“The Peaceful Atom is a Bomb”, was a bumper stick on the VW Bus parked across the street from me growing up. I thought they were the coolest. It was the late 80’s and most hippies had joined the corporate 9-5 jobs by then. Nuclear bombs equaled world domination, which was in. People wanted more bombs as the Communists were just around the corner.
Now people know nuclear bombs aren’t cool, but don’t really think about how they are out there, quietly ready to annihilate. The reality is we are barely skirting our own destruction with this Tr*mp and J*ng debacle,
Here is a visual tool to remind us that this is serious business. We are the guardians of our world.
After you test out where you live, your parents live, and your ex that broke your heart, then go here to see what you can do to put and end to this global threat!
Tr*mp + Sinclair Broadcast Group (the country’s largest broadcaster, which owns or operates 193 television stations. The company is seeking a $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media, a move that’s being held up by regulators over antitrust concerns.) = Extreme Danger to Our Democracy.
It’s not just national media like Fox “News”, it’s more and more of our local stations, across different brands…NBC, ABC, and CBS are all part of it. The local anchors we’ve trusted for so long (more than national ones) are part of propaganda system most of us didn’t even know actually existed or thought it was happening elsewhere or on channels we don’t watch. Only ONE television news brand source isn’t part of it: PBS.
I just got a little scared watching this video and I rarely get scared. I am always prepared, so I am not scared of what’s going to come, now I am scared that it is here.
Unplug the TV. Don’t watch/read the mainstream news. Read a book. Go outside. Play. Love. Change the world for the better.
The news needs to be true. You can help make truth possible by checking out Factcheck.org as a starting point. Let yourself get lost in finding the truth and then spread it all over that wondrous world wide web.
Factcheck.org sister sites include FlackCheck.org, which provides resources to help you recognize flaws in arguments in general and political ads in particular, and SciCheck, which sniffs out false and misleading scientific claims.
Want more? The people at Politifact have broken down a seven step process.
This is such a special time in our American History, and I am proud to be alive in these times. The Women’s March on Washington is most likely going to go down in our history books as the start of another wave of feminism, and this time, WE WILL NOT STEP BACK.
Mushpa + Mensa were unable to hitch a ride to DC, and maybe all happened for a reason. We were meant to stay at our own city rally in Wilmington, NC. We stayed in our home town, made signs, and shouted, chanted, and participated in the Wilmington’s Sister Women’s March. What a phenomenal experience. Even more amazing was coming back home and seeing the pictures and videos of ALL THOSE WOMEN. Men and children also there supporting. Political figures, icons, celebrities, artists, and humans from all walks of life. All these little pink hats, all these powerful signs. So much to say, yet such unity in our voice. Despite the hiccups of what it means to be part of this march (Can a pro-lifer still be a feminist? Is there space for white woman oppression?) the energy was ONE.
I am so proud of all of us. This light inside me grows. The strength in me grows, and so does the motivation. We are awake, and ready to go.
Despite not being in Washington physically, our collective energy filled every corner of the world, from Berlin, to Paris, from London to Costa Rica. This is not an American movement. This is WORLD WIDE.
The internet has united us, and I have witnessed some amazing and moving moments from the Women’s March. Here a few favorites. I hope you play them, enjoy them, and let them fill you with hope, motivation, and furious energy to fight this culture of hate, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia and darkness that has crept up to a mainstream platform.
Without further ado, press play, and may the force be with you.
-Mensa
“We too must stand united….if we fall into the trap of separating ourselves by our causes and our labels, then we will weaken our fight, and we will lose. But if we commit to what aligns us, if we stand together steadfast and determined, then we stand a chance at saving the soul of our country.” -America Ferrera
“I’m not nasty like the combo of Trump and Pence being served up to me in my voting booth. I’m nasty like the battles my grandmothers fought to get me into that voting booth…We are here to be respected. We are here to be nasty!” -Nina Donovan interpreted by Ashley Judd
“We are the people. We have people power, and we will use it…This is the upside of the downside. This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy like I have never seen in my very long life. It is wide in age, it is deep in diversity, and remember: the constitution does not begin with “I the president”, it begins with “We the People.” So do not try to divide us…” -Gloria Steinem
The 4 things we need to do according to Michael Moore:
1. Call Congress every single day (1 rep in the house, 2 senators) 202-225-3121
2. JOIN A GROUP!
3. Form your own rapid response team: people that you will call, when we need to move fast. 10 people
4.Form regions of resistance. Blue states and cities. The country will follow your lead!
If you are anything like us, we can get real close to the time of whatever-it-may-be and then get what needs to be done, last minute style, done. Don’t get us wrong, we do it well under pressure. The Women’s March tomorrow is no different. We are going to wake up around 7AM to get our signs done to get out to our local Wilmington, NC Women’s March. I did some image research and quote digging and came up with 10 good sign suggestions off the World Wide Web.
We go high.
Your silence will not protect you.
Nasty Woman
“Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities” Voltaire
Hate Kills
“I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” Audre Lorde
Woman’s place is in the resistance. (in reference to Carrie Fisher…Princess Leigh….Star Wars. You get it.)
I am stronger than fear.
Truth matters.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker
Get your recycled pieces of boxes, cardboard, old sheets and get to creating. We will collectively be with every human at every women’s march tomorrow. We love you.
