NIKE - JUST DOING IT

NIKE - JUST DOING IT 

This week has seen Nike just doing it, in the sense of pissing off a lot of white snowflakes in the form of making their spokesman a football player who refused to stand for the national anthem. Collin Kaepernick was made the face of the product and oh man, people started cutting their logos off their clothing and burning their shoes. It was all sorts of comedy to see how folks just went off the rails at the knowledge that... well, this person the President has talked shit about was now making millions off endorsements while not even playing active football.

Last night Nike dropped an ad for the whole "Dream Crazy" campaign and, well, it was something else entirely.


So even after Trump blasted Nike stating "Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts,"
-The blowhard on Twitter

 Honestly though, if you can look at that ad and not feel motivated that you can do anything regardless of your position in life and that you can't just follow your dreams, as crazy or farfetched as they could possibly sound like, then I don't know what the fuck your problem is. That ad was motivational as all hell.

Did Nike's stock dip a little? Yeah, just a bit, but let's put it this way, the move was always going to piss off some. And to blast the NFL, which just started the new season, seems a little off. I think that as a whole, Nike has been up nearly 28 percent in the stock this year. You know, fuck that. the whole aspect that folks seem to forget is that ratings and stock percentages aren't the real factor here. This ad motivates the youth. This ad tells you that you can be anything. This ad hits you in the feels and that's all that should fucking matter.

Having a football star that basically lost his career because he had the guts to stand up NOT to the national anthem or the country's flag, but for his own personal feeling against police brutality. That is in itself an achievement.

Honestly, the statement should be the note I end this article on;
"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

CAT WITH NO NAME

CAT WITH NO NAME

I didn't give him on account that I was at my wits end in finding and feeding strays in the back of the building I own. I kept feeding them a couple of cans a day because, we'll, i'm not a heartless human being and these are creatures that co-exist in the world around me. But the moment I saw him, I knew he was just one of those eager strays. No clue if he had a home before, but given the fact that he had no fear in me, it could very well mean just that.

He was a cat with two tones. Black on the top and white on in his belly and for half of his face. Looked constantly like a masked super hero in the night as you can only see the eyes as well as his underside.

He was a real aggressive one when it came to food. I would put the canned friskies on the plate outside and he would bolt to it being the first one to chomp down as much of it as he could. The other normal strays that I put out food for would just take their time because they knew I would show up or I always had more. This little guy was desperate and you could tell. I felt terrible for him.

Especially a couple of weeks ago when he showed up, bolted to the food with what looked like his back legs being held up with a puppeteer's string as he seemed to have a gash on his back butt and tail area. He still was eager for the food so I had hoped that he was still in good spirits.

But yeah, he was stumbling around a lot with the two back legs that looked like they could take some weight but were just wobbling back and forth. I put some treatment stuff on it when I could and as he was distracted, but I had no idea if it would do anything for him or not.

A few nights later I saw him out in the front of the building hiding under some cars waiting for me. He meowed a little and then when I gestured that I was taking some food out back, he wobbled his way following me. It was a nice little feeling, that even though he was hurt, he still looked to me for some help and it made me feel good to help out a little. Life can be tough, making it easier for someone else is one of those things that you just should do as a human being.

The last few days he hasn't been as eager to eat. It used to be he would still be the fastest to the food even with those wonky slinky like legs. But in the end he just didn't care for the canned food sitting right in front of him. Ants already crawling on his gash on his back and on him. He just laid down near me completely flat on the floor and accepted the petting that I could provide.

I could feel there was already dirt in his fur. He hadn't been maintaining himself at all. It probably didn't help the open wound that he was laying under the building for most of the day. It just sort of felt like he was slowly already burying himself.

Stroking the top of his head, getting dirt in my fingers, I could feel him purring. I have no clue if this was doing much for him productively, I just knew it was what he clearly wanted right now.

I regret not giving him a name. Then again, there's a lot of strays that have left me in their short lifespan that I did name that I later regret not remembering what I called them when I think of them. I suppose it's better that I just think of them at all. They're remembered. Not that it matters to them, but it effects and touches me in a certain way to know that even for a brief moment, I made a life a little easier -  A little better.

In the end of the day, that's all anyone can really do

DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

This post was totally done while in an emotionally exhausted state while I was probably laying in a bed silently. Why you ask? I mean, I don't know, perhaps it's just a state of depression. These things happen. Even more so now that the Holidays are coming up.

You all had that feeling every now and then. None of us are safe from it. Those days you get home fro work to just lay in bed with your work clothing still on, watching re-runs of some boring sitcom you really have no interest in because you literally can't get your body to do anything else. Then you can only twitch when thinking of actually getting up.

