So pretty...

Hint for you.

http://www.bmi.com/images/musicworld/h/hint_the_1_500.jpg

Here is my hint for the reader participation of the countdown question on my main blog:

The countdowns are in chronological order and include all the big events or trips in my life. -That's like a dead giveaway (I'm such a softy).

;D

Dancing with death

May 2, 2007

9 Chickweek Lane

In a past life...

This is me in California in a previous lifetime...

Depressed?

Well, I found it interesting that one of my friends found a doll of mine depressing, one I didn't intend to be so. In retrospect, I thought it might be interesting to post all the dolls I've made specifically representing sadness and depression. Beside these dolls I've written an explanation.

(Now you too can see my avatars through the glasses of my mind!)

DON'T be scared now :D

Left: "Feeling Sad"
She's crying. :(









Right: I'd call this one,
"Feeling Cool"
She looks at the world sarcastically, prudently, coldly and passionless. "What will be next?" she wonders, but nothing could upset her much at this point. Slightly jaded, but quite depressed, she's a bit too much of a realist, and needs to lighten up a bit.


Left: I would call this one "Seeking Control" Her destiny, the world, hangs in the balance in the background, her life is out of her control, signified by the wild flowers and grass. Yet, she searches for some type of control, signified by the bloody dagger and sword readied for battle. The basin of water has leaves drifting into it, time passes slowly, what will happen is unknown. In the end, she can only control herself - how will she wield such power?

Right: (con. from above/left) In the end, she feels vulnerable. She is innocent, and yet not so innocent, a strange paradox. The color in this Gothic doll represents hope, yet the obvious pain, suffering, and depression is there as well. The paradox does not end and life goes on... as it always will... She experiences happiness, but the pain and suffering are always there, afflicting her periodically throughout life - this is the way of the world. She stares at you frankly, not unfeelingly, but she refuses to wear her emotions on he sleeve, and she is cautious from past experiences. Overall however, she views life with one eye completely open and unblocked, and the other through the veil of her hair, "hope." Don't give up on her, she has potential...

Left: Here is the original, "Inside I cry." [I thought the blood to be a nice touch.]
This is probably one of my saddest avatars. The pain of life claws at the avatar, but little expression is shown through the face or clothing. As I've said in another post on my other blog, the black and white clothing, the white face and hair are ambiguous, but this doll, she's bleeding from the inside out, the pain of life seeping through her eyes, the window of her soul. Of course, there is always hope. According to mysticism, hair represents a person's ability to accomplish, and her hair flows white, signifying good, and freely. She has hope, but she must fight the pain within before taming her hair, and using her wings, which can be used for good or bad as signified by the black and white, she can fly off to do good.

Left: "Identity Crisis"
This doll was meant to portray confusion in life. The multiple layers of wings, wild hair blowing, the fact she is expecting, and the strange skirt are all confusing, clashing, and strange. The blank face is again a symbol of neutrality, neither good nor bad, simply another stage of reality. Face the weirdness of life and try to move forward anyways.

Right: This is just me on a bad hair day... I guess you could call that a form of depression. "I look like Medusa today!" *grrr* "Why can't I do anything will my hair today?" :D


Left: I suppose you can make what you want of this one. Now that I look at her objectively, she looks kind of sad. When I made her, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of her hair. She fit together perfectly in my mind... She's exquisite, dangerous, exotic...

And, for our last look at life through an avatar [at least for the moment] -drum roll please- we have:

ENTER stage Right: "On Stage"
In the end, we're all on stage, acting out our lives. Every day we're recorded/video taped, and one day we'll watch our own show, laughing, crying, but we will have to explain the accounting behind our lives.

"SMILE, YOU'RE ON CANDID CAMERA!"

