My 2012 Goals: Updates

I made a list of a few goals for 2012. 

I have a few updates on my progress.

• Make at least one healthy meal per week:  I made TWO last week - one was steak, potatoes and asparagus and the other was pork chops and asparagus.  Not too bad and Buttin ate both meals.
• Become more educated about the products I buy and where they are made:

1. My friend Liz and I love the Lake Austin Spa.  It's always a pricey little trip, but very enjoyable.  The Lake Austin Spa is ranked #1 Destination Spa by Conde Nast Traveler (which I guess is pretty important).  Well, my friend Liz learned (from a former employee) that the spa does not provide (or chip in for) any health benefits for their employees.  Considering what I pay per treatment (not to mention a half-day), I would have expected the employees to be compensated like executives.  Now maybe this former employee is somewhat disgruntled, but I still plan to write a letter to the Lake Austin Spa asking for clarification and an explanation. 
2. Ironically enough while I was running this morning I listed to a This American Life podcast titled - Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory.  It was all about one Apple (as in electronic products, not the fruit) fanatic's trip to China to find out more about how Apple products are made.  He did some things that journalist wouldn't dare do - he actually stood outside large factories and just talked to workers - with the help of a translator. He posed as a business man and took tours of several factories.  He found some things that were personally (for him and me) upsetting - underage workers, 10 - 14 beds stacked on top of each other in the dormitories, the use of a paralyzing chemical to clean the iPad/iPhone screens (because it dries faster than alcohol) and a few others which I can't quite remember.  Apple actually does conduct pretty extensive audits and they try to be pretty forthcoming, kindof. This American Life is pretty fair and they fact checked everything they could and found most of his information to be accurate.  They also had some counter-points, including one from Paul Krugman - a liberal New York Times columnist and recipient of the Nobel Prize In Economic Sciences in 2008.  He said that the factory conditions in China are not ideal, but in Indonesia they're actually much worse - however, the factories have raised economic conditions for all.  I like this quote, " It is the indirect and unintended results of the actions of soulless multinationals and rapacious local entrepreneurs. It is not an edifying spectacle, but no matter how base the motives of those involved, the result has been to move hundreds of millions of people from abject poverty to something still awful, but nonetheless significantly better."  I understand Paul Krugman's comments, but I'm still not sure how I feel about the working conditions in the factories where some of the products I love are made.   I guess my goal was to become more educated and I feel like (in some small way) I'm accomplishing what I set out to do.

Here is Cub looking super excited to be wearing his hat today: