USGS is the latest agency to get sucked into the years-long controversy over whether the National Park Service manipulated science to shore up public support for closing Drakes Bay Oyster Co. In the latest twist, documents show USGS reported that a series of photos linked oyster boats to disturbed seals — when, in fact, a marine biologist had told the agency that the photos showed no such link.”

Greenwire

3. INTERIOR:

Rushed USGS report on oyster farm misrepresented biologist’s findings

Emily Yehle, E&E reporter

USGS is the latest agency to get sucked into the years-long controversy over whether the National Park Service manipulated science to shore up public support for closing Drakes Bay Oyster Co. In the latest twist, documents show USGS reported that a series of photos linked oyster boats to disturbed seals — when, in fact, a marine biologist had told the agency that the photos showed no such link.

Former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced last year that he would not renew the farm’s lease in Point Reyes National Seashore, ending more than 70 years of mariculture in Drakes Bay. But the farm continues to fight the decision, filing a lawsuit that claims, among other things, that Salazar did not properly follow the National Environmental Policy Act.

Drakes Bay Oyster Co. is still open, operating under an emergency injunction. A U.S. district court judge denied the farm’s request for a permanent injunction until the lawsuit is resolved — and today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco will hear oral arguments in the farm’s appeal of that decision.

But what has become a tangled web of legal arguments began with one claim from NPS six years ago: that the farm disturbed seals.

The USGS report was the last piece of uncriticized evidence.

‘Breathing down my neck’

Since then, evidence has been shaky at best. The Marine Mammal Commission concluded in 2011 that NPS had “scant” data to prove a disturbance of harbor seals; a peer-reviewed article claiming evidence in fact showed only weak correlation. That left only one report indicating a potential disturbance: the USGS review of about 165,000 photos taken of Drakes Bay in 2008.

On the whole, the review is careful to point out that the photos are of poor quality and little use. But USGS also reports that on two days, boat traffic was “directly connected, or at least associated with,” disturbing seals enough that they flushed into the water.

The environmental impact statement, in turn, exaggerates that finding, claiming that the USGS report “attributed” two flushing disturbances to boat traffic.

William Lellis, the deputy associate director of ecosystems at USGS, assigned the project to research ecologist Carrie Blakeslee on Feb. 7, 2012. In an email, he wrote that the analysis needed to be done by the end of March “to brief Secretary Salazar who needs to make a decision on Wilderness Status for the park.”

But by May, it still wasn’t complete, and USGS began to apply pressure to Stewart to submit his commissioned report.

“NPS will be breathing down my neck this week, when do you think you’ll be able to transmit something?” Laurie Allen, a USGS senior science adviser, wrote to Stewart.

Stewart did review a draft of the final report and did not initially point out the inaccuracy in the text. But the version he reviewed did not include the final figures and appendix, which also contained errors.

USGS publicly released its report Nov. 26. Three days later, Salazar announced he would not renew the farm’s lease.

But in early December, Lellis reached out to Stewart, asking him to again review the photos on the two days when boats allegedly disturbed seals. Stewart responded with a supplemental analysis that found no such disturbance.

“Because of the ongoing litigation, it would be inappropriate for the USGS to offer any specific comments,” she said, adding that the report was peer-reviewed and has been publicly available on the USGS website since it was published.

Another claim of misconduct

The watchdog agency Cause of Action released the emails this week, arguing that they show Salazar based his decision to close the farm on faulty science. The right-leaning group is representing Drakes Bay Oyster Co. in its lawsuit and obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information Act request.

But that request — which asked for all documents related to the USGS report — did not produce Stewart’s supplemental analysis. Corey Goodman, a neurobiologist who has spent years double-checking research from NPS, obtained that analysis directly from Stewart. Yesterday, he filed a misconduct complaint — the latest of several — to new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, claiming that USGS and NPS have deceived the public.

Interior declined to comment, citing the ongoing court case.

Goodman wants Jewell to convene a blue-ribbon panel of independent scientists to investigate the allegations, an unlikely scenario.

The farm operators, meanwhile, hope it will help their argument that Salazar relied on science to close the farm. When Salazar announced his decision last year, he emphasized that it was not based on science but rather on NPS policy and the need to remove the farm and restore the area to full wilderness.