Well, I believe those are the majority of the depressed (life related) avatars I've made to date. [In fact, now that I think about it, I could probably analyze all of my avatars and see interesting insights in the pictures.] Anyways, please remember that I don't sit making these avatars all the time, but the fact they exist show I am a normal, well balanced human being. :D

We hope you've enjoyed this presentation of PPI (Philly Productions Incorporated). If you feel like you need help, please contact a friend or family member ASAP, or, in cases of emergency, please dial 911 immediately. Otherwise, have a splendiferously happy day! Thank you!
- The management

Have a good night!

Wife of Merlin

Here she is, beautiful as ever.

My Affect Paper

Sara Phillips
Professor Esposito
Capstone I
26 Mar 2007

The Modern Human Condition: Affect

There is no question that relationships have changed drastically in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. However, the question begs asking, have the changes in modern day relationships benefited society? While there is no definitive answer to such a question, the differences in approach and opinion on this subject between the secular and Orthodox Jewish worlds are marked and striking in their divergence.

Indeed, the main message of the articles is crystal clear: the world has changed, is changing, and people relate to each other differently. Yet, while the secular world struggles to understand, adapt, and conceptualize the far-reaching consequences of these changes, the Orthodox Jewish community labors to reassert and apply the Torah’s (Bible’s) precepts to the modern era. Where one set of articles explores the depths of change and damage wrought upon society, the other set addresses many issues, isolates them, and attempts to heal the wounds.

Generally speaking, the articles deal with three fundamental interactions and relationships commonly found within society. The first being the fundamental “I” of individuality, with a strong emphases on the changing role of women within society and relationships. The second interaction is that of husbands and wives where the stability, or lack thereof, of the relationship is viewed in terms of the modern marriage. Lastly, the parent child relationship is reevaluated in light of the changing circumstances and societal norms.

In the advent of the “liberated” woman society has changed dramatically from simple things, such as more women in the work force, to dramatic changes, such as women holding positions of power within congress. However, June Jordan evaluates the change of woman within society in her piece I Am Seeking An Attitude, and unfortunately, she finds women on the whole still wanting. “I am a woman. And I am seeking an attitude. I am trying to find reasons for pride.” (155) Jordan concludes that while women have advanced within society, they still lack pride and drive, and until they stand up for their rights and fight, society will not change. “But have we, women of the United States, for example, have we declared war against our enemies? Are we ready to live and die for the sake of our self-determination?” (156) In her own words, “I am a woman. And I think I have found my attitude. And I think, really, it’s about: ‘Let’s get it on!’” (157)

Moreover, the “liberated” woman has changed the basic family structure of society as most women are no longer content as housewives, or they are forced to work for financial reasons. Whatever the cause, fewer and fewer wives are home to raise children and take care of the family, and this can put strain on the entire family unit. Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D. addresses this issue, as well as others in his book The First Year of Marriage. In contrast with Jordan’s article, Rabbi Twerski points out changes in the modern woman’s self-esteem and warns husbands to be sensitive to this issue. However, the idea of the modern “liberated” woman is not lauded within the Orthodox Jewish community. Rather, Rabbi Twerski views feminism as an “alien influence of modern society” which “may have trivialized homemaking and motherhood and affected the pride of the woman who chooses a primary role as wife and mother.” (109)

It is interesting and important to note that Judaism views a mother and homemaker in a very high esteem, as King “Solomon says, ‘Her children arise to praise her; her husband, and he lauds her.’” (108-9) In shocking contrast, the majority of the secular world, as illustrated by Jordan, believes that if a woman is a wife and mother, she only has value in connection to her husband and children, or to society in her reproductive capacity. As expressed in her own words, “How low can we go? Pretty (expletive) lowdown when I must present the issues of my freedom and my rights primarily in the context of my ongoing usefulness to somebody else!” (155)

Keeping this astounding, fundamental difference in mind, one can approach the topic of marriage. Indeed, the story Feathers by Raymond Carver is a cheerless tale about a typical American marriage. Jack and Fran seem to be a happily married couple without children, yet one gets the distinct impression that their marriage is superficial and self-centered. “The reason we didn’t have kids was that we didn’t want kids… But right then we were waiting… Some nights we went to a movie...” (166)

