Blog #5

The woman I chose to blog about is Susan B. Anthony. She was raised a Quaker and the beliefs of doing well for others. Her parents were Anti-slavery activist and Susan later went on to campaign against slavery and for civil rights. Susan is most well known for her active role in getting the 19th Amendment passed. After the depression she was forced to work as a teacher and noticed that because of her gender she was not paid the same as her male counter-parts. This pushed her to do something about women's suffrage and change the history of the United States. Because of the endless devotion that Susan gave, women were given the right to vote and equal pay. Susan also went on to establish the International Council of Women's Suffrage in 1904. I believe that Susan B. Anthony was an innovative thinker well ahead of her time, she believed in equal rights for all despite gender or race.

http://www.biographyonline.net/women/susan-b-anthony.html

Blog #4

The video I watched was titled “Maquilapolis,” It was about women in Mexico who work for giant corporations. The video showed how large companies like Sanyo, and Panasonic established factories in Tijuana, Mexico. These large companies were attracted to the area because of the inexpensive labor force that Mexico provided, allowing the companies to recruit lots of women who had little to no skills and to be able to get away with not having to pay competitive wages. One woman in the video named Carmen worked in the Sanyo factory and was only paid $68 per week, which she supported herself and her three young children. Carmen also explained how the working conditions of the factory were a problem and how the company did not care to provide a safe work environment for the works. She explained how she suffered from lead and chemical sicknesses and how she would go home from work still smelling of dangerous chemicals. For Carmen it came to a point where she had to pick between continuing to work in factories or to stay healthy for her children. This is disappointing to see that these multi-million dollar companies are going to such severe ends in order to make maximum profit, while ignoring safety and worker rights. The fact that in Carmen’s case where Sanyo later ignored giving the workers the heads up that they were moving to another country and instead left them to work for another company without giving them acceptable wages is upsetting. These companies are following the countries with the lowest cost of labor and in doing so are creating more issues for the workers they abandon.

These companies also have taken things a step further and have not only exploited the workers but have also used the relaxed laws of Mexico to also not have to comply with environmental safety. As was the case in Lordes’s story, were she was fighting against the companies who were leaving their hazardous waste behind in her community. It is shocking to see but it is a reality that I have seen first- hand while visiting my own family in Mexico. The companies do not care what they are doing to the environment or the people in Mexico, they only see the easy way and feel that since the people have been living with the situation so far, then it is okay.  The government also has a large part in this issue because many people don’t understand that Mexico is not only poor but much of the political officials are corrupted. The people live without electricity, water, and have to burn their trash to get rid of it. But on top of everything you add into that the abandoned factories that exist throughout Mexico and all of the harmful waste that sits there and how it impacts the health of the communities surrounding it. Many people are left with no hope of seeing meaningful change because they are living in such severe poverty.

Blog 3

The media is one of the largest influences on how society perceives beauty. We are constantly shown pictures of people who are thin and are told that in order to be beautiful you must be thin and look like a Victoria Secret model. This then has an impact on our youth and directs them towards unhealthy lifestyles in order to attain this look. I believe that if there are better techniques to help combat these misrepresentations that are portrayed through the media then there will be a healthier generation. Health Educators can accomplish this by having more programs empowering women and that target the issues.

Blog 2

The article I chose for this blog was, Abortion and Contraceptive Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Women Plan Their Families (Lauro, 2011). In this article explores the issues of contraception and how it relates to African women within Sub-Saharan Africa. There are very few women that use any form of contraception, much of the reason has been linked to these women being uneducated about contraception. Also many women do not have access to contraception which leaves them open to unwanted pregnancy. The article further discusses into depth about how abortion has impacted this society. Many in Sub-Saharan Africa are attached to their socioeconomic beliefs and there for, believe that if a woman gives birth to a child out of marriage it is shameful. They also believe that induced abortion is more practical to rid them of shame, as long as it is done privately. The article further discusses how some parts of Africa believe that just because a woman receives and abortion does not mean that the spirit will continue in death until it is reborn, suggesting that both life and death is a spiritual cycle.

 Although abortion is illegal in some parts of Africa it is still practiced, and people are able to receive aftercare from hospitals. The beliefs about contraception in this part of the world are preventing these women from safeguarding themselves against many dangers such as STI’s and unwanted pregnancy, which then forces them to get abortions. But if they do receive an abortion they are then faced with having to endure the shame that their communities place on them. While much of the world is living in a modern day society where things such as contraception are readily available, the women in Sub-Saharan Africa are unfortunately being denied these choices.  

Lauro, D. (2011). Abortion and Contraceptive Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Women Plan Their Families. African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive, Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 2011), pp. 13-23. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/

Blog 1

This video gives insight to the realities of the struggles that many Americans are suffering while living in poverty. Mrs. Turner details in the video how her family lives off a set amount of money which goes towards food on a monthly basis. When food for her family becomes scarce she is forced to limit her family to only one meal per day. These are types of examples that prove that our country must change the approach it takes when tackling this particular issue of poverty. Children should not be subjected to having only one meal per day, my belief is that there should be better programs with more opportunity for children and families to have assistance with buying groceries.

The health aspects that Mrs. Turner addresses in the video do hold true. Many people who are on a limited budget in regards to groceries, do tend to purchase more of the less healthful types of foods because they are able to feed more for less money. Because of the way that food is priced people are forced to pick for example between a $1 cheeseburger vs a $6 salad, and even though they know which is a more healthful option they will go for the cheeseburger because of the affordability. These types of foods then become factors towards people developing diseases and other health related issues. I feel that it is a real issue when we as a country cannot help each other from something like starvation or malnourishment.  

Bio, the story of me!

            Hello everyone, my name is Eloisa Vargas. I am 26 years old and was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. It is a beautiful state and I am very happy to be able to go back any chance that I have. When I was 19 I joined the Marine Corps and was stationed in California, after I was released from duty my husband and I decided to stay in California for awhile. During my time in California I completed my AA in Social and Behavioral Science, during which I decided that I wanted to become an Occupational Therapist in order to try and help combat veterans. We now live here in Texas and are both presuing degrees from seperate universities.

            When it comes to my fitness I would most likely rate it an 8, I still run at least 3 times a week for more than 30 minutes, as well as doing some light to moderate weight training. One thing that has become a large downfall for me when it comes to fitness and wellness has been my love of sweets. I have finally after many attempts have taught myself to moderate what kinds of foods I eat and trade out unhealthy options for healthier more satisfying alternatives. In my opinion I would say that one of the major problems within America today is obesity, I feel that people are not educated in the ways that corporations use different tools in order to sell people unhealthy foods. People are not being taught early enough about the health benefits of exercise and correct diet, which later results in a greater population of  obesity and can lead to possible death or disease.