EYE OPENERS

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Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:35:24 -0400

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Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:54:37 -0400

REPUBLICANS REASONS WHY THEY ARE AGAINST ABORTION. WOMEN DO YOU...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:23:02 -0400

REPUBLICANS REASONS WHY THEY ARE AGAINST ABORTION.

WOMEN DO YOU REALLY WANT THEM TO HAVE THE FINAL SAY?!!

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND LISTEN TO THE RIDICULOUSNESS THAT COMES OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS.

WOMEN, DO YOU WANT THE REPUBLICANS TO CONTINUE SHOWING A LACK OF...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:11:00 -0400

WOMEN, DO YOU WANT THE REPUBLICANS TO CONTINUE SHOWING A LACK OF RESPECT TOWARDS YOU?

Representative Lisa Brown and Representative Barb Byrum are two Democratic lawmakers in Michigan. During a debate on the house floor they spoke against the anit-abortion bill. Lisa Brown gave her speech against the bill and the last sentence of her speech seemed to upset Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas (R-Midland). He pounded the gavel and asked members of the house to be respectful. The last sentence of her speech was “I’m flattered you’re all so concerned about my vagina, but no means no.” Representative Barb Byrum was trying to speak but was not allowed to. You can see her in the video raising her hand saying she would like to say something. The next day both of these women were NOT allowed to speak during the continuation of this debate.

Why were they not allowed to speak? According to Ari Adler, who is a spokesman for House Majority Leader Jase Bolger (R-Marshall), said they were both banned from speaking the following day because of their behavior and not because their choice of words. He said, “For Brown, it was not the words she used, but the way she used them that resulted in her being gaveled down” and in Byrum’s case, Adler said, “I hate to put it this way, but she essentially had a temper tantrum on the House floor.”

I do not agree with the decision of not letting the two women representatives speak they were not disrespectful and I think women should be aware that this happened. I believe this was disrespectful not allowing the women to speak and says a lot about our male republican party. Women rights seem to be going backwards with the republicans voting against or for bills that do not have the best interest of women in hand, such as the Equal Pay Bill. Republicans, also made changes to Violence Against Women Act that would not protect all women.

Barb Bynum has a point when she said, “There have been physical altercations between at least two men on the House floor, and I don’t recall any of them every being banned from speaking.” I think it is time for WOMEN TO START DEMANDING THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE AND NOT LETTING THINGS JUST SLIDE BY. SPEAK UP, STAND YOUR GROUND, BE HEARD!

hplyrikz: Follow Hp Lyrikz for more!

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:25:56 -0400

hplyrikz:

Follow Hp Lyrikz for more!

Timothy Brown IS THE FIRST PERSON TO BE CURED OF AIDS

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:25:03 -0400

Timothy Brown is the first person cured of AIDS. In 2007 Mr. Brown was being treated for leukemia. During his treatment he received a bone marrow stem cell transplant. What was special about this transplant was that it came from a donor with a genetic mutation that made him immune from HIV. The genetic mutation is known as delta 32, only occurs in an estimated 1% of Northern Europeans, and Swedes are the most likely candidates with this gene mutation.

Although this stem cell transplant worked it is said to not be an attainable way to treat HIV patients because it is difficult to find a bone marrow donor match, and even harder to find the one person who also carries the HIV-resistant gene. Doctors are looking towards umbilical cord transplants because a match does not need to be as close. Dr. Lawrence Petz who is the medical director of StemCyte which is an umbilical cord bank said out of 17,000 samples of cord blood that was tested in their umbilical cord bank only 102 tested positive with the genetic HIV-resistant mutation.

I honestly hope that doctors will continue to build on these findings and continue to make strides towards curing HIV for good. Hopefully, the medical field will invest enormous amounts of money to make this a reality. Once the medical field obtains this goal I hope the FDA will rush the approval of helping make the cure of HIV a reality.

HISPANICS, WHERE ARE YOU?