This emptiness is magnified in comparison to Bud and Olla’s marriage, who, aside from having a strong loving relationship, have a baby. While at first, both Jack and Fran are repulsed by Bud and Olla’s lifestyle, the dinner proves to be a catalyst for Fran wanting a baby of her own. Interestingly, Jack disagrees with Fran. “But she’s wrong. The change came later – and when it came, it was like something that happened to other people…” (176) In the end, the baby that Jack and Fran have does not cure the emptiness of their marriage, but rather exacerbates the problem. “…My kid has a conniving streak in him. But I don’t talk about it. Not even with his mother. Especially her. She and I talk less and less as it is. Mostly it’s just the TV.” (176)

Unfortunately, the problems found in Jack and Fran’s marriage are common in the modern world. Many marriages suffer from a lack of love and understanding between the husband and wife, and these problems, which are rampant in American culture, have infiltrated the Orthodox Jewish community. Luckily there is a wealth of Torah knowledge that addresses the modern issues cropping up in marriage.

Again, Rabbi Twerski deals directly with such issues as true love, respect between the husband and wife, happiness, and even issues that arise in second marriages. It is interesting to note that many of Rabbi Twerski’s ideas are reflected in Bud and Olla’s marriage in Feathers. For example, Rabbi Twerski quotes the Talmud that says, “What is true love? To love a wife as much as he loves himself.” (23) This is exactly the love Bud exercises towards Olla when he fixes her teeth (Carver 171) and fulfills her dream of to own a peacock. (Ibid 174) Similarly, Rabbi Twerski discusses several issues that can arise in second marriages such as financial problems (178), differences in dealing with difficult situations (181), and blending the two families into one entity (185). Carver alludes to some of these issues as well when Bud states that he sends money to Olla’s mother. “Don’t have much ourselves. But she’s Olla’s mother.” (176) This is in step with Rabbi Twerski’s advice: “Absolute honesty about their financial conditions may forestall some problems.” (178)

While it is not always obvious that marriages are suffering, the true indicator of society’s plight is the state of the next generation. Increasingly, parent’s are having problems raising their children, and this stress can not only cause a marriage to deteriorate, as in Feathers, but can also ruin a child. Tillie Olsen addresses this sole issue in I Stand Here Ironing, a story of a mother and her child, and their tortured relationship.

Here, Olsen describes the heartrending story of a child that has been neglected by her working mother who, despite her love, simply was not able to care properly for her daughter. The mother admits to not raising her child properly and there is little understanding between the two now that the daughter is an adult. Yet, despite this, the mother asks, “Why were you concerned? She will find her way.” (164) Notwithstanding the difficulties the daughter had to face growing up mostly on her own, the mother believes her to be fine. “She is a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear. Let her be. So all that is in her will not bloom–but in how many does it? There is still enough left to live by.” (164) Perhaps the saddest aspect of I Stand Here Ironing is not the suffering experienced by a parent and child, but rather the mother’s despondency and emotional abandonment of her daughter.

Furthering this sentiment, the Rabbis and experts on child rearing have had to address the breakdown in the ability of parents to raise their children. Rabbi Eliya Svay explains in his article Raising a Family, that the family is currently “under siege.” (111) In order for parents to successfully teach and raise their children they must develop and nurture loyalty and trust within them. It is only in this way that the Jewish heritage can be transmitted. However, given that the family nucleus is the foundation of society, as the family corrodes, so too does society, and the direct effect among Torah observant Jews is the inability to transmit the Jewish heritage effectively. Rabbi Svay asserts, “After one generation of a weakened family structure, where in many respects transmission of mesorah (heritage) has ceased to function, the level of society’s morality has tumbled and general decency has sunk beyond foreboding.” (109)