It's not the best of states, but it happens. Then that cycle repeats for however long it takes to be late for something important. Only to feel like even more of a piece of shit and you decide to pull the covers over yourself even tighter and forget whatever it was that you needed to get out of bed for.

I know what you're thinking. "Come on, Life's not THAT bad"

To be honest, it can sometimes be pretty bad. Then you try to think of how you can improve the quality of your life and become emotionally drained from thoughts and lies down for another few hours dwelling on it.

Not to brag, but a top depression highlight in my past was not eating for days on end because I was too lazy to go to the grocery tore, then leaving to buy booze the second I ran out of liquor. Gotta have priorities, man.

One time when I was down I got asked why I'm depressed again. I didn't feel like explaining it, just needed to realize that it's something that happens sometimes so I shrugged it off, they continue to tell me that I should just cheer up. 

Thanks man. 

As for therapy. I have the idea that while therapy may not be able to fix a sort of chemical imbalance that can cause this sort of thing, it can teach you things like coping mechanisms t deal with it or fix the toxic thought processes that it causes. And you know what, I'm not opposed to any of that.

There's also the factor that personality disorders are present and that complicates shit because there is a huge percentage of psychs and LCSWs out there who feel the need to gatekeep the hell out of basic healthcare with shit like  "Are you sure you're really depressed?"

I would like to ask them if they think "real doctors" would insist a patient prove their illness is real. Are you sure your broken leg is actually... broken? Really makes it difficult to trust the system that seems to just want to cast anything that isn't easily treated with pharma medicine aside.

Then there's the issue of socialization. Man, I don't know about you, but there's been one or two instances were you just stare at your unread phone messages for days, getting more anxious about it as each day passes by in terms of how or when you will respond to them.

Reaching out to old friends after being completely apathetic about the friendship is one of the most troubling and stressful things you can think of. I'm pretty sure a lot of people suffer from this. Even though we live in an age where you can literally contact anyone a hundred different ways ranging from email, social media, telephone, cell phone, smoke cloud, carrier pigeon, etc. I think the best advice for this is to be apologetic while also not groveling or whining and most of all not making excuses. Everyone realizes that life happens and you can just chalk it up to that. 

Even so, you can get to a place where you just start typing in your phone but then doubt sets in and you get that pathetic feeling and it will make any small effort feel like climbing a mountain. Ultimately the best advice I can give you for this or when you feel like you want to actually do some socialization but... not really too much. Just reach out with the statement

"I can't think of anything to say. I'm not ignoring you, I just think I'm too dumb and boring for friends.  In conclusion, I want to be your friend, but I don't know if you hate me and you're much cooler than me and I sort of just hope you'll initiate this friendship even though you probably think I hate you because I'm too pussy to interact with you"

Man, that got dark fast. But you know what, that's not a problem. Sometimes it's okay to feel the way you feel. Being sad is okay at times. Just do you, man. 

WAGE STAGNATION ON THIS LABOR DAY

WAGE STAGNATION ON THIS LABOR DAY 

I mean, it wouldn't be an American holiday without a little bit of irony involved in it. Yesterday was labor day. It often means you're basically done with summer and the traffic that taking your kids to school creates now just makes my morning drives go nuts, but it's also suppose to mean something than the demise of the time you have to deal with your kids all day

Labor day used to be about honoring the unions and workers that created the labor force. And while unemployment is at a low at 3.9%, the cost of living inflation has not kept up with wages and for some reason wages are stuck in the 80's sort of situation.  Add to that, workers rights have been eroded for the last couple of decades and we are now in a very heavy gig economy. Something that is pretty fucked to begin with as it does not provide the stability or even the workers benefits that we are celebrating the holiday for.

basically the paychecks look bigger, but the purchasing power they have has not moved at all.  The whole job market and worker's paycheck disconnection has fueld a lot of talk about raising the minimum wage, but in the end, unless you keep it steady in both, the inflation will just fuck over any sort of minimum wage increase

Then you have the gig economy. Places like Uber, Lyft, post mates, and all those quick gigs that really don't offer any benefits and are essentially just band-aids that will get you from paycheck to paycheck. You are ultimately fucked when it comes to your own expenses on the car. You don't get any real benefits and in the end, it's really just a not so great solution to the problem of needing a steady gig.

It essentially becomes a race to the bottom. At one point the only companies that outsourced work overseas were huge corporations, now it seems the outsourcing comes from all angles and does effect the average worker aside from manufacturing shops. When the corporations have so many options, it's only the workers who suffer. The oversupply of worker options make it that the labor markets don't need to pay much to get workers to do the work.

