The time goes by so fast, I hardly see the day's list of things to get done until it is too late! I better get this done before I get carried away with other things.
I watched my "new" used DVD/documentary called "FOOD CHAINS" today, and I think I have seen at least parts of it before. I must have watched it on Netflix at some time. I am glad I have it for my collection. The migrant issue is something I care about.
I grew up in the Los Angeles area and saw some of the things that were affected by it, but I was a child so my impressions were of the hard work of these people... mostly in construction in urban areas. I knew of the farm workers movement, but it was just another news issue to me then. I don't really remember watching a lot of news as a youth...it just wasn't something us kids did.
My heart is concerned with suffering people and poverty. It doesn't take a lot of information to see that the migrant workers are oppressed and abused, and that hasn't changed in my adult life. I do wonder what has happened since the DVD and the people it shared with the world were made.
My own desire to build staff housing for Working Together led to my suggestion that the current immigration conversations should include the option for employers to commit to providing decent year-round housing for the people who do their "grunt work" in the fields, and in the factories, etc. - which would make the status of those workers legal. If they are facing abuse at their workplaces, they can at least find someone to help them without fear of deportation and jail and dangers for their families. It won't solve all the corruption and greed in communities built around one industry, but it will offer some legal recourse for those being abused.
It has always been my opinion that the wage ladder begins at the bottom and then goes upward... in this issue, the farmworkers should all be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work... in the US labor laws, travel time and waiting time for a job that you are hired to do is considered work time. In the DVD it was stated that migrant families had to leave at 5am and didn't get back until 8 or 10 pm, I can't recall... but they only got paid for the hours they worked in the fields and were paid by each pail of tomatoes they picked and delivered to the truck.
I cringed at that information, especially where mothers were concerned.
It seems the "company housing" offered for seasonal workers was so high in rent charges they had to have 15 workers in each one. Is that right? I don't think so. I doubt anyone would want their family put into this kind of situation.
If I had money.... I think I would do what I could do to change the system with a new work of my own... Monsanto issues with seeds and the destruction of farmers is another agricultural battlefield, with the pesticide issues for workers involved in both controversies. To make new farms without these terrible practices would be a great way to do battle... To create smaller farms, to create migrant worker co-ops, to create private lending options for the small farm needs, to do whatever is necessary to make this problem right is my idea of a fight.
I wonder if that is why I haven't been able to gather any money to do all this... hmmmmm, could be, I don't know.
I have been thinking about these problems in America for some time... this film just reminded me of the differences in viewpoint of corporations and the "little people," especially when it comes to those profit figures. When I see a huge multi-national company is making billions in "profits" and the ones fighting to get some of that money, I have to wonder what the real details are. Does that "profit" include the expenses of the year, or the needs of the next year... the wages, overhead, equipment, stock, growth, etc...and any company with shareholders has to pay a dividend to them... how much is really profit, and how much is really business funds.
If these profits are used to pay ridiculous wages to anyone in the company, then there is a problem. If these profits are distributed fairly, to each level of operations, and each job, and each location, how much they make is not a matter for discussion. Companies are created to make money.
I hope the situation changes, but I doubt it will. Human nature has to find someone else to degrade in order to feel better about themselves. If these are people who claim to love GOD, their decisions will be judged by GOD. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that GOD LOVES the poor, the fatherless, and the stranger... and cattle (who knows why!)… and He has promised to judge those who hurt and abuse these people He loves. In watching this film again, I have been wondering how GOD will judge these corporations who do not stand with what GOD says is right to do. I wonder how He will judge America for it's ungodly choices, too.
So, now I move on to the next thing to do... and all the serious issues that matter to me will go into my history... just waiting to be resurrected again, hoping that some day I might be able to do something to help change the world in this arena and others. One person, what can I do? I don't know, I just keep looking for it.
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
*
*
*
May GOD help us to see ourselves as He sees us.
May we choose to care.
May our lives mean more than money.
May America stand for better things than it does now.
May I be allowed to be part of the solutions I see to some of these issues.
Amen.
28 June, 2018
27 June, 2018
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
I decided I better get this done early, my body is already heading into the go-to-bed-early stage... :-) Life is so much fun.
I got the book I ordered :: Banker to the Poor, by Muhammad Yunus, who is stated to be the founder of the Grameen Bank, which I think the book is about. I decided to buy it because I saw a video of a young woman who discovered it as a teen and it inspired her future in the same direction... financing people who would never be approved for help by a regular bank.
My copy is Copyrighted in 1999 and 2003... the notes say it was originally published in 1997 by another person, JC Lattes... I could make a joke here, but it probably would not go over here. :-)
Money options and poverty have been a quest of mine since I went into the welfare system and couldn't find any way out that worked for me. I discovered classes for something in the business cycle... in the Los Angeles area so many years ago. I have talked about this before... it is my example of what exists... or, what did exist. Crowdfunding has changed a lot, but there still are problems for those who don't have the ability to access crowdfunding.
