Product Review: Reduced Fat White Cheddar Cheez-It

Now, this is the second box of these fabulous baked snack crackers that I have bought. We all read reduced fat and it translates to "tastes like cardboard." Not the case here! I sit in my cube daily with the temptation of going down to the second floor to the vending machines to get a snack. I was so used to jobs where I was very active that when I got my first "office" job, I put on maybe 10-15 pounds. I HATE 10-15 pounds. So, I headed to my local Vons supermarket and got the standard staples. Unsalted almonds, 100 calorie packs of this and that, some granola bars etc. As, I was walking towards the popcorn, there it was. Calling to me. I love Cheez-Its any how, so I bought my first box. I was sold on the first cracker! They are so rich in flavor and cheesy, you have no clue that you are eating something that is reduced fat! My 12 year old son wanted some - not seeing the Reduced Fat sign on the box - and he loved them. I showed him the box later and he was amazed. I even have a coworker who refuses to eat any of my so called "healthy"snacks, but I tricked her the other day and handed her some. She loved them and as soon as she said that, I grabbed the box to show her. Now she is going to buy some for her office! The serving size says 25 crackers, but there is no way I could eat 25 of these at once, which means I am maybe eating half the calories, fat, etc listed on the below nutrition label. I am totally sold on this snack and will now keep a box of these tasty crackers at my cube at all times. If you want more information on this product or any other Cheez-It brand product head over to http://www.cheez-it.com/

Working women?

In my opinion, we have come a very long way as women in the workforce. In the Progressive Era, women were limited to jobs such as candy, clothing, or cigar rolling factories, or passive jobs such as teaching, laundering or department stores because management thought “women were more polite, easier to control, and more honest that male workers (Carnes, 2008, 513).” I find this statement to be very comedic. As a female Sergeant in the United States Army, I was often regarded as a “Nazi” or told that I should be nicer to my Soldiers because we were office workers. Honest, definitely. Women are polite and easy to control - not in my case. Luckily, in the Armed Forces, there is equal pay across the board based on rank and time in grade instead of gender. As a woman in the early 1900’s “the only constant was their meager wages and poor working conditions (oah.org/pubs/magazine/progressive/barrett.html., 2007, np).”
As of 2006, according to the statistics presented by the Department of Labor and Bureau of Statistics, women are still getting paid less than men, but the gap is closing on positions held and pay. What I found to be strange is that the positions where women are less employed, such as Construction, Farming and Repair Service, the gap in pay is not that much. Only 0.4% of women work in construction but the pay difference is almost marginal with women making 92.9% of their male counterparts. We are also closing the gap in terms of office work. The number of women working as your average run of the mill assistant/administrative professional dropped from 22.4% in 2005 to 22% in 2006. Not a large number, but that is just one year’s difference. It also seems to correlate to the increase in the number of women managers, 37.9% in 2005 rising to 38.1% in 2006. Also, when it comes to unemployment, 13.1% of women are claiming that they are unemployed versus 13.6% of men. However, the evidence also shows that still, many women are still assuming the homemaker role: 21.3% are not even in the workforce as compared to our male counterparts at 12.9% not in the workforce. (bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook2007.htm)
Regardless of number, we are making progress. Maybe not as fast as some women would like, but there are still a number of women who want to stay home or work in the “normal” feminine labeled jobs. There are no longer jobs that are off limits to women. As Dr. Sarles pointed out, there was an “idea that men are active while women are passive (Sarles, 2008, np)” and I do not agree with that, but I know, for myself, that there are jobs I either don’t want to work in myself, or jobs that I cannot physically do. I am fine with that. But I also do not feel that I would not be chosen for a management position simply because I am a woman. I strive for excellence through education and my abilities and feel that if I am the best candidate, I will get the job.








Works Cited
bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook2007.htm.
Carnes, Mark C. & Garraty, John A. American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation. New York: Longman, 2008.

oah.org/pubs/magazine/progressive/barrett.html
Sarles, John. “Lesson 1.” History 1322, UIW

Civil Unrest?

After last nights election I was absolutely DRAINED! Not only did my candidate not win, but I had to endure crap from the other side. I find it funny that people who consider them to be part of the peaceful party are the least peaceful it seems. I was inundated with comments to the effect of "thank god no more crotchety old white men in office." Really, did you look at your VP? This was generally followed by, "Thank god there is some color in the office." Hmmmm, and you called me and McCain racists? The worst of all was a person I had formerly thought to be intelligent made the remark, "Did you see that witch Palin and her whore of a daughter? I think they were crying!" Wow! And you are a Democrat? I was unwed when I conceived. I was only 19. Does that mean I am a whore too? How dare you! I am not a racist. Don't call me white when I am half Mexican just because I have fair skin. Don't assume when I say that if McCain had one people would have rioted and looted that I meant blacks in particular. I have beliefs and I vocalize them. I never attack a candidate for personal reasons, only their stance on the subjects I disagree with. If you cannot handle people disagreeing with you, go somewhere else because that is what America is built on. I am not evil because I do not agree with you. I just want different things. In a time where we should be coming together to figure out how to make each other quasi happy, do not pass judgment on others. Help people who are disheartened now to realize that maybe it will be ok. If you don't how will "CHANGE" happen?