On top of that, the average work for the average pay is no longer actually compensating properly. Again, I point out that after adjusting for inflation, the average hourly wage has just about the same purchasing power as it did in 1978, and the inconsistent growth means that the earnings peak came about 45 years ago

The simple of it is that wages have not kept up with pay and with all the worker's rights, the thing we celebrated yesterday, being stripped, it means that the workers will not even reach anything near being approachable to a living wage to match the rate of inflation.  What can be done about it? Demand your rights as workers. Be prepared to pay a little more for quality work. Be aware of what sort of products you are buying and where they come from. All these little things make for a huge difference.

WHAT TIME IS IT?

WHAT TIME IS IT?
ADVENTURE TIME!!!!!!



Well, it seems that after 10 years, the fun will come to an end for Adventure Time tonight as the Series Finale airs on cartoon network.

On the surface this looks like just any old children's cartoon, but it was anything but. The story took place in a post-apocalyptic about a boy and his dog. Seemed pretty basic. But in it there was this sense of a whole world building around it that, while the subject matter tackled the adventure of a 12 year old boy who seemed to be the last human on earth and his dog that, well, for a lack of a better description is a magical dog that can stretch into all sorts shapes

In it, Finn, the Human had adventures in saving the princess' bacon in the land of Ooo as well as learning lessons as he grew up in this world were a bomb destroyed. There was some serious threats in a Lich King and with a sort of D&D style adventures, oddly enough packed into a bit of a 15 minute stand alone episodes for the majority of the series.

So while it did hit the children's cartoon quota, it really was enjoyable for adults. Not to mention that it lasted 10 years, so it has been a show that a generation grew up on.  Touching a lot of growing pains from adolescence to young adulthood in song format. Just like this little ditty.



covering childhood crushes and what not through all the small ups and downs you later look on and just wonder why it was such a big deal. In fact, the music is one of the biggest take away from the show. It was chalked with a ton of songs and other enjoyable numbers. Such as Finn's baby song


If you ain't smiling about that then I don't know what is wrong with you. Then there's another random song numbers




And really, this one is one of my favorites that will always get me and was a pure essence of what the show was about.



I think that was the biggest part of this show. That it comes out of a sort of land of chaos, with a ton of chaotic monsters and strange monsters. All as this boy and a dog have a really fun and upbeat look at things, as much as one could have. A sense of togetherness. Grab your friend, go on adventures and share experiences. Grow up together.  Say things like Finn in shortened versions of words.

I mean, the world was really chaotic....


And through all that mess, you had this very innocent and fun show. Much like life, sometimes full of a big mess on your hands, but yet the harmony that you create keeps it all together and overcomes whatever chaos can bring and keeps you together through thick and thin,



That's one thing I will miss the most about this show being gone. It covered so many bases and was just the perfect little escape while also handling subject matters that were way above its pay grade. Always treasuring what it brought to the table.

Oh, Adventure time, you and I will always be back then...

YOUR DNA AND ME!

YOUR DNA AND ME!

So I was originally going for a bit of a take off of 23&Me, but the title of this post seems to hint more of the exchange of bodily fluid and now I'm a little uneasy with how this played out in the long run. Whoops.

But people are sending in their DNA all the time to these corporations to find out what sort of percentage their background is all about. Which I find hilarious because young people care so much about their identity and lineage that they won't simply talk to their grandparents for ten minutes this month but they'll pay out of their noise to these corporations to document their DNA.


On top of that, your bodily fluids will be forever owned by a corporation. Which who the fuck knows what they'll be doing with that in another 50 years. I guess it can't be anything too sinister because I mean, if they clone you, it's not really you you, but just a different copy of you that grew up with a nature vs. nurture situation and who knows what the outcome of that upbringing will be. Simply put, it will not be you. You won't just wake up in a new body forced to live this goddamn cursed life over again..... or will you?

Oh yeah, they also give this info to the government. Ancestry test have now been used to put people in jail, and your insurance company is definitely going to be interested to learn that the past 5 generations of your family had super cancer aids and will probably use that against you in terms of your policy cost. But hey, go ahead and make it a point to give your DNA in one form or another to everyone every day. Why not just go down to the police department to make sure that they have your fingerprints on file.

Just realize that you're probably going to be handed off to ICE because you did it.  

Let's also just say it. DNA testing for heritage is largely BS and at best is “for fun.” There's really no solid laws governing what happens to your data and I don't know how people think it is. I don't think any net positive can come from having that data. If anything, it'll just reinforce people's discrimination towards others.

There's also a strange link to the LDS Church, which is tracking your ancestry and a big deal to them for some reason, as they like to identify family who weren't baptized in the church so you can do it for them by proxy, which seems like something I would deeply disagree with in how strange it is.

If you actually just want the info, do a genealogy research. Either on your spare time on your own or if the money is no factor, hire a professional who will do it the right way. Not just by your fluid in a tube.   

