Breaking Bad: "Pilot"

  The first episode of Breaking Bad was very interesting. I actually enjoyed the episode, at first it was weird and confusing. However, it cam with a lot of laughs.

.....

    When it comes to Walter and he's brother-in-law, one is tough while the other is just brains. Especially Walter's dressing he dresses like an old "uncool" man. He just has a comfort box that he wont go out of.

      

......

     Acceptable masculine traits would be Walter's brother-in-law the police officer & the gang that Jesse brought to the RV. They would be acceptable because they are very tough, hard, doesn't take any ish from anybody. Also they are very violent. However, Walter would not be acceptable because he is more brains than fist.

.....

      How I looked at the episode, this is all because Walter needs funds for his cancer treatment and for the unborn baby that he is expecting. But near the end of the episode it seem that he is taking a new way to look at the world. He is literally Breaking Bad. 

Crapalachia

Death, Demons & Darkness

               After reading the pages of Crapalachia, it gave me a sense of death and darkness. Uncle Grover suffered from depression and schizophrenia. That put a toll on the family, instead of being him to a hospital or a mental center they performed an exorcise. Which was very strangle to me, I understand that religion is very important. However, this man need serious medical help. Nevertheless, after understanding what's going on with Uncle Grover. I find out that there's a lot of death that follows including suicide. 

...... 

                In my family this story connects to my grandfather. He suffered from alzheimer's but he recently died just about a year ago. But we all knew something was wrong with him, just never did any about it. Since my mom is a nurse she knew more into his disease but didn't think it was as bad. Until he ran away one day; and didn't know where he was. Until he was found in Virginia while we were living in Pennsylvania. 

......

                We are a very religious family but we knew that we couldn't handle him in a household like ours. So we put him in a mental hospital, until he later then died. This just connected to my family because of the simple fact he was living with something that he need to be with special attention. 

             

Angel vs. Mildred: The Perfect Wedding?

                                                              

The Perfect Wedding...?

  In chapter 16 of Mama by Terry McMillan, Angel is finally getting married but she asked her mother; Mildred; for a thousand dollars to pitch into the wedding. But it turns into a nasty argument once it was time for Mildred to put in forth the money she told Angel she can give. This causes a money vs social class conflict. 

  Since Angel's soon-to-be husband is white, it puts Mildred through a rant when her daughter is high upset her mother doesn't have the money. She states, "He ain't worth all this trouble and I don't know why you had to have such an expensive-ass wedding in the first place. He's rich and he's white so let his mama and daddy pay for the whole goddamn thang. I don't like him noway", (McMillan, 279). And then goes on to say that she will not attend the wedding. 

  Mildred was so upset that she felt that Angel's husband social background and race shouldn't have to extend their hand to an unfortunate family. However, it wasn't like that in Angel's eyes she just wanted her mother to help out since it is tradition for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding. If Mildred would of just told the truth from the beginning do you think she would of turned it around and blame it on Ethan? Or do you think she would of still blamed him since he is a "rich, upcoming-dentist, white boy"?

"Class": The Battle of Accepting Your Race or Running Away From It

     In the short story Class by Sherman Alexie, it's about a young man named Edgar Joseph who is Native American and White. He tends to dislike his Native American side, that he only looks his interest in the white personal. He has the title of a lawyer with the nice house, nice car, and beautiful white wife. But later in the story he tends to find himself lost in what he really is or what he wants to become. So he tries to go back to his "roots" one night. But it turned into a brutal mistake. Which guides him back to the life he is very much proud of. Being in love with the Caucasian culture. In this story there are many different factors that bodies this story. But the main factors are: ethnicity, race, and class.

.....

       Ethnicity, Edgar found his wife at a party he attended and she was drunk at the time. However, seven months later they are tying the knot. Sounds wonderful? Not exactly. Susan; Edgar's wife; immediate family never liked Edgar. They believed he wasn't right for her. Not for his personality, but for his complexion. Something that can't define us as human but yet Susan's family was very upset with her choice of a husband. Nevertheless Edgar's mother was thriller that he would be marrying a white women just because the Indian in their family will slowly vanish till there is no more. Now is that justified or a hate to your our race? There's always been a point in life that everyone says, "Oh, I wish I could be like them. Or I wish I could be able to do this." Hey I even said when I was younger. But I learned to overcome it and be the best that a young, black women can be. However, can you really blame Edgar for what he is feeling if he's mother is enforcing this too?

       Race kind of goes hand and hand with ethnicity. However, when Edgar visit an Native American pub named Chuck's. He got into an altercation with another Native American named Junior. He didn't like once he walked in just from Edgar's choice of dressing. Even Edgar states, "I looked down and saw my denim jacket and polo shirt, the khakis and brown leather loafers. I looked like a Gap ad." Long story short, Junior felt that his life is much better and he's too good for the Native American culture. He felt that he is a sell out for leaving his race for the other half of him. 

       Lastly class, even though Edgar is a lawyer his wife does make double than him. In the story he actually finds out that his wife is cheating on him after their first anniversary. Nevertheless he does nothing. How could someone know that their mate is having an affair and just be fine with it? In my opinion I think it's because he's scared that if he says something she might leave him. And then where is he left now? He is broke since he wanted to show out for his wedding by paying for everything, and now he is broke. But should that justify the reason to not bring an affair to light? 

......

       But in my opinion, I believe we should embrace what we are and who we will become with our background. Always remember where you came from, and never forget where you're going.

Retail Workers Bill of Rights

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has voted int favor of five provisions in the Retail Workers Bill of Rights. Just for reference these are the provisions:

Promoting Full-Time Work and Access to Hours:

• If an employer has additional hours of work to offer in the job position, the employer shall offer those hours of work first to existing qualified employees before hiring additional part-time employees or before securing additional employees through the services of a temporary services agency, staffing agency or any similar contractor. 

Encouraging Fair, Predictable Schedules

• Employers must post schedules at least two weeks in advance. Workers will receive one hour of pay at their regular rate of pay for schedule changes made with less than a week's notice and two to four hours of pay for schedule changes made with less than 24 hours' notice. 

 Discouraging Abusive On-Call Scheduling Practices

• Employers must provide two to four hours of pay to an employee at his/her regular rate of pay when she/he is required to be "on-call" for a specified shift but the employer cancels the shift with less than 24 hours' notice

Equal Treatment for Part-Time Workers

• Prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee with respect to their rate of pay, access to employer-provided paid and unpaid time off, or access to promotion opportunities. 

Encouraging Worker Retention and Job Security 

• Protect workers against losing their jobs when their company is brought or sold by requiring that if formula retail businesses are acquired, the workers must be kept on at their jobs for at least a 90-day trial period. 

Link: http://retailworkerrights.com/get-the-facts/

......

 These rights have a better security to everyone that do put their trust in the workplace. In our society now, we just hope that the workplace would have our best interest just because of the fact that they are humans just as we are. Many Americans are laid off of the workplace just because of some of the laws that are listed above to prevent them with a standing job. As someone who use to work, my hours that I need to have a pay check would be handed to someone else that they just hired. Which is unfair because as someone who has been at the workplace for a standing amount of time extra hours or just hours in general should have been asked to me if I would be able to fulfill what they needed. 

                          

......

 These rights have gave many people a sense of relief, and they are fair standing laws to each and everyone that works. America right isn't in good state right now with jobs, it's either they get laid off or they don't get enough hours or their benefits from the job they serve is unavailable for them. It's hard for anyone to get a job already and now the changes that San Francisco has put out is honestly a fair ball game for anyone. Not only does it show the humanity for others but it does draw a line from work and personal.