But the emails show Interior’s top officials were briefed on the USGS report in the days before Salazar’s decision.

“NPS and their supporters keep saying that the science isn’t important in the federal court case, but that just isn’t true,” Drakes Bay Oyster Co. owner Kevin Lunny said. “The Department of Justice lawyers have used these false science claims to argue that the public good favors the removal of our oyster farm, and with it, the loss of 40 percent of the state’s oysters and 30 jobs.”

I can’t even hear your voice.
I’m scared to hear your voice.
I can’t hear your voice.

I’m scared to hear nothing.
I’m scared to hear something.

And that’s not even why I think it…
Of course there is a fraction that has the desire to hear the reciprocal, yet that’s not EVEN why the thought is so prevalent in my heart or so adamant in my head…

My feeling, my thought has everything to do with you, yet nothing to do with your verbal response to me.

The words mean so much, yet the actions scream… They scream so loudly the words seem unnecessary, however, I fear my own frailty…

The words may indeed make me weak, but the lack of them may indeed make me feel as though they will destroy me.

Words are such an incredible part of my existence. Yet actions have defined most of my journey, and lack of words I seek desperately to defend….

It’s Fear…

It’s love we fear.
It’s love we desire.

Actions do indeed speak louder than words…

Words can heal or words can kill…

It takes an incredibly strong person to back up their words with actions, for without actions, words mean nothing; but do actions mean nothing without words???

That question I can not yet answer…

I believe the human psyche has not quite revealed so much, at least not to me…

It is beginning of the struggle and animosity between two brothers who were born on the same day but of different mothers. Both mothers claim they gave birth first hoping their son would be the Chief-to-follow.

Because these books cover a period of almost 90 years from 1879 to 1965 and deals with large numbers of people and events the progress is indicated by years. As in real life some years have a lot happening in them and in others not much happens and so in the books there are years with several chapters and a couple of years with only 1 chapter in it.

A RIVER THAT IS CONGO
Original Version

1885

CHAPTER FIVE

Light from the flames of the small fire flickered timidly against the black mud walls of the hut. The smoke curled slowly upwards feeling its way along the bare pole rafters until it found the hole in the thatch at the peak of the roof where all the rafters came together. Close to the wall opposite the entrance a young girl lay on a woven straw mat, her stomach protruding roundly above her with the new life that was in her. She was fifteen years old, third and youngest wife of Ronzozo, Chief-to-be, first son of Chief Kimulu. Next to her an old woman, her hair gray, her flesh loose and sagging squatted next to the girl, her arms wrapped around her knees, her chin resting on her folded arms, as she stared into the small flames of the fire.

The girl’s body tensed, her knees came up, her fists clutched the edge of the straw mat, her face contorted with the pain, her buttocks raised off the ground with the force of the pressure in her effort to bring the child forth. The old woman turned her head slightly to look at her. The contraction passed the girl’s body went limp, her legs straightened out and she again lay flat on the mat breathing heavily. She had not made a sound. To cry out while giving birth would only tell the evil spirits that a child was being born.

Excited voices could be heard outside the hut and the old woman got up and went out, stooping almost double to get through the low entrance. Outside the whole village was bathed in moonlight. Directly in front of the entrance was another fire burning more brightly than the one inside. Next to it a young man sat on his heels in exactly the same position as the old woman had sat except that his arms extended in front of him and his hands were clasped around the shaft of a spear, the butt of which rested on the ground. Not far away, halfway to the next hut, a group of women stood talking excitedly. The old woman stood in the shadows listening for a moment and then went back inside. She sat down next to the girl and sighing resignedly said, “Shushi has brought forth a man-child.”

The girl turned her head. “How know you this?”

“It is the talk.”

“Go! Tell Mukulu to go to my husband and say to him that Meli, his third wife has brought forth her first-born, a man-child.”

The old woman looked at her and said, “If the child you bare is a girl you will be put away, cast out for telling this lie. No village will have room for you.”

“I will bear a son,” the girl growled. “Tell Mukulu to go. He is to run. He is to stop and talk to no one. He must run quickly. He must get there before the messenger of Shushi gets there…” Another contraction started. “Go!” she hissed at the old woman and then clamped her mouth shut pushing with the contraction.