LET'S TALK ABOUT TEACHERS

LET'S TALK ABOUT TEACHERS

Now that school is all back in full force after this Labor day weekend, let's tackle the serious subject of teaching and how utterly fucked education is.

I know a lot of teachers, and every single one of them is constantly burnt out husk of a person who hates the bullshit that comes with their job. The whole goal of going in to that industry is to be a mentor, to educate, to better the future generation and it comes with a huge passion to be apart that i s totally just destroyed when they enter the classroom and see all the other bullshit that they have to deal with.

Many of which have already decided they were getting out of that 'dream career' because it just comes with a lot of headaches that society has just dumped on them. To add insult to injury, the pay is just not there for the amount of time that you have to actually be working. Not only the long day of teaching and in many cases being a glorified babysitter to these problem children who have a varied degree of learning impediments, but you have to take you work home with you on the daily in terms of grading and planning lessons that will eat up all your actual social time.

Then you have how condescending everyone is towards the profession. Just because they went to school once and teaching must really be easy. And hey, you get such a long holiday in summer and all the holidays that kids have off. Man, you must really have it easy in your career. I have no sympathy for you!

I had hoped that the public perception of public educators had slowly started to change and the acknowledgement that they are treated like absolute disposable shit would disappear, but then again, we live in a country where the solution to gun violence in the school was to make the English history teacher an unstoppable protector by giving them a gun. Then I'm reminded that society just sees teachers as some disposable shield for their children once again.

One other factor that you have to realize is that they are both powerless in the classroom and vs the parents - who only see their kids for a few hours every day and occasionally on weekends anyway. The whole Teacher-student relationship has been mutated into a sort of Teacher - Educational standards bureaucracy where the teacher has become just a tool to get learning standards up without regard of the actual situation that they are in with the students. Test scores and lesson milestones are all that matter regardless of anything else.

Situations happen where a teacher recognizes that a student is slightly behind the average for their age group, which probably has been acknowledged but no past teacher wanted to deal with the hassle of informing the parent, and then contact with the parents in regards to let them know and use their spare time to prepare a development plan and help the kid be brought up to speed amount to the student barely getting caught up - that is if the parent is even receptive to help the situation and isn't going to just argue that you're unfairly picking on their star child.

In which case the parents lose their shit, complain to the school that the teacher is at fault for their child being behind, and demands the teacher go out of their way to bring the one child up to speed at the cost of the classroom progressing further. Then when the parent confronted about how this may effect the other pupils in learning, their only concern is that their child is important. All this in an overcrowded classroom just show that the whole school system is pretty fucking whack.

This sort of stuff is how we get teachers who are in full on "Don't give a fuck anymore" mode because it's so easy to get screwed if you try too hard. Otherwise you end up breaking down in tears every day because you are terrified of parents and hate your job with a passion, when you entered it with a completely different sort of passion approach to it. 

Now I'm not opposed to PTA's, but parents should have very little say in how their children are educated. Leave that hard work to the professionals. Parents know nothing of educational principals, they don't keep up with teaching standards and new testing patterns. But I guess maybe parents wouldn't be acting so crazy about their child if they didn't feel like the world was burning to the ground and they weren't dealing with a the slowly dawning realization that merit will not be enough to save their children.

It used to be that doing well in school would guarantee a pathway to a comfortable life. Now suddenly people with university degrees can't get jobs, and even people with multiple degrees and jobs can't afford a comfortable life, let alone security like home ownership. Instead you're dealing with one financial emergency after another.

But this sort of fear mentality does lead to parents wanting to micromanage what their children learn and how they do it. While it's not completely bad for parents to have a say in how their child's education is approached, being too on top of the teacher can cause a sort of chicken/egg situation - in which like I said, many teacher get burned out because of parents trying to push an agenda or using them as nothing more than a daycare mission impossible situation to push up their children's future.

Then we have the private school situation. Were parents take their kids out of public schools and either take their kids to private schools or building a community just outside of a large city, incorporating and creating a school system for rich people. Add in that many private  or other for-profit schools are leeching tax money from public schools, leaving poor schools poorer. If there's anything in this country as dire as the healthcare industry, it's the education sector and that's getting fucked totally.

Maybe the answer is that teachers should stop working so hard and buying supplies with their own money they will never be reimbursed for. They need to take on a more Capitalistic outlook for their own enlightened self interest and just say FUCK YOU, Society. I get it, they are trying to help. That's what they did all the education to be a teacher, but they're not getting anything of note out of it right now in our current educational system other than a lack of respect and a case of being way overworked.

At the very least we need to start realizing that they need far more respect and trust and funding to start being appreciated as much as they should be. Getting them proper compensation for all the time they spend working would be the starting point.