Jerks at Fashion Bug

Ever been fired? Possibly. I was, sort of, kind of, once.

When you woArk in retail, there is oftentimes a discount given to employees… a generous amount, involving a lot of hassle to find a specific manager to ring out your purchase and several hours of digging for the right bargain after a large amount of stock has marked down.

well, back in December I bought Christmas presents with said discount.

It came back to bite me in the ass.

Apparently, one is not allowed to use their employee discount to buy presents. At least, at Fashion Bug, home of bloated prices and crappy clothing it isnt.

So in February when our store was audited and failed several times because past managers had stolen a ton of merchandise, pion employees myself were targeted for part of this failure.

They sat me down, went through all my old transactions and said, you bought some items in December that had a different “size index code” than the ones you’ve bought before. These weren’t for you, were they?

Needless to say, lying in the face of authority probably would’ve saved my ass and left me with that crappy job.

A few days ago I got a bill in the mail for the “losses” my company suffered. A measly 20 bucks has turned into 90 due to processing and the grievances I’ve caused the state of Ohio.

Grievances? Please. Stop throwing parties and getting your friends wasted, heads of state.

Global Food Shortage–Blame Shifting

The price of rice has increased more than 90 percent in the past year, and several Asian nations have cut off rice exports for fear their supply will run dry.

Investors and food suppliers are doing nothing to mitigate the situation. Similar to our oil industry, these profit-seeking hounds have bought up rice and sold it at higher than market value, only contributing to the high prices.

Food riots have riddled Indonesia, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Haiti. Bangladeshi textile workers have been protesting. Demand in China and India is on the rise due to increasing populations. Japanese markets are in an uproar as hagglers fight for the right to purchase their next meal.

Key United Nations development agencies are going to be meeting in Switzerland to discuss the matter. After weeks of leaders sitting on the sidelines, watching their people fight over rice grains or giving their last savings to buy enough to feed their family for a few days, they’ve finally found the sensibilities to take action.

Biofuels are partly to blame. A lot of grain that could be used for food is being transformed into fuel. Not to mention that industrializing nations have an increased demand for higher quality foods and meat products, and livestock eat a lot of grain.

Now, I’m sure the question is: Why does this matter? I’m not pointing fingers and blaming anyone for being ignorant, because it’s impossible for one to know what’s going on in the world if it’s not being reported on.

The coverage I’ve found has been little more than analysis and feeble calls for supply and demand to be re-examined. The blame falls on a lack of price caps and poor leadership. But this food shortage will make its way here. Our farmers have already been trapped in subsidies here in the States. They are able to undersell their grain to make a small profit, but in these struggling nations, fields are lying fallow because they cannot afford to farm them.

It’s about time the UN decided to sit down and chat about this. Our hope is that they will decide that there is more at stake here than profits, mob affiliations or additions to their mansions. We only have one world, but is there enough of it to sustain all of our high-cost demands? Everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie, but there isn’t enough to go around.

Roommate Shifting and a Split

Have you ever willingly given up a close relationship you had with someone? I don’t mean a simple breakup (though they’re usually messy), a friend, or a family member. I’m talking about the kind of relationship that is deep-seeded and full of a system of reliances, trusts, memories and struggles.

The Bible Study group I’m in has grown too big for my house. We meet every Thursday, and 35 people are one-too-many to fit in my living room anymore. So, we’re splitting up into two smaller groups and meeting at different houses.

This may not seem like that big of a deal. In all retrospect though, it is. You see, our Bible Study group is a network of community and fellowship–the kinds that are mentioned throughout the Bible itself (if you ever take the time to examine Jesus’ relationship with his disciples and the friendships that seemed like brotherhoods). As the “body” of Christ, which consists of any Christian, we are a brotherhood… a family.

Not just for the sake of belonging, oh no, but within this group we make deep connections and get to know each other on an intense level–friendships that can usually survive simple trials because they are not based on what we can get from each other, but how we can love the other person despite our feelings. In the grand scheme of things, as a Christian, you slough off your own self and put others first. I adamantly hold to this.

But since we are splitting, people I’ve met with twice a week and hung out with on many occasions are going to be leaving me. Er, I’m leaving them. It’s a very sad thing, but at the same time, I’m joyful. Roommates are moving out. Relationships are shifting.