The old woman went out and spoke to the young man who was sitting next to the fire. He got up and walked around to the back of the hut where the talking women would not see him leave, and then broke into a long-legged run, his spear in his right hand swinging as he ran. He was thankful for the full moon. Ordinarily he would not be out at night and certainly not so far from the village, but he knew the importance of his mission. His sister had just given birth to a son. He had no time to lose. He had to be first at the meeting of the Chiefs at the Valley of the Yellow Flowers. If he got there first, he would be uncle to the one who would someday be chief of the Five Tribes.

The old woman went back into the hut and squatted down again next to the girl. The contraction passed and the girl said, “Shushi!” She hissed the name contemptuously. “She has produced nothing but girls. After three females have passed through her womb can the fourth really be a man-child? My first-born shall be a true man-child, and he shall be Chief of the Five Tribes.”

* * *

Ahead of him Mukulu saw Shushi’s runner. He was running easily, steadily, pacing himself for the distance. He wondered how much of a head start Shushi’s runner had. Did his throat also burn? Were his legs as tired? Mukulu ran fast to catch up with Shushi’s runner. Did he have the strength now to pass him? Slowly the distance between them shortened. Shushi’s runner turned to look, and then for some reason that Mukulu could not understand, stopped and waited for him. A short distance away Shushi’s runner called, “Is the child well?”

Mukulu did not answer until he was up to him and then said, “The child is well,” and passed him by. The other started running again. From time to time Mukulu looked over his shoulder and each time the distance between them was greater.

The sun was coming up when he entered the Valley of the Yellow Flowers. The warriors stationed on the perimeters called to him and he called back, “Ronzozo, Chief-to-be, has a son.” By the time he got to the place of meeting the chiefs were already seated on their mats. They kept him waiting for a few minutes while they became silent and then Chief Kimulu motioned for him to come into the house of meeting.

“What say you?” Kimulu asked looking from where he sat cross-legged on his mat.

“I have been sent to tell Ronzozo that he has a son. A man-child born to him by his wife Meli. The child is well and strong.”

The chiefs smiled and nodded reservedly, expressing their approval and congratulated the father. And even while they were nodding and smiling, Shushi’s runner burst through the circle of warriors and gasping for breath said, “Shushi has born Ronzozo, Chief-to-be, a son. A man-child! Ronzozo’s son by Shushi is first-born!”

“It is a lie. Meli was first to give birth. Did not I arrive first with the word?”

“You did pass me in the way and out run me, but the son of Shushi is first-born. All in the village know that I did leave first to bring you word.”

“All in the village did sleep. Even you did sleep while I ran. Only now, at this time, in this place have I seen you,” Mukulu shouted.

“Quiet !” The firm voice of Chief Kimulu brought a hush over the gathering. “My son, Ronzozo, Chief-to-be, has two sons on the same day of different mothers born. What say you to that, my son?”

Ronzozo stood up, standing with his weight on his right leg favoring the left. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked around. All the chiefs were looking at him. He knew that it would be difficult to ever find out which wife gave birth first. His father had put him on the spot in front of the other chiefs. He was sure his father did it intentionally, testing him, proving him. He let his arms drop to his side and said, “My son by my wife Shushi shall be called Kusala. And my son by my wife Meli shall be called Kitomolo.”

It was quiet for a while and then his father said, “And who do you name Chief-to-be after you: Kusala or Kitomolo?”

He folded his arms over his chest again and stood for a moment looking beyond them to the distant hills. He turned back and looked at his father, then around at each of the other chiefs and said, “Kusala and Kitomolo shall be equal sons until the day they become men. He that kills his leopard first and becomes a man first shall be named Chief-to-be. I, Ronzozo, have spoken it.”

The rest of the chiefs smiled and grunted their approval. It was a good decision. Ronzozo, first son of Kimulu, Chief-to-be, had acted wisely.