In a similar vein, Dr. David Pelcovitz and Rabbi Shimon Russel address the rising problem of at-risk children in their article The “At-Risk Child”: Early Identification and Intervention. Together they explain that while there is no one factor that causes children to be at risk, early possible indicators include learning disabilities, repeated academic failure, naturally difficult temperaments, and childhood depression. (424-5) Also, sporadic and inconsistent parenting can add to misbehavior of the child. (426) Pelcovitz and Rabbi Russel explain that the “Role of the parent” is “to find the balance between” “setting limits with one hand while providing an atmosphere of love and warmth with the other.” (425)

When viewing Olsen’s story in light of these Jewish principles of parenting, the mother in I Stand Here Ironing seems to be a travesty of a parent. The indicators all point to her daughter being at risk, yet the mother simply does not know what to do. Indeed, the mother herself admits, “…I will become engulfed with all I did or did not do, with what should have been and what cannot be helped.” (160)

For the most part, the secular world is viewed as something foreign, parts of which are morally and ethically corrupt, as evidenced in Rabbi Twerski’s writings. In order for the Jewish community to protect itself from damaging secular influences it curtails a lot of its contact with the outside world. This insulation varies with each religious sect, but usually deals with core issues such as intermarriage, education, television, movies, Internet, and secular literature. So, for example, some religious families do not own televisions, computers, or any secular literature, while others may own a variety of these items. Similarly, families may have personal sensitivities such as not allowing their children to travel by public transportation.

An interesting manifestation of the difference in American culture and the Orthodox Jewish community’s practices can be observed by individuals who are currently becoming religious, known as baalei teshuva. These individuals can have difficulty integrating into mainstream Orthodox Judaism for various reasons. In a personal account by Ross Hirschmann, he describes the tension between himself, a recent baal teshuva, and his secular parents. Mostly, Hirschmann found that he had little to speak about with his parents, a problem which arose mostly because of the differences in their lifestyles. “Still nothing in common. Still nothing to talk about. Long silences passed between us.”

As evidenced by the readings, both secular and religious, it would seem that all of society is suffering more than it is gaining from the current change in relationships. All in all, it is clear that there are many differences between the secular and Orthodox Jewish approach to relationships and family. Some of these differences seem subtle, and others are blatantly clear; however, the continual influence of the Torah and Rabbis always create a dividing line between American and Orthodox Jewish culture.

Works Cited

“Course Packet for Capstone 1.” The Human Condition In The Modern Age. New York: Adelphi University, 2007.

Carver, Raymond. “Feathers.” 165-176

Jordan, June. “I Am Seeking An Attitude.” 153-7.

Olsen, Tillie. “I Stand Here Ironing.” 160-4.

Twerski, Abraham J. The First Year of Marriage. NY: Shaar Press, 2004.

Hirschmann, Ross. “A Shabbat Miracle.” Aish. 25 Mar. 2007.

Wolpin, Nisson, ed. Timeless Parenting: Raising Children in troubled times – understanding, coping, succeeding. NY: Mesorah, 2000.

Pelcovitz, David, and Shimon Russel. “The ‘At-Risk Child’: Early Identification and Intervention.” Wolpin 422-30.

Svei, Eliya. “Raising A Family.” Wolpin 108-17.

Being Politically Correct Isn't all it's Cracked Up To Be

OK, so I admit, some of these might be a bit morbid, and definitely not politically correct, but they touched my funny bone and I thought someone out there might appreciate them as well. :D

Shout it loud, shout it proud!

Look! They're Good Morning pills. :D

Even if you're not familiar with Anime, you can still appreciate this one on a certain level ;D


And, one of my personal favorites!

(He he- there I go a laughing again.)

OK, enough! I need to study.
C'ya 'round.

Mulan!

Mulan has been the biggest challenge out of all the dolls I made for my Disney project. Originally I thought it would be impossible to create a Mulan using the dollpalace.com doll makers. When I thought that to be the case, I found the following doll, which, while made by someone else, at least fit a part of the image I was looking for, and would give me something to post.