It’s hard for me to accept, however. Still, I’d rather have had the chance to know them than never to have known them at all.

Mugabe’s Temper Leaves 10 Dead?!

Robert Mugabe, former president of Zimbabwe, has thrown enough hissy-fits that I might as well call him a girl. Maybe if I invited him over and we painted each other’s toenails or curled each other’s hair he might calm down for a second.

He and his Zanu-PF party have dominated Zimbabwean politics since their independence from British rule in 1980. But with a new election finished and the results tallied and painfully clear, Mugabe is clinging to his power seat for dear life. Morgan Tsvangirai, Movement for Democratic Change opposition leader, has been adamant that he won the election fair and square, that the numbers don’t lie and that Mugabe called a recount because he is a sore loser. So, it went to court.

Ruffled feathers and flustered political leaders aside, Zimbabweans are still scuffling over the issue. The Associated Press reported that 10 people were killed and 3,000 families have been forced from their homes since the election due to violence and hospitalization for their injuries.

According to exit poll results, Mugabe lost by 60 percent. But nobody is supposed to know that, or they might end up with an angry Mugabe under their bed. Not kidding, he knows everything that goes on within his borders.

But there is more at stake here than Zimbabweans and their well being. The idea of democracy in Africa is hanging by a thread. There is the possibility for an upsurge of unrest within this crisis, and one man is holding all the strings.

Mugabe, you are not the next Julius Caesar. How many people have to die before you realize your selfishness is out of control?

Journalism at the end of its road?

Ohio State is closing its Journalism Library. Circulation of its school newspaper is going to be halted for the summer quarter. I just found out the program isn’t an accredited one.

To be honest, instead of being angry with the University or plain pissed off, I’m depressed. I’ve taken the liberty of emailing all the heads of OSU’s Communications Program, but they kept passing me up the line to someone else that “might” be able to answer my question. Eventually I got my answer in an email: “Ohio State’s Journalism Program has remained unaccredited for the past 10 years. However, Ohio State is an accredited University. The Journalism Program is taking a step in the digital direction and focus is being redirected…”

I couldn’t read anymore. Tears were blurring my vision. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so defeated in all my life.

To be honest, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. A speaker that came to Ohio State said famously, (I quote this from a friend who actually went to see him) “if you want to be a writer, a novelist, as I’m sure most of you do… then get a job as a waiter and write on your spare time. Let the journalists be journalists. This isn’t for you.”

Maybe it took me too long to make a decision. Journalism is fun and innovative to a fault, but with Ohio State slowly shoving it in the closet and burying it within its Communications Program, it seems to be only another sign of the inevitable death of journalism as an art form. Unfortunately, Google is too cheap to hire any actual journalists of their own and until the BBC or AP stop wiring news to them, there is still as silver lining of hope. I always thought journalism was about reporting the news with fairness and equality. Then the real world came along and rained on my parade. If it isn’t about business and money making, than it must be useless.

Revisiting Global Warming and Student Ignorance

I’m well aware that global warming and the need for renewable energy is being shoved down someone’s throat somewhere right now. Unfortunately, the truth is hardly as pretty. I took Geography 520 autumn quarter and have never felt more ignorant. From water vapor, green house gasses, temperature changes, to melting ice shelves. All of these specific infrastructures and natural processes are being interrupted by our burning of fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels get burned, carbon dioxide is increased as well as water vapor, and this leads to increase in surface and air temperature, which make up the energy budget. There are physical factors to determine climate change, all of which that point to Anthropogenic Heating

If physical evidence isn’t enough, maybe examining the long-term effects would help. Other than food shortages caused by the hustle of using food for fuel, there are 2 billion people who will starve so 60 million auto drivers can fill their 25-gallon SUVs with ethanol. There is also the food chain to consider. 

Here’s the worst part: As our climate warms in milder domains, ice caps will melt and ocean levels will rise. Not to mention disease-ridden insects and other critters will migrate northward to the United States. This means more cases of Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, scorpion bites and fire ants. Viruses also survive and travel better in warm weather.

I’m not pointing any fingers at our politicians, researchers or global advocates. There’s been enough blame-shifting as it is. But sometimes they do have a good point. Al Gore wasn’t completely full of crap when he decided our world had a problem, that each individual in the U.S. has a fossil-fuel addiction. 