In that experience I decided that there had to be real money at the end of the class. What levels, I am not sure. I think anything would have helped back then. The classes were about formulating a plan for your business. Then you had to go find funding from somewhere with your plan as part of the process. Poor people, the kind of poor people who don't have anything, would never have that option, to be approved anywhere.
I should say that the video I watched said the company they operate puts people through a process before they can be approved for any money, including creating minimum partnerships in the lending group... three people was the minimum. I'm not sure right now all the details of their loan process, but it wasn't easy... like ask and receive. There was a process and they had to be approved. The examples they showed were mostly women, which is the group most in need of financial help everywhere, but they also grew their businesses over time and didn't need the special financing anymore.
I guess it is dangerous to succeed in some countries because the good loan people were damaging the loan shark's business... the lenders were actually threatened by them. I think that would be a hard reality to deal with. I discovered that loan sharks require 10-40% interest PER day or month, I don't remember. I think it was day, but I'm not sure. No wonder people are running from loan sharks.
I guess my desire through Working Together was to create some kind of options for surviving, too... but at an individual level... for families, for communities, for churches, for anyone. I decided membership was the only way to apply this equally, and then decided larger loans can be handled with a program that would be for members, either Christian or Public members.
Poverty is a long-term problem that doesn't go away in one government budget cycle.
Well, the author (Yunus) wrote other books since, and it says he won the Nobel Peace Prize, so it must be doing good work still. One of these days I will check on it, but I have other things to do right now. I hope to browse the book over the weekend.
*
I have been trying to remember all the things I did today, in case there was something more to share, and I couldn't get past the normal everyday life things. I did watch a webinar replay that took over an hour, on creating courses to sell or provide for free viewing online. It was a beginning look at the process. The site is called TEACHABLE (.com) and it offers a structure to learn the process. I took notes, but I wish I knew how to do screenshots... that would have helped a lot. :-)
Once you see these webinars, you notice how other people are approaching you, and seeing they must have watched this too... or be one of their customers! haha I guess that is how it will be...
I liked some of their "lists" of how to go about this outreach, but I didn't agree with everything. Some of the pricing is affordable for the future, but I'm not sure how I want to proceed in the video and teaching and course opportunities... I have to decide between YouTube or another site that does video access... and other places I already know about. Each option offers different benefits, and you have to find the ones you can afford and handle. I hope to make a decision when I am clearer on how I want to proceed with Working Together or my personal goals.
*
I guess, right now, I am still trying to find my "start-up funding" for Working Together, trying to find added income for my retirement needs (less than $400 doesn't go far), and have to get my legal issues for my senior years figured out. That takes all my time...and prayers... and energy.
I know GOD has a plan for all this, I just wish I had a better idea what it was. :-)
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
*
*
*
May GOD bless the good people and help them to see the needs all around them.
May GOD help me to do more of the things He has put in my heart to do.
May GOD reach out into this world and comfort those who are suffering.
May GOD find a way to make His Presence known to those who are searching for answers that only He can provide.
Help us to be the ONE BODY that will provide for all of us. Amen.
I got the book I ordered :: Banker to the Poor, by Muhammad Yunus, who is stated to be the founder of the Grameen Bank, which I think the book is about. I decided to buy it because I saw a video of a young woman who discovered it as a teen and it inspired her future in the same direction... financing people who would never be approved for help by a regular bank.
My copy is Copyrighted in 1999 and 2003... the notes say it was originally published in 1997 by another person, JC Lattes... I could make a joke here, but it probably would not go over here. :-)
Money options and poverty have been a quest of mine since I went into the welfare system and couldn't find any way out that worked for me. I discovered classes for something in the business cycle... in the Los Angeles area so many years ago. I have talked about this before... it is my example of what exists... or, what did exist. Crowdfunding has changed a lot, but there still are problems for those who don't have the ability to access crowdfunding.
In that experience I decided that there had to be real money at the end of the class. What levels, I am not sure. I think anything would have helped back then. The classes were about formulating a plan for your business. Then you had to go find funding from somewhere with your plan as part of the process. Poor people, the kind of poor people who don't have anything, would never have that option, to be approved anywhere.
I should say that the video I watched said the company they operate puts people through a process before they can be approved for any money, including creating minimum partnerships in the lending group... three people was the minimum. I'm not sure right now all the details of their loan process, but it wasn't easy... like ask and receive. There was a process and they had to be approved. The examples they showed were mostly women, which is the group most in need of financial help everywhere, but they also grew their businesses over time and didn't need the special financing anymore.
I guess it is dangerous to succeed in some countries because the good loan people were damaging the loan shark's business... the lenders were actually threatened by them. I think that would be a hard reality to deal with. I discovered that loan sharks require 10-40% interest PER day or month, I don't remember. I think it was day, but I'm not sure. No wonder people are running from loan sharks.