But, once I found an Asian robe at the dollpalace.com, I created a Mulan to the best of my ability. That is what you see on the bottom left. But, I still felt the doll didn't look much like Mulan, so I edited her in paint (the only picture manipulating program I have since my computer crashed 4 months ago). I made her face thinner, her eyes a bit more almond shaped, and of course, I gave her a piece of hair falling into her eyes (that's a telltale Mulan thing :p). All in all, I am immensely proud of this doll. (I know it sounds stupid, but hey, I devoted a ridiculous amount of my time, my life, to this project. So good for me. *I pat myself on the back*)

<--- Original
"Doctored" --->

Extra Extra, read all about it...

Pocahontas extras:
<--- This was before I found proper American Indian dress. She's cool, she's pretty, but she didn't quite look like Pocahontas - So I added a bunny to great affect, don't you think? ;D

Alice, is that you?

So, here is a prime example of my attempting to change the dolls. Originally, I had a lot of trouble getting the proper apron over the correct dress for the doll to be perfect. Here, I manually colored the dress of the doll on the right, since the dress I wanted wouldn't go under the apron. That's why it looks a bit different than the dress on the left. Similarly, I couldn't figure out at the time how to put the apron on the picture on the left, and eventually I turned to the manual doll maker. In the end, I had to save the apron in a separate file and overlap to two pictures. As you can see in my other blog, even that was difficult and took me many tries. That's the reason why one of the pictures appears shrunken. For some reason it took me multiple tries to create Alice with the apron and then save it as a picture. Don't ask...

Alternate Ariel

Just as a side note, I started taking my dolls a step further and altering them in paint. For example, Ariel's shell color was pink on the website, so I colored it lilac/purple to make it closer to the original. I also made her eyes blue in the picture on the other blog. :D Who said I was becoming obsessed? Oh yeah, I admitted it like ages ago. [*Sigh* My neuroses only seems to be getting worse. Maybe it's a good thing that I only have 3 or so more.]

Also, the reason why I did a picture of Ariel with her hair up was to prove that the dress she's wearing had puffy sleeves originally, but when I added on the correct hair, it blocked them. Oh well. Oh! Good News. I figured out how to do Mulan, so you'll see her coming up soon enough. I think she'll be last though. First you'll see Alice and Pocahontas. Me so excited!

Purim 2!

He he. I have a friend who once tried to convince me to die my hair blue. I suppose I would have looked something like this.

Answer to question asked on other blog: Yes! That's right! Another enjoyable Purim was spent dressed up like a pregnant married lady... Or at least, that's what I plan on doing tomorrow. I'll try to get you some pictures. ;D

Jasmine - and Rafiki too!

You know Rafiki is the clincher. ^.^ "Get off the Princesses head! Good monkey."

Aurora Double Take

Here is the other image of Princess Aurora that I didn't post on the other site. While I like the roses, and it's an important part of the story, I felt that they overpowered the princess, and in the end, this doll is here instead of on my main blog.

The Unused Dolls >)

That title sounds kind of sinister, doesn't it? Oh well. Here are the additional dolls I made for the chain story I'm working on in tangent with Sarah Rutti. These were made before I thought to very such things as the basic looks of Crystal, and the time period in which the story takes place. Oops! But they're still nice pictures so I wanted to post them.



"Crystal - Green Eyes; Blue Eyes" - SEP


"Crystal" - SEP


"Sheeba - Victorian Dress?" - SEP

Untold Secrets

The Fruit of My Labor

Sara Phillips
---
---
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Labor: The Ethical & Socioeconomic Status Battle

Labor. While it is only a short, two syllable, word, it has enormous political and emotional power. The reason for this is that labor is synonymous with one’s socioeconomic status within society. Indeed, the battle over wages is one medium through which economic classes in society war. However, more importantly, a battle over ethical treatment rages within all political economies. While these two themes are common, nowhere are they more apparent than in The Communist Manifesto.