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:20:31 -0400

More than 21 million Hispanics are registered to vote but a little over 10 million are registered to vote and less actually go and vote. In the 2008 election there was a record of 10 million hispanics who turned out to vote, which was just half of the Hispanic population. According to the Pew Hispanic Center study 65% of black eligible voters voted and 66% of white eligible voters voted.

I am not sure why Hispanics are not voting. I understand the politics in politics can be discouraging and a bunch of nonsense when it should not be but in my opinion I would rather have Obama as president for another term over Mitt Romney. I know politicians make many promises and many of them are not kept. BUT I am also aware Obama has tried getting some laws passed that have been shot down such as the Buffet Rule where he wanted the rich to pay their fair share taxes and the republicans voted against it. There have been other laws shot down by the republican party and overall I do not agree with Romney’s plans for the future of America. When it comes down to it if you are able to vote you should do so for whomever you honestly believe can and has the best interest for American society as a whole. So, I say listen to what candidates have to say, ask questions, discuss, research, learn, and VOTE!

You can now find the US Senate Twitter list on our wiki at it's new location: http://t.co/twlEgHJx

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 10:17:14 -0400

You can now find the US Senate Twitter list on our wiki at it's new location: http://t.co/twlEgHJx:

govinthelab:

via Twitter

Lo Anderson Lo...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:34:00 -0400

Lo Anderson

Lo Anderson is a talented spoken word artist. Her presence on stage commands your attention and her flow of words are powerful and raw. She is able to deliver her words in a way that allows you to follow her through her journey and feel her words. I love when poets are able to make you say ‘ooo’, ‘ahh’, or any other sounds or words we use to express when we feel their words touch us. Her metaphors are intelligent, insightful and forceful. Everytime people clap for Lo Anderson it is earned and well deserved. Check out her video and Enjoy!

Check out spoken word poet Lo...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:32:00 -0400

Check out spoken word poet Lo Anderson

WOMEN PAY ATTENTION!!!

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:02:32 -0400

The Republicans do it again! First, the Republicans decided they wanted to make tweaks to the Violence Against Women Act which included less protection for LGBT victims of violence, Native Americans, and undocumented immigrant women. Now ALL THE REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE VOTED AGAINST THE PAYCHECK FAIRNESS BILL. The Paycheck Fairness bill “would require employers to prove that differences in pay are based on qualifications, education and other “bona fides” not related to gender. It also would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who ask about, discuss or disclose wages in response to a complaint or investigation. And it would make employers who violate sex discrimination laws liable for compensatory or punitive damages” (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-06-05/equal-pay-women-senate-vote/55400316/1). This bill is important for women and women should stand up for this bill to be passed. Women need to make themselves heard by both the Democrats and Republicans. To the democrats so they can keep fighting to get this bill passed and to the Republicans to STOP acting foolish and demand this bill gets passed. So, women tweet, email, call their offices and be heard.

The link below will provide contact information to the senators offices http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/Rape/Sexual Assault

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:21:00 -0400

Here are some statistics on Domestic Violence in the United States:

On average more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States. In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner
There were 248,300 rapes/sexual assaults in the United States in 2007, more than 500 per day, up from 190,600 in 2005. Women were more likely than men to be victims; the rate for rape/sexual assault for persons age 12 or older in 2007 was 1.8 per 1,000 for females and 0.1 per 1,000 for males
The United States Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3.4 million persons said they were victims of stalking during a 12-month period in 2005 and 2006. Women experience 20 stalking victimizations per 1,000 females age 18 and older, while men experience approximately seven stalking victimizations per 1,000 males age 18 and older
Women are much more likely than men to be victimized by a current or former intimate partner.⁵Women are 84 percent of spouse abuse victims and 86 percent of victims of abuse at the hands of a boyfriend or girlfriend and about three-fourths of the persons who commit family violence are male

These statistics can be found at:

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/content/action_center/detail/754?gclid=CJuNv-WftbACFUdN4Aodlmee7Q

Domestic Violence/Rape/Sexual Assualt crimes should have stronger and longer penalties for the people who commits this crime, whether it is a man or woman. The people who commit these act of violence should not be let off easily. Police Officers, government official, and famous people should not be let off the hook or a nonsense punishment of just a fine and parole. Here is a poem I found that I hope puts this issue in perspective for us.