I can see what’s going on

Don’t laugh at me, boy don’t, patronise me

I can see, what’s going on

Don’t call me paranoid, or say I’m going crazy

I can see, what’s going on

You used to take all your calls by my side

Now you gotta take them in the other room

Used to go bathroom and leave your phone behind

Now you carry on like it’s stuck to you

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg

I got more I can say

I might not be able to catch you in the act

But I know something’s happening

Don’t laugh at me, boy don’t, patronise me

I can see, what’s going on

Don’t call me paranoid, or say I’m going crazy

I can see, what’s going on

Keep insisting that you are just friends

But I’m not convinced

With her you act and talk different

Get real close to share your secrets

And I notice that when you spot me

You’re quick to separate

Quick to put your arm around me

To whisk me in the opposite way

Don’t laugh at me, boy don’t, patronise me

I can see, what’s going on

Don’t call me paranoid, or say I’m going crazy

I can see, what’s going on

I have tried to explain why

This whole thing to myself

Wanted to, believe in you

Hoping for the best

Planning a surprise?

But my eyes, won’t let me be naïve

Clear as day, the game you’re playing

I won’t be deceived

Don’t laugh at me, boy don’t, patronise me

I can see, what’s going on

Don’t call me paranoid, or say I’m going crazy

I can see, what’s going on

I’m sick of trying to keep up so here is a short list of stuff:

Jury Concludes that FRAUD Put President Obama on the Ballot in 2008

Eric Holder refuses to prosecute New Black Panthers: They’re “My People”

Eric Holder lies under oath about Fast and Furious gun running operation

Janet Napolitano lies under oath to Congress

Barack Obama violates oath of office

Barack Obama gave out information about SEAL Team Six resulting in their deaths

Obama refuses to enforce federal immigration law.

$800 billon of tax payer’s money disappear for shovel ready jobs … A joke to Obama

Barack Obama murders American citizens via drone strikes

Obama caught promising the Russian President he’ll weaken U.S. missile defense

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are responsible for four Americans murdered at Benghazi

IRS harasses conservative individuals and conservative groups who oppose Obama’s policies