Indeed, the first section of The Communist Manifesto discusses the evolution of society through history, and discusses “…a complicated arrangement of society in various orders, a manifold gradation of social rank.” (p.8) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels argue that for centuries societies have been structured in terms of classes, one which rules (essentially the capitalist) and the other which is subjugated (essentially the workers). Furthermore, the modern bourgeoisie (the ruling class) is one of the worst taskmasters who exploits the proletariat (the workers) and has stripped the honor from once honorable professions in pursuit of money. Capitalism, according to Marx and Engels, is the pursuit of money at the expense of workers. “In one word, for exploitation veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation.” (p.9)

According to this theory, the struggle between classes is quite clear. Moreover, due to this struggle and widespread injustice between classes, Marx and Engels postulated that communism would unite the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie. In doing so, a Utopian society could be created where the proletariat would be the ruling class, all would be equal, all capital would be publicly owned, and everyone would live happily ever after.
Now, there is obvious historical evidence that communism does not work. Clear examples are the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and the adoption of capitalism in some form by the communist governments of China and Vietnam. However, despite the numerous explanations for the failure of communism, its ideals and quixotic view of class structure and fair wages has continued to influence and shape many societies worldwide.

Indeed, the following articles are grouped into three main categories as they relate to communism. The first position represents authors that support communism. The second represents authors that support capitalism. Lastly, the third position recognizes authors that criticize capitalism, and explore moral and ethical issues, which have been raised by capitalistic practices.

Firstly, The Lawrence Textile Strike, written by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, is clearly a criticism of capitalism and its treatment of wage laborers. In this article, Flynn describes the pitiful living situations of factory workers and their almost nonexistent salaries. Flynn writes, “They had hopes of a new life in a new world… They had hopes… to come to freedom. What freedom?… To be wage-slaves, hired and fired at the will of a soulless corporation…?” (p.27) Indeed, the workers were being treated unjustly and unfairly. In the end, through the call of The Communist Manifesto, “WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTIRES UNITE!” (p.21) the Lawrence textiles workers won their strike and improved working conditions not only in Lawrence, but also across the entire country. (p.31) However, one should note that the workers did not need to resort to a dictatorship of the proletariat to achieve ethical treatment of workers.

Secondly, in abstract, the next three articles highlight a very important concept in relation to the success of capitalism. In order for the hierarchy of capitalism to work, owners must treat their workers in an ethical manner and pay them proper wages. Perhaps this sentiment is most strongly expressed by Bruce Barton who enthusiastically supports capitalism. Specifically, Barton writes in The Founder of Modern Business that capitalism is an economic system that can work, but it is lacking slightly in ethics and morals. If everyone were to be a good Christian and follow the precepts of Jesus, capitalism would work, and laborers would be treated properly as Christianity dictates.

Furthering this sentiment, Frederick Taylor explains in The Art of Shoveling that both owners and workers alike can benefit from profits in a capitalistic society. “…the only way in which you can pay wages 60 per cent higher than other people pay and not overwork your men is by having each man properly suited and well trained to his job.” (p.35) If workers are given appropriate jobs, work hard, and are productive, they can be paid higher wages. Similarly, owners must be organized and watch over the workers to ensure they are working productively. In this approach, both owners and workers can benefit from a profitable business.

The third article, The Corporate Man by John Kenneth Galbraith, tackles the idea of fairness in the payment of wages. Despite sarcastic remarks about a loss of individuality, identity, and creativity, Galbraith writes, “I do not suggest that, given his sacrifices, the modern business executive is underpaid.” (p.44) In other words, due to the hard work and life’s sacrifice of these executives, they are justly rewarded monetarily.

Lastly, the third selection of articles explores the murky area of ethics and morals as a result of capitalism in the modern economy. While all of these articles discuss the problems within a capitalistic society, it must be noted that none of the authors suggest America become a communist country.