Sure, I’ve been accused of being a hippie. But when I hear someone say “I can’t wait for this global warming stuff to kick in so we can golf outside more often,” I’m disgusted and a little depressed. The first step to fixing this is to be aware of it, and as college students I’d hope some of us would have some sort of idea as to what’s going on in the world.

Love is all you Need

Newest column for the Lantern, released today.

You can find it in its original context here: http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/04/09/Opinion/Love-Is.All.You.Need-3312608.shtml

Spring is finally here. There’s Frisbee on the Oval, people soaking up as much Sun as they can, horrible music blaring from the open windows of someone’s car and the inevitable spring fever.

For anyone familiar with Disney’s “Bambi,” spring is that magical time of the year when all species become “twitterpated” and hit the dating scene. It might be the local meat market, one of our humble bars, someone you notice in class or that special someone you had your eye on all winter. The outcomes are inevitable, but for the not so faint of heart, you just might end up ensnared in that mythical trap known as puppy love.

Love in all measures of the word is far too heavy. Definitions extend to every facet of our cultural spectrum.

Scientists used to avoid the subject and some blame chemistry. Could such an outstanding idea, which affects our entire person, really rely on a few simple hormones?

We often see love exemplified in the media under the “sacrifice” umbrella, but this concept makes a great movie. Who would pay to see the hero and the heroine settle down and argue over something domestic or realize it was all lust and split up? Real-life stuff only looks good on reality TV.

The point is there are more facets to love than its safe dimensions, which have been combed through by more doctors and psychoanalysts than necessary. The best way to get grips of it is to ask: Is love a feeling or an action?

When viewed as a feeling, I immediately think of the tingles and sweaty palms. One begins to wonder if this potential partner will fulfill their needs and what they can get out of the relationship. Attitudes like this can break up the relationship, because this is a selfish way to look at it. But if there are no grounds of attraction or desire, it can be difficult to care for someone else. The feelings part can be crucial, and this is only because as humans we are ruled by our perceptions and analysis of the things around us.

As for the second half, the action part, I consider this more important than feelings five times over. There is a saying, “character is what you do when no one is looking.” This is just as applicable here. Culturally, different religions consider specific acts (whether religious rites or otherwise) tokens of love and these hold high esteem. Think of chivalry or simple gestures. They often impact a person’s entire day and stick with them.

Love is one of those abstract ideas that will never be completely tangible. Perhaps when robots take over the world, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist will finally find the answer and inject it into a little pill. I think of the word “love” in the same way I think of “hope,” a word misused to the point the real meaning might be lost. But Voltaire put it best: “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.”

When the oven bites

Cooking is overrated. What I mean to say is that, as a semi-adult female living in the “set it and forget it,” or “instant gratification” era, I’ve never taken the time to really try to cook a decent meal beyond Ramen noodles and frozen pizza.

Nutrition is an extremely important aspect of one’s life, especially with all of the health concerns lounging loftily on the horizon. Smoking is considered enough to send one to purgatory, forgetting to exercise may cause an anxiety attack, and if your car isn’t on its way to “going green,” then its time to buy a new one.

Fast food is not the blame for all this, however, I’m not even going to begin to mention their hold on society and the influence they curtail. But the whole idea of popping it in the microwave, of driving up and having it handed to you, all of it is dauntingly beautiful. The simplicity of doing nothing and getting something — it certainly is tempting.

I’ve tried baking once or twice, which is a member of the “cooking” family, and they were birthday cakes for my father. It’s not important that he liked cake from a box versus the home-made stuff, but what matters is that both times he ended up with a horrible mistake. He gleefully stuffed the treat into his face in between chuckles, and told me it was the best present he could’ve gotten.

Perhaps it isn’t the mastery of the oven that is my problem, but my mastery of using a stove in general. In most homes today one can find a standard electric range, but if its gas you can count me out. I set a pot on fire once by pouring oil into it (no one told me you had to let the oil heat up with the pan). Amidst my screaming and flailing, I pulled open a window and threw the inferno into the neighbors yard. No one was harmed in my attempts at making spaghetti.