Justice Department seize Associated Press’ phone records

~~~

And here are a few more reasons to run the fraud out of the White House.

Officials found guilty in Obama, Clinton ballot petition fraud

A jury in South Bend, Indiana has found that fraud put President Obama and  Hillary Clinton on the presidential primary ballot in Indiana in the 2008  election. Two Democratic political operatives were convicted Thursday night in  the illegal scheme after only three hours of deliberations. They were found  guilty on all counts.

Former longtime St. Joseph County Democratic party Chairman Butch Morgan Jr.   was found guilty of felony conspiracy counts to commit petition fraud  and forgery, and former county Board of Elections worker Dustin Blythe was found  guilty of felony forgery counts and falsely making a petition, after being  accused of faking petitions that enabled Obama, then an Illinois Senator,  to get on the presidential primary ballot for his first run for the White  House.

Why am I not surprised?

The case raise questions about whether in 2008, then candidate Obama actually  submitted enough legitimate signatures to have legally qualified for the primary  ballot.

“I think had they been challenged successfully, he probably would not have  been on the ballot,” Levco told Fox News

THE REST HERE

I think some relationships can salvageable be depending on the situation and depending on both parties desire to make the relationship work. But what if one person was deceitful from the beginning? Does that person deserve a second chance?

Deceit is a dishonest act or statement. Does that included maybe lying about your age? Lying about your income? Well maybe if two people are dating, perhaps sharing your income on your first date is not a good idea, but maybe telling your real age is a good idea. Why lie about that?

And if someone lies about something so small like that what is the probability they will lie about something else, maybe something bigger?

I’m writing this because something occurred recently with one of my friends that decided to give such person a second chance, even though he may have temporarily forgotten her name.

Ladies of the world, where does your worth stand?

I have such high standards that it would frighten me that the person that was pursuing me would forget my name and not for a day but for weeks.

My last posting about not needing a hero has exposed at least one person’s ulterior motives and confirmed that his emails and phone calls were not something of “friendly calls or emails” in relations to our “troubled” relationships but more of lets see what I can offer her to get her into my bed. (For the record I spoke to him once regarding a business opportunity. The second time he called I brushed him off and told him I was busy since I wasn’t answering his emails).

It’s so sad that at any age a man is still playing these types of games. What’s even more sad that women just succumb to the game because they would rather have someone with them than be alone.

I cannot and choose not to live that way.

While some people may believe to give up or give in, there are some things that are just not appealing, it’s called insanity.

Am I wrong for being so finicky? Am I wrong for thinking that my friend is insane for keeping a man who represented himself in a deceitful manner and then believe that the person he is now in reintroduction is the real person?

One of the famous Maya Angelou quotes simply stated:

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
Maya Angelou

While we all have our downfalls and character defects, these are things that can be correctable, but when you are just an outright liar or represent yourself in a deceitful manner are you really that deserving?

Everyone has free will. I do too. The day those crying of tears phone calls come in saying what did I get myself into….and my  free will of not answering the phone.

Come correct the first time all the time.

Until then.

Loves and Hugs,

MB~

BSS Suppl review

CSG to Jewell.05_13_13

CSG to Jewell.appendix 1

CSG to Jewell.appendix 2

CSG to Jewell.appendix 3

CSG to Jewell.appendix 4

CSG to Jewell.appendix 5

timeline and quotes from USGS FOIA response.05_13_13

USGS Dr. Lellis & Dr. Goodman conversation and emails

Jeff Creque, Ph.D. Land Stewardship Consultation, responded on April 25  to a letter in Marin Voice written by Dr. Marty Griffin. Below is his response as it appeared in the West Marin Citizen, the Marin IJ, as well as the Press Democrat.

Dr. Marty Griffin’s years of service to the cause of conservation in Marin are appreciated, but his opinion piece (MV, 5/2/13) reminds me of Michael Moore’s comment at the Oscars some years ago; we do indeed live in fictitious times.

Dr. Griffin reviews the many charges brought against the Drakes Bay Oyster Farm (DBOF) by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) in its ongoing collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS) to eliminate aquaculture on over 55% of the State of California’s water bottom shellfish leases, but he fails to explain the CCC’s ham-handed attempts to regulate an activity over which it has no statutory authority.

If DBOF is, technically, out of compliance with CCC regulations, it is due entirely to the success of the bureaucratic pincer move deployed jointly by the CCC and NPS.   There have been no “expanded operations” by the oyster farm.  Johnson’s Oyster Company (JOC) harvested some 800,000 pounds annually prior to the company’s collapse in 2004.  DBOF has gradually rebuilt the farm’s annual harvest to about 400,000 pounds, half that of JOC.

Oysters may be an irrelevant luxury food item for Dr. Griffin, but they remain one of the few sustainable sources of marine protein on the planet.  While global fisheries collapse, sea levels rise and oceans acidify, estuary restoration efforts throughout the world attempt to restore oyster beds as rapidly as possible.  Only in Drakes Estero are reputed environmentalists working overtime to destroy our capacity to produce what the Monterey Bay Aquarium calls a “super green” sea food.

Dr. Griffin might read the National Academy of Sciences report he misquotes to learn more about Didemnum vexillum, which is ubiquitous in estuaries globally. If he did, he would know oyster culture did not cause its presence in Drakes Estero, and it is not possible to eradicate, even if all cultured oysters were removed.   He would learn that the NAS found no evidence of environmental harm from shellfish aquaculture in the Estero and recommended development of a Collaborative Management Plan to enable aquaculture to continue, and to address the concerns raised in this overheated debate with legitimate scientific inquiry, in an adaptive management framework.