To start, both John Dos Passos, and Joseph Heller explore businesses and the effects capitalism has on individuals. In both The American Plan and The Office In Which I Work the corruption of individuals and institutions are discussed. While no explicit criticism is given, the bite of their satirical allegory is enough to demand change of our capitalistic society.

The American Plan is really a political satire written by Dos Passos as a direct challenge to Taylor’s The Art of Shoveling. In The American Plan, Passos depicts an American, Frederick Taylor, who rises to a position of authority and becomes obsessed with productivity and profit. “Production went to his head and thrilled his sleepless nerves…” and Taylor, “lost his friends in the shop…” (p.38) In the end, Taylor dies with “his watch in his hand” (p.39) symbolizing his relentless drive for productivity and structure.

Similarly, Heller depicts the corrupt life of Bob Slocum in The Office In Which I Work. This satire describes the office politics and intrigues, which plague modern corporations. In the end, the main character Bob Slocum decides he is willing to lie to friends in the office, suffer through work he hates, and deal with disagreeable co-workers because he is paid well and has the opportunity for advancement within the corporation. One may ask, is Bob being true to himself and his ideals? There is no clear-cut answer. In Bob’s words, “And I find I am being groomed for a better job. And I find–God help me–that I want it.” (p.86)
To finish, the articles by Juliet B. Schor and Nina Munk explore the phenomenon of work and pay within society. In The Overworked American, Schor describes an epidemic of overwork, which is in keeping with American standards of living and desire for material wealth. While this trend is affecting families and society negatively, in truth, many Americans want to work longer hours as this results in a higher paycheck. “In this sense, leisure exists in spite of rather than as a result of capitalism.” (p.49) In keeping with this being an ethical problem, Schor points out that if people were willing to consume less, they would need less money and have more free time to spend with family and enjoy leisure time.

Similarly, Munk discusses the dilemma of the employee who wishes to be free of the corporate world, but can’t make enough money to support himself or herself as a free agent. In Free-Agent Employees, Munk explains, “They have no benefits, they don’t get stock options or paid vacations, and free agents may not be protected by employment laws.” (p.90) Therefore, in truth, being a free agent is not an option for most people as they can’t sustain themselves, and others, who are free agents, wish they had a stable job.

Interestingly enough, I have worked as a wage laborer at multiple jobs (meaning I was paid hourly), and I’ve found there to be two determining factors behind whether or not I enjoyed my job. Firstly, was I paid well? Secondly, how was I treated? Indeed, these are two main themes found throughout this paper. I’ve found from my personal experience that if I was underpaid and I felt exploited, I absolutely hated my job. What's more, if I only received money, or only praise, I was only moderately happy.

In conclusion, despite the fact that modern communism failed, The Communist Manifesto changed modern thought in terms of wage labor and class within society. While humanity has still not found an economic system that is perfectly moral and ethical, thought provoking books and articles such as the sampling seen here will hopefully lead to the improvement of society as a whole.

Take a look at this!

I think this is a wonderful idea. As a child I loved going to children's museums where I could do fun activities in a "hands on" setting. So, if they can create a museum that engages children and it helps them figure out what their interests are, it would be a great help in a society that is becoming increasingly directionless.

Taken from the Wall Street Journal:

Playing at Professions
Jobs Theme Park for Children
Is Huge Success in Japan
By MIHO INADA
February 9, 2007; Page B1

TOKYO -- On a recent afternoon, Misaki Ando lined up behind a long row of children at an indoor theme park here. But the nine-year-old girl wasn't waiting to play videogames or ride bumper cars. She wanted to test her skills at pumping gas at a make-believe gas station.

"I wiped the cars clean and filled them up with gas," Misaki said afterward, excitedly recounting her experience. "I enjoyed this job the most."