Here are a few things that we could do for less than 19 billion. We can even do a couple of these at a time. Why 19 billion? Because recently Facebook just purchased the “Whatsapp” a texting app for that amount.
1. Making sure every man women and child would have clean running water – estimated 10 billion dollars.
2. UNICEF estimates that vaccinating a child against measles and rubella costs less than $1.50. That’s less than your coffee. And its worth more than a text. In 2011, over 400 people a day died from measles. Over a hundred babies a day were born with birth defects caused by rubella in 2008.
3. How about higher education!? Covering the cost of attendance at the Harvard College for one year for over 400,000 students. And that’s Harvard, a private, ridiculously expensive university.
4. 2014 National School Lunch Program Budget – 14 Billion. Hey, how about feeding something healthy to our kids?
5. Or how about cancer research. The enacted FY 2014 budget for National Cancer Institute is $4.923 billion. Or maybe, just maybe, making sure those 47 million uninsured Americans get some sort of health benefits.
I am sure that the owners of Facebook were told that the app had magical powers that let you travel through time, teletransport, and that there was only one in the world, and it wasn’t simply just a texting device, right? Right!?!?
In fact, Mushpa yMensa’sMagicalMotorMachineMakeover is now more than 50% funded thanks to all that have pledge so far! That is super awesome! Also, we want to give thanks to all that have promoted us through social media, emails, word of mouth and the like. Speaking of, Generation (WH)Y? just wrote a piece on two ongoing Kickstarter projects, one being ours, entitled, Two Cool Kickstarter Campaigns In New York City. It is a great read so read it! :]
My friends, we have 47% to go in 16 days, meaning:
Please excuse the shameless promotion, but we need to get this done to move on to the next part, so we are able to come see all of you in our MagicalMotorMachine full of our magical wares!
Recently I’ve been looking into insurance, and understanding this new health care reform. Not being insured by a workplace, being self-employed and having one more year to be covered under my parent’s insurance, it is time that we get this new “Obama Care” straight.
Positives? We actually might have some sort of resemblance to decent (or almost barely there) health coverage in the Untied States. We are not to Canada’s or European standards, but we have to admit that for the country where we live in, where $$$ is power, this is a breath of fresh air.
Here is a small video that shows in 4 minutes how this new Affordable Health Care Act, will function.
Negatives? YES! It is still not UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, by the people for the people. We will still run insurance through these huge corporations, and they will still be making profits on human health, and lives. The basis for all this system is STILL profit. Insurance companies will be able to control the market place, “The Exchange”, just like all other market places, are operated by economic incentives, and insurance companies will raise premiums if they find that they are not making business. 31 million new covered?…by insurance companies.
I am still a little fuzzy about this reform, but why should it be clear? It does not seem to be straight forward, and it is only a bandage to the sickness that health coverage is in this country. It is like trying to fight cancer with cough medicine and aspirin. It might get rid of the pain for an hour or two, but the sickness still grows.
Let’s hope that 2014 brings on positive results, and more awareness on what actually needs to be done….FIND A REAL CURE!
Here’s another video that explains further this new law.
The latest debate over whistleblower Snowden and the NSA has finally gotten people talking about the outrageous (is it that surprising?) fact that our government “checks in” on millions of people….just because they can.
“Fighting terrorism” is an excuse that many people are getting sick and tired of hearing, specially when we are still investing (and corporations making money) in multiple wars in the Middle East with no true solution to getting out, and leaving these nations in a so called “peaceful state”. And now Syria?…. Ok Obama….
So people are now saying…. “Oh no! Google can read my chats! Oh no… Facebook’s privacy policy sucks! Oh no! But the constitution says….!”
I have a proposal.
Let’s not stop at the saying….and let’s actually get some DOING done.
Here are three easy ways to at least try to avoid getting sucked in this “system”.
***3 EASY THINGS TO DO…..****
1. Change from Gmail to another email provider, like Zoho…. research it. It’s not evil like google. Lovely IT Phenomenon Cara Reynolds (Mushpa) has written multiple posts about Google and has pointed me and a several others to the world of Zoho email. Same functions as Gmail, but has no red tail and horns. You can chat, save conversations, do document transfers…the whole shabam!
2. Get OFF facebook. I’ve been facebook free for 6+ months after having had it on and off since 2006…. its worth it. Facebook is like a reality tv show. Entertains the masses, and keeps them occupied…. if staying in touch is what you want, then email, phones and even letters (which is so nice to get) gets the job done when you actually TRULY want to stay in touch. You know, and often hear, how much time we “waste” on the book of face. There is so much world out there! And so much to do! Let’s ditch the “like” and get real things done : )
3. Phone companies? Well this one is trickier. I’m trying to get off Verizon with a contract….and a chunk of a fee, huh. No surprise there. They have their little Verizon drones trained so well, that they even tell you that the NSA scandal might all just be a rumor! I didn’t stick around too much to have a discussion with my Verizon rep, but so far I have ditched my cellphone (mostly because it’s a shattered iPhone, which magically breaks every year so I would have an excuse to buy a new one). It is much harder to keep up with the world with a landline…. So far I’m stuck on this one. T-mobile with their “no contract” deals still get to you in other ways. So for now a landline will suffice….and taking pictures with a real camera (which is already better) and uploading to my computer might also take an extra minute…. Apparently I’ll be going back to the dark ages….
But being righteous takes work no? Who said fighting this battle would be easy? It’s kicking my butt for sure….On to the next challenge.
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