Shift happens

Wow!! After watching the Shift happens video online and listening to the podcast it does certainly prove that shift happens. The fact that we are preparing children for jobs that do not yet exist is quit alarming but at the same time now that we know this we can try to start them early in better schools and better prepare them for the future. It is important to remember that we can not learn less, we can only learn more. The future of America is also very alarming. What will happen if or when all the jobs we as Americans do get shipped to China or other places where they are smarter or charge less money? Our nation will be in a worse state than it is now, can it get any worse? I found it interesting that many of today's college majors didn't even exist ten years ago and that the number of college graduates in 2006 in America was significantly lower than the number in China and India. The video proves that shift does happen but also proves that America and its people need to get on the ball. It will be like playing catch up but will we even be able to?
Its good to know all of these things so that we can analyze and better prepare ourselves and our children for the very competitive world and our hustle and bustle society. The education starts at home and is reiterated at home as well.

Urbanization

The issues with urbanization are very important to understand for the global economy and the the world as a whole. There have been many changes in rural areas within the past few years. I currently live in Woodbridge Virginia and the amount of construction sites and road work seems to have sky rocketed. There are apartment buildings being built just about everywhere in order to get individuals to become tenants and have a place to stay. Many indivuduals would not consider Fredericksburg Virginia an urban area but more of a rural area. The city of Fredericksburg has been trying to become more of an urban area or suburb and shy away from its humble rural beginings by building more houses and stores within its area. Spotsylvania Mall is also being worked on and it seems as though the construction site is quit large. The malls entrance and number of stores has also jumped in number. The mall may eventually become the place to shop instead of the current "places to shop" such as Springfield Mall and Tysons. I believe that individuals moving from rural areas are trying to move to citites and urban areas for more opportunities and better jobs but when they make these moves they dont always have the means to do so therefore an individual who was "making it" in a rural area and doing well may become poor in a more urban society. We all want to make a better life for ourselves and our children and it is important to do so but we also should make sure we are in a place to do such and have the means to as well.

who has the power

The theory that I agree with most is the democratic elite theory. The theory was created by economist and political scientist Joseph Schumpeter. This theory is often described in terms of minorities having power. The truth behind this theory is that democracies and democrates are given the power to make decisions and etc. The problem many individuals have with this theory is that they believe democrats often are too liberal and never really get to the root of the problem, they simply concentrate on the working class and services provided to these individuals. In my eyes this isnt a problem because many Americans need services and the working class deserve a break every now and then just like the upper class do in this nation. The individuals who dont really care for this theory are most likely republicans who are often not interested in services or helping out the working class. I do believe that running a more complex nation or diverse America causes for more expertise than many believe the democratic party has. They often view democrats as liberal free trade individuals who have great ideas but dont have the backing or know how to see these ideas through. This is unfortunate but has become true over the years with John Kerry and Barack Obama seeming to have good ideas but not really being able to get them turned into action. Can we really blame that on the lack of knowledge or expertise or the republicans not voting for these ideas to become a reality?

Walmart

I do believe that walmart is good for America and the American people. I found the video to be very interesting. The fact that alot of individuals are against walmarts opening, such as in the case of the Fredericksburg Virginia land dispute, where individuals in the area don't really care about how good walmart is for the community they simply do not want one built on the battlefield or anywhere near it. They believe that it will take away from the history that is in the city and the battle that ensued there. It is understandable why they may feel this way, especially if they were born in that area and appreciate the history of it more than others from the outside looking in. In such a case as this I don't think that the walmart being built in that exact location is necessary. I cant understand why they just don't find another location to build. Walmart is good for America and will be good for many of the individuals in the city of Fredericksburg Virginia who have recently been laid off by opening up more job opportunities and more money into the area. Walmart has certainly made its mark on America and do advertise the lowest prices of things but I'm not sure if this is truth or not. It seems that they do have lower prices on certain items than other stores but how can we know this for sure? Are the lower prices due to the fact that most of the items at walmart come from china or other countries that charge lower for labor and to make these products? I would have considered walmart to be a monopoly in the past but now with other options such as target and online shopping its difficult to put walmart in the forefront as the leader of such a market. over all I do believe walmart is good for America.

The "Pill"

The PBS documentary about the birth control pill and its history was very interesting. The pill seems to have many side effects, many of which should be reason enough to simply stop taking them and practice safe sex or even abstinence. I was amazed at how the pill could effect women so much but at the same time make them feel as if they had all the power in the world. The pill gave women the right to ensure that their body's were taken care of or that the future that they would like will most likely become a reality. The wide range of stories from individuals who had experiences with birth control and the pill was interesting as well. The story that stuck out in my mind the most was the story about the gentleman who wanted to be a doctor. He got married, had one child with his wife, then she got fitted for a diaphragm but had to go to a different state in order to have that freedom. During those times women didn't have much freedom/choice when it came to their bodies and futures. Many of them had to give up their lives and be mother and wife. The fact that the doctors wife had to go to a different state for the diaphragm was probably the most intriguing situation because the number of women I know on the pill or other forms of birth control now is like 9 out of 10. Boy have times changed. I think is great that women can choose but the side effects don't seem worth the process in my eyes.

The second shift

Many of the chores on the list seem to be directed towards the female or mother in the household. Packing lunches, holiday cards, laundry, etc all are things that many of us see our mothers doing or females that we may come into contact with. Other chores such as walking the dog or mowing the lawn can go towards the children if there was a young man in the household. Taking out the trash is also another chore that can be done by the young man in the house. Young women in the home can also assist in walking the dog, laundry, packing lunches, and so on and so forth. Many of the chores on the list were not really chores that I remember my parents doing while growing up but then again maybe I was not paying attention. The comparison shopping and coaching seems to be a little uncalled for or simply adding chores to the to do list. If the household can split these chores up so that all is even and fair and they still have room for extra things such as coaching and volunteering (which is great) even better. I can understand why many women get overwhelmed and feel like they don't have much times for themselves just based off of this list of chores and the fact that many of them are going to most likely become her tasks. In order for the family structure to be a good one and grow even stronger they all have to pitch in and do their parts and remember that one person may seem to have more to do than the other or less to do but they are all trying to reach one common goal.