To My Father

Sit down and listen because now it is MY TIME

MY TIME to express what

Your punches

Your fists

Your grabbing

Your shaking

Your yelling

Your choking

You did to my mom, how that affected me, how that affected my brothers

So, first off FUCK YOU

You narcissistic, machista, poor excuse of a man

You created a torment that has lived inside me way too long

And I am ready to let it go

I am ready to let you go father of mine

I struggled with loving you because you were my Dad

But in reality you were just a sperm donor

You were unfortunately the man my mom fell in love with

But you will no longer be a part of my life

You now have two children who have cut you out of their lives

You triggered my tears of blood for years but that self inflicted pain I caused on myself STOPS NOW

I never wanted to believe that you could be such a monster but you failed me too many times

My breaking point was that you failed to protect 7 years ago

when I went to you for support

When people got out of hand with my brothers like when the teacher who hit my brother, like the officer who harassed my other brother when he had cancer

You stepped up to the plate and stood up for them

But when I came to you

When I needed you

When I needed your support

When I needed you to help keep me from crumbling to pieces

When I told you what happened to me

When I showed you the paper work from the hospital

Your response was “You kissed him”

And there I sat in front of you having to defend myself from you

“But a kiss does not mean yes to sex”

You failed me as a dad

But in retrospect I shouldn’t have been surprised

You use to beat my mom

You use to beat her even when your three small children cried and yelled

You arrogant bastard

You thought you had our destinies planned out

You thought you had us sentenced to life with you

Now get on your knees and beg for forgiveness

Like mom did so many times

Now look down the barrel of your gun

Look down the barrel of your gun pointed at you

Like you once pointed to my mom in front of your children

Now listen as I pull the trigger

Click Click, no bullets

As much as I may physically want to harm you

I won’t because you are not worth it

But don’t worry

Karma will give you what you deserve one day

anonymous

Decriminalization of Possession of Marijuana in NYC

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:51:00 -0400

Governor Cuomo wants the decriminaliztion of possesion of small amounts of marijuana, specifically during the Stop and Frisk policy of the NYPD. Cuomo believes young New Yorkers arrested for a small amount of marijuana is problematic for young people because they retain a record and then it becomes hard for them to find a job. Black and Latinos are affected by these arrests in the thousands after being stopped for one reason by a police officer and then are asked to empty out their pockets. After they empty out their pockets the marijuana is now considered in public view and are arrested for a misdemeanor offence. Governor Cuomo wants the arrests of 25 grams or less change from a misdemeanor to a violation but if someone is caught smoking in public or the marijuana is in public view it will still be a misdemeanor offence. A sociologist from Queens College Harry G. Levine analysed state data of arrests and found that the New York City Police department made 50,684 arrests in 2011 of small possession of marijuana.

Do you think this is a good move from Governor Cuomo and for New York? Should all people arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana be considered a criminal? What about for first time offenders with no previous criminal record, should they be stuck with a criminal record? Is it just a simple matter that marijuana is illegal and if someone is caught with it should be arrested and have a criminal record attached to them?

(I have been trying to figure out a way to help or create more...

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:53:00 -0400

(I have been trying to figure out a way to help or create more awareness about human trafficking and have decided to start posting flyers in different areas. Above is one flyer I hung up in a train station. I will be hanging more in the next few weeks)

Human Trafficking is an issue that does not get enough attention because too many people are concerned with the lives of the rich and famous. Then there are some people who would rather turn the blind eye because they feel like they can’t help combat human trafficking.

It was reported in 2011 that the U.S. spends just 0.1% of war on drugs budget to help combat human trafficking. Between 2001 and 2008 an estimated amount of $134 million dollars a year was spent on programs to fight human trafficking. In 2011 the government spent $13 billion to fight the war on drugs.

