Welcome

Grab your quilt or fleece blanket and have a seat. Welcome to my new blog. I'm really more of a quilt person myself. There's just something cozy about wrapping yourself up in something that someone handmade at one point. And almonds- which I used to hate till recently. I was strictly a pecan-peanut girl, until my friend exposed me to their charm. And bonus- they're good for your heart!

Tonight I am at home in NC, listening to this band called Calexico, and watching these Vangaurd documentaries on different issues around the world. Check out Vangaurd on Hulu.com. The one I just watched was on the cocaine addiction in Europe and how the cocaine gets to Europe. After South America, the drugs get shipped to west Africa before being transported to the UK, Italy, and other European countries. The people in west Africa are being told that they can get better jobs in Europe, especially Italy, if they just move. Once in Italy, however, they are either forced into prostitution or forced to transport or sell drugs by the Italian drug mafia, the Camorra. A group of Nigerians gained control in the business and now run as a violent competitor to the Camorra. This is mainly in Castel Volturno, Italy. They get the drugs across the border by swallowing small bags of cocaine and then pooping it out once they are in their destination.

I think it's crazy how consumers across the globe do not realize how their habits effect different parts of the world. Cocaine is just one extreme example, but what about jeans, or jewelry, or cell phones? Is buying an item at its cheapest price really going to benefit us in the end? Or would it be better to save up our money to be able to buy something from a company with better factory standards?

We can not keep consuming at the rate that we do. We have to do our research to figure out where products come from and what kind of conditions the people who are making the products are under.

So before you go out shopping for the holidays, check out different companies websites to see if they have any information on their factory standards or accountability. And if they don't have that information or you are not satisfied with their standards, then email them about it. And then keep emailing them. And then take that into consideration when you see that company's name on something. This is a simple way to "make a difference" globally.

Thanks for reading!