Is Wal-Mart good for America?

I think Wal-Mart is bad because of the amount of little shops it puts out of business. When one is put up in a town, in only a matter of months the ma and pa shops have to close because of the lack of business. I also think Wal-Mart is bad because it manipulates and bullies the companies that they receive merchandise from. They force the providers to drive down the cost of the goods in order to provide the lowest costs to the consumers. Having the “lowest cost” might sound good, but in reality it comes with unseen problems. They outsource to China in order to make more money and pay their “associates” minimal amounts of money for their work. It is crazy that they are expected to work over time for no pay in return.

Wal-Mart policies and strategies conflict the 7 principles of catholic Social teaching. First, it conflicts with the Life and Dignity of the Human Person because they treat the workers as unimportant and only focus on the amount of money they can produce. The store might call their sales associates family and community but in reality they do not have their best interest in mind. They are a “fake” family who encounters daily struggles because of the poor conditions and rules they abide by. Their Rights and Responsibilities are essentially to get the job done at no matter what. The employees have no rights. Wal-Mart certainly does not have an option for the Poor and Vulnerable. The store is actually contributing to the problems each worker has because of the lack of pay they receive. They have no benefits and are even encouraged to go on welfare. Women are given no respect. They are not treated equally and have little to no chance of advancing into the role of a manager. Wal-Mart is both sexists and racist. If Wal-Mart cared about God’s creation they would protect both their employees and the environment, but they do not.

I would not consider working for Wal-Mart, ever. From watching the documentaries it would do more harm than good to work in a place such as that. I will definitely think twice about shopping at big-retail stores. It is a shame to think that Target and other big-retail stores could possibly be doing the same thing.

Is Nicki Minaj Possessed?

Nicki Minaj is not possessed, she is bizarre. I did not stay up to watch the Grammy's and after viewing the video in class I found it very rude. The Recording Academy should have never, ever, let her preform a song, along with a dance routine that offends any religion. As we discussed in class, the board would not of approved her performance if it included any symbols or innuendos towards another religion.

Everyone should have known that something fishy was going to happen when Nicki Minaj arrived with an escort dressed as the pope. Her whole entire performance included symbols from the Catholic church. She mocked all of our sacred teachings. It really surprises me that she was allowed to perform such a controversial and offensive piece.

First she started off with imitating a confession to a bishop. Then she showed a video clip where she pretended to act out an exorcism. Next she continued to talk in tongues, engage in provocative dancing with alter boys, have the bishop come out as if he was praying and saying mass, and a choir that sang "Come All Ye Faithful". There is not a way anyone could claim that she was not making fun of the Catholic church.

I understand that artists need to be different and unpredictable but not the way Nicki Minaj did it. There are so many more ideas out there, why did she have to make fun of the church? That is not the type of image she should be giving out. I do not think many people even liked the song; I could not even understand what she was saying the whole time. I know she likes to be different but that was not the way she should have expressed it. I would like her to apologize. Nicki is not possessed, she is just weird and disrespectful.

Apple Products

I love all of my electronics. I recently got the iphone and now I couldn't imagine living without it. Before it I also used the apple ipod touch and I plan to get a Macbook before I go to college. I had heard about the mistreatment of apple employees in the production process but I was not aware as to what exactly went on behind the scenes. It definitely shocked me to hear of the abuse that continued to escalate without any repercussions. The article was very informative and really made me think twice about the renowned store Apple. To me, it gives off a negative image and makes me disappointed in the company. However, just like many, I will continue to use and purchase Apple products. I am glad we were assigned to read the article because it did raise my consciousness has been raised on the issue. I think we also have to keep in mind that Apple is not the only store participating in that type of business. It goes on all around us, often unnoticed.