How One Book Can Make a Huge Difference in So Many Ways!

How can you help National Park personnel who have been affected by the government shutdown as well as the parks they serve in? While also promoting your child to read a book that teaches them the importance of our National Parks? I have the perfect solution: The Adventures of Brock Cliffhanger & His Jr. Park Rangers!

*Disclaimer: I was not paid or endorsed for this book review. I own a physical copy of one book and the digital copy of the other. All opinions expressed are my own.*

 

Mark Villareal has been writing for some time now. I've had the pleasure of reading several, if not all, of his books. Lately, he has branched into writing a children's series. One that teaches kids the importance of our National Parks. His first book in the series was The Adventures of Park Ranger Brock Cliffhanger & His Jr. Park Rangers: The Missing Hikers of Allegany State Park. Not only does it tell the story of hikers gone missing, but it teaches the importance of proper safety while hiking. Now he has written the second book in the series. The Adventures of Park Ranger Brock Cliffhanger & His Jr. Park Rangers: Mountain Rescue: Preserving Our Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Readers also learn about the parks in these books. The proceeds of this second book are currently being donated to the National Parks Conservation Association.

Brock Cliffhanger brings a legend, that is bigger than life, to a reality that inspires children. He is the mentor of two kids that became Jr. Park Rangers. Their love of National Parks brought them to the program where they learn how to pay it forward and teach others. I fell in love with their story at the first reading. And was quite happy to share it with my children. I believe it teaches valuable lessons.  Our youth will be the ones shaping and changing the future. What they learn now, will decide what they choose to do later.

Now, I will be sharing the second in the series with them. I just purchased the digital copy today! This one teaches the importance of careful camping and respecting the parks with our actions. The Smoky Mountains went through devastation after careless people started a wildfire. It affected so much more than the park, however. Future generations can avoid making those same mistakes if they learn how to care and pay it forward. 

These books are perfect for grades 1-6. Or ages 6-11. I read to my kids, ages 6-10. And they all loved it. We discussed the book and some of the important points in it.

But enough of my talking. Here is where the truth shows through in action!

A failing system leads to devastation

We all know that the government and most of the current systems they have in place are no longer functional. There are guidelines meant to blanket everyone that do not have provisions for those in special circumstances. Take for instance, unemployment.

Unemployment is meant to help you get back on your feet after being let go from a job, usually through no fault of your own. A company will pay you a percentage of what they did before until you get another job. This is done through a government-run agency, however, so there are rules to get these benefits. These rules are created in the hopes that people won’t stay lazy and soak up those benefits indefinitely. Good in theory, bad in action. How so? Here is the break down.

You lose your job, you apply for unemployment. If granted, or awarded, those benefits – you will have to do several things to get money and keep getting money. You are required to be 100% available any time of day for any job you are offered. You are required to do a minimum of 5 job search activities per week. You are required to request your payments every two weeks. You are required to register for a Work in Texas (or your state) account and use it to supplement your normal job searches. You are required to attend an unemployment orientation class. You are required to meet with an unemployment agent at Work Force. They will make suggestions on changes to your resume, how to cheat the system on applying for jobs you might not have the skills for, and jobs they think you should look into.

If you don’t maintain your Work in Texas account by checking it at least twice a week, don’t do 5 work activities per week, and turn down a job based on availability… You lose your unemployment benefits. You have to have child care set up already. You have to have reliable transportation at all times. You have to accept any job offered. Don’t aim high. You’re a beggar. Beggars can’t be choosers.

This is the system! So I turned down a job. The job had 3 schedule options. All options would only work if I wasn’t sharing a vehicle with my fiancé. His car was totaled right before I lost my job in March. So my job searches are for the following:

1.       An administrative job. Due to my back issues, I can’t do manual labor jobs.

2.       A schedule ranging through – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 8AM-8PM and Tuesdays, Thursdays 8AM-2PM. My fiancé works overnight, so I have to consider his work schedule while we share my van. He’s also in school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I would have to be home by 3PM on those afternoons.

3.       I also don’t want to take a job that pays less than $11 an hour. That is how much I get on unemployment. $14 an hour is what I made while working. And that amount covered my bills. The job I was offered was for $8.60 an hour.

So why haven’t they changed things? I mean, look at how many people are unemployed. Can you not see there is something wrong with how it works? More so, how do you expect people to get out of debt and back on their feet?

Simple. The government is run by out of touch, rich people. Their only talents are to point their fingers and pass the blame. Then scratch their heads at why things aren’t getting better. Why the rate is rising and the economy is steadily dropping? How long ago has this department been created? And besides making the length of time longer than one qualifies for it, what other adjustments have been made?

So here is my current dilemma. I can file an appeal and have them go over my information again. But according to them, not having adequate childcare or access to a vehicle is a personal issue. Or I can tell them that my situation has changed and now I am able to have someone watch my kids, making me available at any given time. They will take my next payment that they determined I "owe" and pay me another couple hundred two weeks later. In the meantime, what am I to do? How do I get gas? How do I pay the electric bill? The water? I'm UNEMPLOYED! I have no income. No job. And 4 kids. Where is this working system we so desperately need??

Its like a crack in the windshield. Starts off small and centralized, but slowly spreads to the entire windshield. So starts a faulty system within the whole.
What are your thoughts?