The United States government funds 140 anti-trafficking in nearly 70 countries and also supports 38 domestic task forces that bring state and local authorities together. An estimated of 90 cities in the U.S. have some form of slavery, whether it be sex slaves or labor slaves.

Let’s look at some human trafficking statistics to get a good perspective on how huge of a problem this is:

14,500 – 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. every year
60,000 – 800,00 people are trafficked internationally each year and 70% are women and 50% are children
Today there are about 10-30 million slaves

How can human trafficking be stopped? Yes, it is an overwhelming problem but more has to be done. As a society we need to care more, be aware, not turn a blind eye, spread the word that human trafficking exist, demand the government to make harsher punishments for the criminals who traffic people, and if we suspect or are aware of anyone who is being trafficked we have to call the authorities. If reaching out to the authorities does not help we need to get the media involved or reach out to organizations that help save human trafficking victims so they can put pressure on whomever they can.

The U.S. should follow the lead of the Brazilian government on how they combat against human trafficking:

“In Brazil a company or person caught using slaves is put on an official “dirty list”. In addition to prosecution and imprisonment, that company or person is excluded from receiving any sort of government permits, grants, loans, or credits. Since much of the slavery in Brazil occurs where land is being developed in the Amazon and other remote areas, being denied government benefits can drive slave-using companies out of business.” https://www.freetheslaves.net/SSLPage.aspx?pid=328

If you would like to get involved and not sure where to start take a look at some of the links I’ve listed below to get you started.

http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/how-to-help/

https://www.freetheslaves.net/SSLPage.aspx?pid=285

http://www.polarisproject.org/

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/?gclid=CL7IkOu3mrACFYZxOgod20mgYA

http://demiandashton.org/

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Wed, 23 May 2012 18:43:28 -0400

Survivors of Human Trafficking

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:48:16 -0400

Survivors of Human Trafficking

This has to STOP!

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:40:00 -0400

This has to STOP!

equalitopia: Mayor of Newark, New Jersey’s impressive response...

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:35:35 -0400

equalitopia:

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey’s impressive response to marriage equality

After Obama endorsed gay marriage, Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, reposted a video showing his response to a question about marriage equality.

I rejoice in President Obama’s announcement. But, let us all who believe in equality continue to labor in the cause. We still live in a nation where there are hundreds and hundreds of laws that deny gay Americans the same rights and privileges that straight Americans enjoy. And especially here in New Jersey, it is time for us to treat all of our citizens equally under the law and make marriage equality happen.

univisionnews: Obama doubles down on critique of Romney’s...

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:32:31 -0400

univisionnews:

Obama doubles down on critique of Romney’s private equity experience

By JORDAN FABIAN

President Obama reaffirmed on Monday that he will continue using Mitt Romney’s private-sector experience as a centerpiece of attacks on his Republican opponent.

The Obama’s campaign critique of Romney’s past as head of Bain Capital — that the firm slashed jobs at companies it owned while reaping profits — hit a speed bump this weekend when one of the president’s surrogates, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, called negatives ads that cited Romney’s Bain experience “nauseating.”

Romney’s campaign seized on the comment, saying that it showed the Obama attacks are disingenuous. Other Republicans have pointed out that the president has courted campaign donations from same private equity crowd he has criticized.

The clamor surrounding the incident reached such a fever pitch that the president was asked about it during a press conference at the G8 Summit in Chicago, where he re-stated his case why Romney’s time at Bain is fair game while threading the needle to explain why his stance isn’t hypocritical.

“It’s important to recognize that this issue is not a ‘distraction.’ This is part of the debate that we’re going to be having in this election campaign about how do we create an economy from top to bottom,” Obama said.

“When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, your job is not simply to maximize profits,” he added.

h/t BuzzFeed

"When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply..."

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:22:41 -0400

“When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot… And so if your main argument for how to grow the economy is ‘I knew how to make a lot of money for investors,’ then you’re missing what this job is about.”

- President Obama on why Mitt Romney’s record in the private sector matters (via barackobama)