Child's play: Youngsters visiting Kidzania can try out jobs including gas station attendant, reporter, pilot and courier.
Misaki was spending the day at Kidzania, a 1.5-acre theme park dedicated to offering children a fun taste of what working life is like. The park is packed with 50 company-sponsored pavilions that offer a chance to try a dizzying range of jobs, including pilot, dentist, electrical engineer and package-delivery messenger. While trying out dentistry, for example, children pretend to be dentists in training, learning about how cavities form, then inserting a filling in the tooth of a doll representing a patient.

A theme park that focuses on some 70 careers may not sound like fun and games, but the park, which can accommodate 3,000 children a day, has been a huge success since it opened in October. Advance tickets for weekends are already sold out through the end of April. Weekdays are packed with students on excursions from all over Japan. Some parents are so eager to get their children into the park that they line up early in the morning to snare the 50 to 200 non-reserved tickets available each day.

Behind the park's popularity is the nagging worry in Japan that many young people lack the diligent work ethic of which Japan has been so proud. More young Japanese are dropping out of jobs, and some can't even be bothered to look for their first one. About 640,000 single Japanese between the ages of 15 and 34 are neither at work nor at school, compared with about 400,000 in 2001, according to the government.


Some education specialists say the slacker trend is happening in part because young Japanese are so focused on studying that they have little opportunity to interact with society and no idea what they want to do when they grow up. Few Japanese companies organize events like Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Internships are still rare, and summer jobs tend to be limited to working at restaurants and convenience stores.

Worried, Japan's education ministry launched a campaign in 2005 called Career Start Week, which encourages students ages 13 to 15 to gain some kind of job experience. But few companies have participated in the program, with many saying they're too short-staffed or aren't properly set up to accommodate the students.

Kidzania, which is based in Mexico, was brought to Japan two years ago by Einosuke Sumitani, a retired manager of a Japanese restaurant company. The 63-year-old Mr. Sumitani, who was responsible for bringing such American restaurants as Spago and Il Mulino to Japan, first heard about the career theme park from an American friend and thought it was exactly what Japan needed.

"Kidzania has the potential to make up for something that's missing in the current society and education system," says Mr. Sumitani, whose company, Kids City Japan K.K., signed a licensing agreement with the Mexican company, Kidzania de México SA, in 2004. Besides the Tokyo park and parks in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico, Kidzania has signed franchise deals to open parks in Jakarta in July and in Lisbon and Dubai next year. Deals in South Korea and China are also likely. There are no immediate plans for a park in the U.S.


Corporate sponsors, eager to increase brand awareness, strive to make the Tokyo park look just like a kid-size version of the real world. After paying the entrance fee, which can be as high as $25 for a five-hour session, the children receive a boarding pass and travelers' checks at an imitation All Nippon Airways check-in counter. They then go to a replica of a Sumitomo Mitsui bank branch to convert the checks into the park's own currency, called kidzos.

The children, who range in age from 2 to 15, can rent real mobile phones at a reproduction of a shop of NTT DoCoMo, Japan's biggest mobile carrier, and perform surgery on dolls at a Johnson & Johnson hospital. For every job experience, which usually takes half an hour, children earn extra kidzos that they can spend on food and drinks in the park.

Kidzania doesn't allow any parents inside pavilions. They can either watch their children through glass windows or wait in the adults-only lounge.

Increasingly, public schools around Japan are making the park a destination for school trips. On a recent day, 89 sixth-graders from Narayama Minami Elementary School in Shizuoka, about 63 miles southwest of Tokyo, visited the park as part of their career-education program. The students did research beforehand, analyzing their personalities to try to figure out which jobs might suit them best. Teacher Minako Hatono stressed the importance of preparation. "Children would, otherwise, tend to choose the easy jobs or jobs in which they can eat," she explained.

Mr. Sumitani says he plans to open Kidzania at six more locations in Japan. He also aims to set up smaller-scale parks in conjunction with local governments across Japan.

"Kidzania's concept is universal," he says. "We could develop it anywhere."

--Ricardo Millan in Mexico contributed to this article