Words to the uneducated wannabe chef: have someone show you, visibly. Those books are full of crap and the pictures don’t even make any sense. If you can cook, however, congratulations. I’m coming to your house and you’re showing me all you know.

I pity my future husband, really, I do. But, hey, I’m really good at doing the dishes.

Biofuels… is nature still giving?

Second column to run in the Lantern – my University’s newspaper.

I’ve felt burdened by all of the arguments revolving around alternative energy, and thus this column was born. You can access it on the Lantern’s website here:

http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/04/02/Opinion/New-Fuel.Ideas-3297839.shtml

Here is the full text. I’ve added a bit to it, since I had a 500 word limit to work with and I felt as though there was room for more argument. Unfortunately in the few comments I’ve gotten so far, a lot of people misunderstood my tone. It is sarcastic on purpose.

Without further ado:

This alternative/renewable fuel craze has become legendary. Not only are gas prices at an all-time high (according to Lyndon, it is because they can be), our economy is slowly edging toward recession. Our wallets are empty and so are our gas tanks. However, there is hope on the horizon.

Chevrolet has gone to the extreme and produces cars that run on biofuels. Honda and others have released hybrid cars. Don’t have that option? There is another.

Yes, I am talking about ethanol and biodiesel. We all know what it is – alternative biofuel made from the fibers of corn stalks or whatever. Alternative energy production is extremely important for preservation of fossil fuels. However, the energy it takes to clear the land and produce the crops necessary is depleted before any of the crops are harvested. In other words, corn biofuel production is self-sustaining.

Production of biofuels is a severe mix of technologies. Development within farm engineering, car design, economic ramifications, all of it is a mess. A few years ago, corn was looked at as the answer to all our problems, but it has created new ones. It only helped to increase carbon emissions. Think about it. Cutting down forests to create arable land to grow more corn. It just does not add up.

However, there are two overlooked weeds that can grow on the worst soil without yearly rotation, need little or no attention, require no chemical fertilizers or pesticides and grow wildly on their own. I am talking about hemp and jatropha. I can hear the snickers now, but in all fairness, these weeds are both fibrous and abundant.

Hemp, made famous by Cheech and Chong, produces oil at $43 a barrel, which is nearly $40 less than it takes to produce a barrel from corn. Hemp is also a useful source of paper, cloth, etc., but as far as I know the cotton industry scared them off. Compared to corn, hemp produces 10 tons more biomass per acre, saving the space and energy to cultivate it in the first place.

Jatropha, which grows wildly from China to Brazil, is just another neglected weed that is having land set aside to be cultivated. Easily compared to switch grass (its American cousin), jatropha has seeds that contain 40 percent oil, and this oil is perfect fodder for diesel fuel.

It is estimated that 500 million acres of farmland are unused within rotation each year, and crops such as hemp would thrive on this empty land. This would not only help to recharge the soil, but eliminate some carbon dioxide in the process.

Why waste so much usable land when our point in the first place is to start conserving? Corn seems to be the friendly answer, but when degredation of the earth’s resources is at stake, are we going to stop at friendly? I can picture us now, sitting in line at the gas station and angrily shaking our fists at the man changing the prices in front of us to a dollar higher while we’re waiting. In times of crisis we tend to lean on ravenous, and at that point friendly answers won’t be enough.

Getting the government to accept hemp’s alternate use would not be an easy task due to its relativity and similarity to its cousin, the cannabis plant. However, nature is not two-dimensional, and in this case I think we have taken a big step out of the fossil fuel box, but we can take a step or two further.

First Entry

This is a blog I’m starting for a class.

There is a lot more to it, however, then a collection of spare thoughts that wander through the common college student’s mind.

I write columns for the Lantern, and these will be featured every now and then.

My background as a believer, a girl raised in the sticks and a nearly talentless hack have brought me to the conclusion that life is full of purpose and disposable meaning. However, in the big scheme of things, that the world is a much more optimistic place despite how it appears to the common cynic. If you can’t find the silver lining, then you are too busy looking at your feet to see what’s bigger then you, what has a greater effect on you than you’re willing to let on.

The Ohio State University was the doorway to realizing who I was. High School is the preparation phase, but once you take a step out the door of adolescence and into pre-adulthood there are more options than the common shopping mall.

God bless.

Amy