments or dorms that were very small and unclean. The workers were paid $0.18 an hour to make shirts or anything they were told. These products (like T-shirts) were sold in America for $14.00 or more and none of the money was going back to the workers in China. I find this degrading. Certain Wal-Mart commercials would say how well the employees were treated and cared for when really they were lying through their teeth. Wal-Mart makes millions and millions of dollars each and every year and can't find a way to better accommodate their employees both here in America and in China??? Maybe Wal-Mart has lower prices than everyone else but are you willing to support the way they treat others? This video has opened my eyes and made me realize that there is a lot more going on than what you can see. It's made me think about why I would shop at Wal-Mart and if I'll continue to do so.

The Corporation

The Corporation means: A collection of people or group of individuals going in the same direction or working together. It is known as an externalizing machine. Corporations "were" meant to help people with things they are unable to do themselves. They are helpful in ways such as building bridges, roads, and many more things. You might know some like: Nike, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, General Electric, Apple, Mary Kay, etc... Many people today rely on Corporations for their employment.

Watching this movie about "The Corporation" was eye opening. I haven't ever thought of how they work and what they do. In ways they can be helpful but they can also be harmful. Some Corporations don't care about their workers or "laborers" and how they are treated and even other small business owners. I saw that many employees of certain corporations only get paid $0.03 cents an hour for making a shirt and the shirt can be sold for $15.00. When this occurs, I think that the CEO of that certain corporation should try his/her best to fix it and make it better. One part in the movie was about the CEO, owner of Nike and being asked to go to Indonesia which was where a very big part of the shoes were being made. I was shocked when I heard him say that he has never been to Indonesia and doesn't have the time to go. This is just appalling. I don't understand how someone who owns a corporation like Nike can just sit back in his luxurious home and not care about the people who are making all of these shoes. Without them their would be nothing...


To run a corporation takes a lot of patience, determination and skill. I'm grateful for those who take on such tasks. Even though some corporations are beneficial, they can also be destructive towards workers, consumers, and other businesses. There can be illnesses, defects and diseases caused by corporations because of their lack of cleanliness and health. This should be unacceptable and should be changed very quickly. Yes, we can save money with Wal-Mart but what about those "small" businesses that are just being pushed to the side. The owners of that business put just as much if not more effort into making his business than a CEO of a big corporation. All in all, many corporations are in it for the money and don't really care about much else, although their are some who do care and will go to great links to satisfy the consumer.