What price would you pay for your protection?

We are in the age of technology here. Everything is done with computers, “smart phones”, and the internet. Terms that our grandparents hadn’t had are household words that even my 7 year old son uses. Apple, iPhone, the Cloud, autocorrect, Android… And the advancements that come with these things are phenomenal! We can contact someone around the globe within seconds rather than sending mail that takes anywhere from a day to several weeks to arrive to our person in question. Business is affected and growing with connections being made. We are keeping in touch with those we care about daily rather than when we have the time to call and ask them what’s new.

But with all these great things, there are great downsides. Viruses, overloaded updates on people you don’t want to keep up with constantly, information leaks, stolen identity, cyber-crimes such as hacking, distancing ourselves from others (not staying close to those we love on a personal level), bullying… the list could go on. We are told to change our passwords often. Don’t give out unnecessary information. Don’t get addicted to social media – find a balance.

It can be hard to keep on the safe side when everything is available at the touch of a button. And now there’s a new concern to consider. This one applies strongly to smart phone users, particularly to Apple users. If you haven’t already heard about the F.B.I. trying to get Apple to give them a “master key” of sorts to break into locked iPhones, you must be living under a rock. The outrage is growing. The sides of pro or against are clearly lining up against each other. But think about this people… common sense might not be common these days, but just try to understand logic for the next couple of minutes…

So we have a horrific event that costed way too many lives in the United States. All because of a terrorist attack. Investigations start rolling and information starts flowing. An iPhone comes into play. But it’s locked. And the F.B.I., in their desire to put the pieces in place, decides they need to access everything in the phone. They could ask Apple to hand over the data in the iCloud. All they need is a warrant or maybe just a request. Apple has been cooperative in the situation, so how hard would it be? But that’s not good enough… They want to get into the phone themselves. A terrorist is most likely not going to store their plans in the iCloud. But they can’t get into the phone, its locked. They don’t know the technology. They don’t have a key to bypass the encryption. And they don’t have anyone smart enough to break into for them, apparently. So they want a way in through the back door. Apple balks at such a thing. They don't have the access past the encryption. Then the F.B.I. does what Apple said they would do. They don’t want it for just one phone now; they want to open 9 iPhones. For the sake of American safety, they claim. For the protection of future lives and the justice desired for those already lost. Now Apple is really pushing back. But why? Don’t they want to serve and protect as well? Yes. Of course they do. But think of the implications this can have on the future. Think of the fallout. Think of the applications this can have for all iPhone users present and future. This boils down to creating a way for the government to walk into any iPhone, anywhere, regardless of the system, encryptions, software. This is a get INTO jail card for Apple products. How so? You can create this key for one or for 9 phones. You can open up a secured zone for a brief moment to get what they need. But once they are in… they can go anywhere. They can do anything. And this key isn’t restricted to just that one device. It’suniversal. Every single iPhone would be open to them. How would such a key be abused? Who’s to stop them from looking into your device?  And would you know about it? Not unless they come after you. They wouldn’t have to say anything more than, “It’s the safety of America.” Now sure, you could say that its okay. After all, you don’t have anything to hide from the government, right? So who cares?! But here’s something else to consider. How many times has the government been hacked? How much information on weapons, military, or other government information been leaked in the past few years? Do you want to risk handing them the keys to your iPhone where a hacker can steal them? Then your identity is at risk. Think of the apps on your phone. Banking, shopping, emails, text messages, phone logs… What could happen to you if someone got that information? Would your life be the same? No. People were furious when Target was hacked and bank accounts were affected. I know only too well as I was a Target employee that dealt with irate customers blaming me personally for something I had absolutely no control over. What happens when the same occurs to Apple devices because the government gets hacked? Everyone will blame Apple, right? Is it going to be their fault? No! They did as asked and the government will be the ones dropping the ball in “protecting” iPhone users. But this is all hypothetical for now. These are the things that people are not thinking of for the future. Open your eyes folks! Be mindful of what reactions could occur with these actions. Its not a simple “one case” action. Once a key is made, there is no going back. There is only fighting for your own safety.

Don’t think that Apple will be the only ones targeted for such. Once Apple crumples and makes such a key, who is to say the government won’t pursue others such as Android or Microsoft? Why not have a key for every smart phone on the market? We already have our conversations on Skype being recorded for government use. Facebook Messenger Apps has access to your text messages and voice calls as well. Read the specifications one day on what they require you to allow them access to before you download an app. Or even after downloading an app. You’d be surprised at how much they access on your phone that has nothing to do with them. But you give permission blindly. Why? You just want the app. You don’t think about what comes with it besides the usefulness it holds to you personally.

It is time to wake up, America. No, it is time for the world to wake up. Everyone with a hand in technology needs to see that danger lurks everywhere on the World Wide Web. And if you want to be safe from it, you better watch what you share, what you click, and who is watching. Know your rights. Guard your privacy. Don’t take “protection” that costs you your privacy. It could ruin you in the long run. And most importantly, don’t bury your head in the sand and pretend that you don’t have any investment in what’s going on. If you own a device affected or that could be affected, keep up with what is happening. And plan for whatever outcome may come into play.

Read this letter from Apple about what they say it means if my words aren't enough.