I guess my desire through Working Together was to create some kind of options for surviving, too... but at an individual level... for families, for communities, for churches, for anyone. I decided membership was the only way to apply this equally, and then decided larger loans can be handled with a program that would be for members, either Christian or Public members.
Poverty is a long-term problem that doesn't go away in one government budget cycle.
Well, the author (Yunus) wrote other books since, and it says he won the Nobel Peace Prize, so it must be doing good work still. One of these days I will check on it, but I have other things to do right now. I hope to browse the book over the weekend.
*
I have been trying to remember all the things I did today, in case there was something more to share, and I couldn't get past the normal everyday life things. I did watch a webinar replay that took over an hour, on creating courses to sell or provide for free viewing online. It was a beginning look at the process. The site is called TEACHABLE (.com) and it offers a structure to learn the process. I took notes, but I wish I knew how to do screenshots... that would have helped a lot. :-)
Once you see these webinars, you notice how other people are approaching you, and seeing they must have watched this too... or be one of their customers! haha I guess that is how it will be...
I liked some of their "lists" of how to go about this outreach, but I didn't agree with everything. Some of the pricing is affordable for the future, but I'm not sure how I want to proceed in the video and teaching and course opportunities... I have to decide between YouTube or another site that does video access... and other places I already know about. Each option offers different benefits, and you have to find the ones you can afford and handle. I hope to make a decision when I am clearer on how I want to proceed with Working Together or my personal goals.
*
I guess, right now, I am still trying to find my "start-up funding" for Working Together, trying to find added income for my retirement needs (less than $400 doesn't go far), and have to get my legal issues for my senior years figured out. That takes all my time...and prayers... and energy.
I know GOD has a plan for all this, I just wish I had a better idea what it was. :-)
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
*
*
*
May GOD bless the good people and help them to see the needs all around them.
May GOD help me to do more of the things He has put in my heart to do.
May GOD reach out into this world and comfort those who are suffering.
May GOD find a way to make His Presence known to those who are searching for answers that only He can provide.
Help us to be the ONE BODY that will provide for all of us. Amen.
for Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Here I am, again... I kept putting off the post and then I was too long at the computer and couldn't sit anymore... so this is the post I wanted to write yesterday... we keep learning our limits as time goes by. :-)
Let's see, I was doing a lot of online research when I planned to do my post... so I discovered that QUIKRETE (quick-crete) has more than one kind of concrete... amazing. I had my son pick me up a bag, which I thought there was only one kind, and then I went online to find out how much cement it would make. The writing on the 60-pound bag is small!! I thought it would be easier to look online, but couldn't find anything I needed to answer my question. I did see a bunch of videos on how to use the concrete types for different applications... so now I have a better idea which bag I will choose next. I might try out for their "one-bag-wonder" competition... once I get a better idea about how this stuff works. :-)
I finally went looking for some photo requirements for my ETSY shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/work2gather) and explored the newest info at the Seller's Handbook... I have a bunch of pages to read today! I updated my shop announcement, created a new coupon for July, when I hope to have some items listed, and looked at all my account details... who can keep track of all those things!! So I keep trying to figure out a print system so I can put them in a file for future reference. Digital is nice, but it isn't going to help me if everything online disappears. I figure keeping print and digital will help cover different problems. I just have to get it all organized and be able to stay in one place... a lifetime problem.
My packages arrived yesterday... first my little mini-SIZZIX machine... which I tried out to see how it works. It is going to help me accomplish many of my creative goals, but not all. I need to buy a larger version for the bigger projects. I have to do a bunch of experimenting to find the items I want to keep doing for sales income.
I also received my JOEY FEEK music CD so I listened to that a couple times. I think I want to get one of her HYMNS collections for listening over and over. I tend to just put the music on and have it on "repeat" for the entire CD. I would rather have this CD accessible for the song I most wanted, and have a fully Christian music selection available for my background music. :-) It was already something I was thinking of getting, but couldn't afford yet, so it's already on my list of things I want.
The other package I received was the documentary FOOD CHAINS, which I haven't viewed yet. I hope to do that today or tomorrow.
I was exploring the company that created DIRTY ENERGY to see how much some of the previewed videos were and what they were about, but it's a hard company to share. It promotes some issues that Christians cannot agree with, so I am still trying to decide how to handle issues like this. If I get to the point of wanting some of their other videos, which are on issues that matter to me, I will figure it out... for me... for what matters in my life.
I am working on my budget for July... so wiped out already, but there is always hope to make some sales online! haha This is the challenge. How to get all the processes of selling online into a manageable group. I really look forward to winning the "lottery" and hiring some help! :-)
Did I tell you I have been drinking green tea for some time now... I ran out of ground coffee, then I ran out of my special instant coffee, so green tea became the beverage for me! Now I am almost out of green tea. I do have a last-resort back-up... so I hope it doesn't come to that. :-) I just remembered, I may have enough ground coffee in the bottom of my container to make a few cups, in a dire emergency. Only three more days until the end of JUNE, and the start of the JULY budget. Will I make it!?! Only GOD knows.... haha
Well... I am sure I am forgetting something, so I will try to make a note of it if I remember during today and add it to the post for Wednesday.
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
*
*
*
Every day I grow more concerned about the future of America, of Christians, of poor people all over the world. I wish I could do more... I wish I didn't have to think about the terrible things that sin brings into our lives... I wish I had all the answers. Right now, in my situation, all I can do is pray... and I hope that GOD hears my prayers and sends the help we all need.
May GOD be kind to those who love Him.
May we, His people, be wise in our choices in the midst of increasing needs.
May the enemies of GOD be kept from succeeding.
May our hearts grow in goodness.
May we find our way to a better future.
May we all be able to stand in faith when the time comes to choose.
May our churches gather together for strength and to create a way to protect each other in every community. May GOD save the best of our resources for the Body of Christ.
Amen.
Let's see, I was doing a lot of online research when I planned to do my post... so I discovered that QUIKRETE (quick-crete) has more than one kind of concrete... amazing. I had my son pick me up a bag, which I thought there was only one kind, and then I went online to find out how much cement it would make. The writing on the 60-pound bag is small!! I thought it would be easier to look online, but couldn't find anything I needed to answer my question. I did see a bunch of videos on how to use the concrete types for different applications... so now I have a better idea which bag I will choose next. I might try out for their "one-bag-wonder" competition... once I get a better idea about how this stuff works. :-)
I finally went looking for some photo requirements for my ETSY shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/work2gather) and explored the newest info at the Seller's Handbook... I have a bunch of pages to read today! I updated my shop announcement, created a new coupon for July, when I hope to have some items listed, and looked at all my account details... who can keep track of all those things!! So I keep trying to figure out a print system so I can put them in a file for future reference. Digital is nice, but it isn't going to help me if everything online disappears. I figure keeping print and digital will help cover different problems. I just have to get it all organized and be able to stay in one place... a lifetime problem.
My packages arrived yesterday... first my little mini-SIZZIX machine... which I tried out to see how it works. It is going to help me accomplish many of my creative goals, but not all. I need to buy a larger version for the bigger projects. I have to do a bunch of experimenting to find the items I want to keep doing for sales income.
I also received my JOEY FEEK music CD so I listened to that a couple times. I think I want to get one of her HYMNS collections for listening over and over. I tend to just put the music on and have it on "repeat" for the entire CD. I would rather have this CD accessible for the song I most wanted, and have a fully Christian music selection available for my background music. :-) It was already something I was thinking of getting, but couldn't afford yet, so it's already on my list of things I want.
The other package I received was the documentary FOOD CHAINS, which I haven't viewed yet. I hope to do that today or tomorrow.
I was exploring the company that created DIRTY ENERGY to see how much some of the previewed videos were and what they were about, but it's a hard company to share. It promotes some issues that Christians cannot agree with, so I am still trying to decide how to handle issues like this. If I get to the point of wanting some of their other videos, which are on issues that matter to me, I will figure it out... for me... for what matters in my life.
I am working on my budget for July... so wiped out already, but there is always hope to make some sales online! haha This is the challenge. How to get all the processes of selling online into a manageable group. I really look forward to winning the "lottery" and hiring some help! :-)
Did I tell you I have been drinking green tea for some time now... I ran out of ground coffee, then I ran out of my special instant coffee, so green tea became the beverage for me! Now I am almost out of green tea. I do have a last-resort back-up... so I hope it doesn't come to that. :-) I just remembered, I may have enough ground coffee in the bottom of my container to make a few cups, in a dire emergency. Only three more days until the end of JUNE, and the start of the JULY budget. Will I make it!?! Only GOD knows.... haha
Well... I am sure I am forgetting something, so I will try to make a note of it if I remember during today and add it to the post for Wednesday.
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
*
*
*
Every day I grow more concerned about the future of America, of Christians, of poor people all over the world. I wish I could do more... I wish I didn't have to think about the terrible things that sin brings into our lives... I wish I had all the answers. Right now, in my situation, all I can do is pray... and I hope that GOD hears my prayers and sends the help we all need.
May GOD be kind to those who love Him.
May we, His people, be wise in our choices in the midst of increasing needs.
May the enemies of GOD be kept from succeeding.
May our hearts grow in goodness.
May we find our way to a better future.
May we all be able to stand in faith when the time comes to choose.
May our churches gather together for strength and to create a way to protect each other in every community. May GOD save the best of our resources for the Body of Christ.
Amen.
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