29 November 2008

The Day After Giving Thanks

I find it particularly interesting that after one of the most auspicious holidays for the giving of thanks, the American people turn around the very next day to feed into their selfish desires and greed.

This "special" day of the year is called Black Friday, and most recently named so by media and retailers because it is the time of year that these companies are in the financial black. However, I believe the day's meaning has a much darker undertone...

Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death

If you do not want to read the article, the background to this story starts with thousands of shoppers gaining momentum to form a savage mob mentality. Just before the store's "Doorbuster" 5:00 a.m. opening, the people outside actually broke through the front doors that were being guarded by a handful of employees. These same people trampled an employee to death, and what is worse, they resisted requests to leave even after they were informed that they had killed an employee.

Such blatant disregard for human life causes me to marvel at the grotesque irony of this situation. Here we are, one day after expressing gratitude for all the freedoms, liberty, and relative peace we enjoy in this country--and people are pushing and injuring an extremely pregnant woman so badly she has to go to the hospital! No one looks to notice that they are stepping on a human being so forcefully that they are causing fatal wounds. People grab and snatch and horde their new-found possessions, regarding them as of greater worth than the people around them.

In response, I ask:
  • When did such material objects ever come to mean more than a human life?
  • How did we become a people who, ironically enough in this day and culture, become less and less tolerant and at the same time more and more isolated?
  • Why did we let this happen?

If I had family that died in this situation, not only would I be heartbroken for the meaningless loss that has come into my life, but I would question how this could have even happened. I too, like the real father was, would have been shocked and appalled that the employer made no pro-active attempts to contact me. Not nearly enough apologies. Not nearly enough responsibility.

I would implore all who read this to spend a moment in introspection, examining how they each contribute to or decimate our society. While technology and discoveries of certain truths have been a great blessing to the human race as a whole, we still suffer the same weaknesses and tendencies of ancient civilizations. I would even venture to say that we are, in some respects, worse off in the development of society. The final question that remains is what do you intend to do about this?

15 November 2008

Thanks Volkswagen for a preview of our baby!

I saw this on the Criddles blog and this just looked too fun. For whatever reason I think that the Volkswagon Routan commercials are hil-ar-ious. If you don't know what I'm talking about you can see the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qL_9Gmonuo

Don't worry, we're having our baby for love, not for German engineering :)


Tentatively our baby's name will be Samuel Eric Hansen, but it's still open for other options. We'll probably post a poll here in a little bit with the names that are still contenders. We're open to constructive criticism on any of our names. We figure it's easier to get the weird nicknames out now instead of when he's in first grade and being picked on by bullies. I think our current names that we're considering are Samuel (obviously), Keegan, and Jaron.

As far as other things go, it's been a busy few weeks. We were helping my parents out before the election as they were heavily involved with the Yes on 8 campaign in California. It's an issue that we feel strongly about and wish we could have done more to support. We've been sickened as we've watched all of the protesting against our church for their support of this issue (go figure, I'd always thought tolerance meant allowing people to have their beliefs even if they disagree with your own - apparently it means you have to have the same beliefs as the liberals have).

Right after Prop 8 passed - my sister got engaged! We're really excited for Taylor and her fiancé Ryan! I'm so glad that she's found someone who loves her and that she loves too. They're a great couple and we'll be glad to have Ryan as part of the family.

Eric got through his insane weeks of midterms and is back to his normal level of insanity, which is definitely nice. He should be interviewing for a position in Taiwan with Omniture sometime in the next few weeks so we're keeping our fingers crossed! It could be a really awesome opportunity for us and we're definitely excited for it!

As for me, I'm just plugging away at work and getting ready for this baby to come! He's started moving a lot, and it's still a really weird feeling to get used to. My tummy is definitely growing and I find I get stuck more easily if I sit or lay down. There's too much of me! I can't get up! However, other than that, I'm still feeling really really good. I get heartburn but it's been pretty mild, and Tums seem to take care of it pretty easily. I've decided to just enjoy this part of the pregnancy while I can. Only 15 weeks until my due date!! One of the weird things with the baby coming and us thinking of moving to Taiwan, is I'm not entirely sure what things to buy before the baby comes. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to buy everything here for a fully stocked nursery... just to have to pack it all up and take it to Taiwan. I guess we'll have to see how that all pans out.

10 November 2008

Toys for Tots

As part of a service project some classmates and I are doing, we are sponsoring a Toy and Food Drive this week for needy Utah families.

Please come and help the Utah Family Support Center by donating toys, clothes, paper products, and office supplies. These can all benefit the agency and those whom it serves. Community support is essential in this process, as they give care to families and children in need. The Center also serves as a place of refuge for foster children while they are waiting to be relocated.

Bring any donations to our booth in the Wilkinson Center Terrace any day this week between 12:00 and 2:00 PM. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at familysupport@byu.net

Here are some of the items that the center is looking for:

Food
Mac & Cheese
Box Dinners (Hamburger Helper, Pasta-Roni, etc.)
Raisins
Kid-friendly snack foods (crackers, fruit snacks,
pretzels, animal crackers, granola bars, etc.)
Baby snacks (e.g. “Graduates” finger food)

Toys
Toy cell phones (new and used)
Polly pocket toys (new and used)
Trains and cars
Any new toys (still in store package)

Misc
Diapers (especially size 2)
Pull-ups
Blankets
Baby wipes
Kids socks and underwear
Girls shoes (new or used in good condition sizes 2-4)
Floor and table lamp
Bubble bath and hair conditioner