More Adventurous.

robertreich:

Suddenly, manufacturing is back – at least on the election trail. But don’t be fooled. The real issue isn’t how to get manufacturing back. It’s how to get good jobs and good wages back. They aren’t at all the same thing.

Republicans have become born-again champions of American manufacturing. This…

I’ve said it a hundred times before, and at risk of sounding like a broken record, I am going to say it again: Planned Parenthood is one of America’s most important health establishments. I can think of few other organizations that contribute more to the health and well being of the general public. While I am saddened by the success of Pro-Life pressures on the public and on the Federal Government, I am more saddened by the misrepresentation of the goals of Planned Parenthood, and the ignorance of what the organization actually does.  Planned Parenthood is one of the few organization that reaches under served populations and attempts to provide education about the importance of sexual health and safe sex practices. As a result, Planned Parenthood is responsible for the prevention of far more pregnancies than the amount of abortions it performs.  Politics have no place in health care. It is disappointing to see the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an organization that I have supported in the past, turn it’s back on an organization that does so much for women’s health because of a political matter that has no place in this forum.

I have always had mixed feelings about Berkeley protesters, but I have always had strong feelings against the use of unnecessary force by law enforcement. 

(Source: bestweekever.tv)

“The old view was anyone could make it in America with enough guts and gumption. We believed in the self-made man (or, more recently, woman) who rose from rags to riches – inventors and entrepreneurs born into poverty, like Benjamin Franklin; generations of young men from humble beginnings who grew up to became president, like Abe Lincoln. We loved the novellas of Horatio Alger, and their more modern equivalents – stories that proved the American dream was open to anyone who worked hard.”

Damn… he wins. Also, probably want this to be my kid.

thebluthcompany:

fossphate:

LOOSE SEAL.  

They better start working on those Baby Buster shorts. 

While I was job searching, which usually results in procrastination in some way or another, I came across this interesting article in the New York Times that called into question the recent surge of “Safe” playgrounds.  I recalled all the times I heard older generations discussing how things were in “their days”.  The article brings to light research that states that putting children in environments that are too safe can potentially be emotionally stunting. I am sure that my parents would be up in arms against that statement, but as a young person who grew up in the 90s (which is arguably still a part of the “safety-first” era), I can see how that could be the case.  Growing up, I spent most of my afternoons playing outside with the local neighborhood kids. Since I was lucky enough to grow up in the suburbs, and for most of my life, in a cul-de-sac, my parents were put at [relative] ease for my safety. However, this meant I was able to safely explore and push my limits, as any kid would.  Some of my favorite memories are of riding skateboards down the big hill by my house, or swinging from a rope into my neighbor’s pool. I loved hanging upside down from the top of the jungle gym (slightly reminiscent of “Upside Down Girl” from ‘Recess’, which btw was a GREAT cartoon..).  Anyway, I digress.  I guess what my point is that parents today coddle their children too much.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t think of the safety of our children, that would just be silly. But, I do think we need to acknowledge the fact that kids are pretty resilient.  Sure, they are little, but I have found that they are often tougher than adults. They are fearless, and reading this article made me fear that we are creating a generation of people that are afraid to take risks…and that’s scary as hell.

I spent the last week in Boston & New York visiting my Brother and working with a Professor at the American Museum of Natural History. I kind of forget how different the atmosphere of a big city is. New York just exudes this feeling of urgency that San Francisco just doesn’t.  As much as I love the culture and the excitement of living in a city that literally. Does. Not. Sleep. (Ever). I don’t think I could live in a city where I am judged for getting my coffee in the morning in sweat pants. Maybe the Bay has turned me into a giant hippy, maybe I am just inherently lazy.  That being said, New York is fabulous, and I cannot wait to get back there.

(Side Note: AMNH = AWESOME)

Icaro Doria, a Brazilian man, working for a magazine in Portugal started this campaign using real data from the UN and flag images, he’s created whats known as Meet the World. The colors within the flags from its respective country are used to represent current, geographical relevant issues. Take a look.

United States

Angola

Somalia

China

Colombia

Burkina

(Source: spinnellii)

One of the best parts of being at Berkeley is that I get to interact with some of the most intelligent people around on a daily basis.  This is one of them. Ladies and gentlemen, my Public Policy professor, Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.