Most importantly, I want to assure Dr. Griffin that there is nothing frivolous about our lawsuit, undertaken only after much deliberation and careful legal analysis by our pro bono legal team.  The anguish expressed during our pre-filing deliberations by Ms. Faber, whose own lifetime of laudable service to the cause of conservation in Marin rivals even Dr. Griffin’s, including her tireless efforts to bring about the Coastal Act and her service on the original CCC, was, for me, particularly sobering.

As made clear in our legal brief, the CCC has greatly exceeded its authority in this matter, working against its own statutory requirement to support coastal dependent activities, particularly aquaculture, and both replicating and exceeding authorities of the Fish and Game Commission, in direct violation of the Coastal Act.

With 14.5 million residents to feed in the SF Bay Area today, and 21 million projected by mid-century, the importance of this critical, sustainable, nearly perfect marine protein resource is increasingly obvious to all who care about the future of sustainable food production in our region.  DBOF is an archetypical example of exactly the type of food production we need more, not less of.  It is part of the solution to our growing dilemma; it is most certainly not part of the problem.

I urge those in our community who share our concerns to become involved in this issue while there is still time.

Jeffrey Creque, Ph.D.

Alliance for Local Sustainable Agriculture

908 Western Ave

Petaluma 94952

707/765-1059

Know Your Enemy

Did you see Enemy of the State with Will Smith? If you didn’t its a movie about a man, seeming law abiding who is hunted by the gov for a video he is unaware he has. He has no idea why he is targeted or why people are after him. He is framed for murder…etc. GREAT MOVIE.

Could that actually happen? Did it actually happen? Consider Dorner.
No one knew who this man was. There was a manifesto on Facebook professed to be his creation and a statewide manhunt for his arrest. His story simply came out of nowhere…and we were dropped in the middle of the conflict playing out. Why is that?
So lets see if I got this right:
He “had” a facebook page where he posted a manifesto of “intended” or “alluded intent” of crime.
He then goes on an UNseen rampage of killings: a couple in their car and a police officer.
He then runs, kidnaps a couple and hides out until he ultimately shoots himself in the head before burning to an unrecognizable death in a cabin.
…meanwhile
Police have a very public shoot out with clear intent to kill. The targets: two old ladies and one man. Oops!
The reasoning or excuses being due to similar vehicles, police felt the need to light them up before confirming the identity or making an arrest? The shoot first ask questions last scenario.
Ask yourself if this were a movie, did the police have the right to shoot? Did you see the “bad guy” shoot the innocent people? Did you see him kill an officer? Did he really write that manifesto? Did a single shred of evidence link him to anything that happened aside from a conveniently published document on social media? Was he your enemy?

Who is your enemy?

If you asked the women who were shot at AND injured during the shooting who their enemies were, who do you think they would say?

The Constitution – Janie has no gun

The ongoing debate for gun laws and gun control is a lot like the war on drugs and drug control isn’t it? Ongoing! But ask yourself some questions and be honest with your answers:

1. If you as a law abiding citizen of this country are not allowed to purchase a weapon…will that create a safer country?
2. Will you feel safer running at night because your neighbors don’t have guns?
3. How about going to the bank to make a cash deposit?
4. Taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon with your friends?

Well duh, the answer is yes right? Of course you feel safer! There are no guns remember?  There is a law that says you cant have guns so no one has guns…case closed.
Well, that’s not entirely true right? In actuality, there are no guns in the hands of law abiding citizens. Criminals, who by definition are LAWLESS, will still have guns and plenty of them. They will be the only people in our society readily able to defend themselves; and guess what…if you choose to maintain that right you will be labeled a criminal making you no different.

So, knowing this, your gov would still prefer that all lawful people be treated like criminals. You must first register with all your information and obtain a permit before purchasing a weapon. So wait, criminals don’t register their weapons nor are they on a list but you have to be. Criminals don’t pay taxes but you do. Criminals have the luxury of  keeping their fire power a secret but you…you register your entire life. They need to know who you are and what you’re capable of at all times. Never mind that every single true criminal out there who would sooner shoot you before help you is above their radar. Its YOU who they’re (gov) concerned with. Why is that? Shouldn’t their concern be with the criminal element? Why further neuter the good people? What have we done to warrant such intrusive controlling measures?

I’ll tell you why. Because once the sleeping giant awakens, they will take up arms. But how do they defeat this giant? Simple. They disarm it while it watches reality tv. They manipulate it during super-bowl Sunday.
But they don’t want to force you to give up your rights…they need you to agree to have them taken. Its a delicate game really. They learned from history that use of force leads to riot so they strategized and found that when people agree there is less “mess”.  And if the time comes to start pointing fingers at who is, are or were responsible for it all…they will show you that YOU are who, were, is and are responsible for it all.

So until they drive home the need of further gun control…they will continue create gun violence of the highest degree. They make it so that people feel unsafe doing their regular routine. Hit them where people can never recover…and…if that doesn’t work, target those who can’t defend themselves. Children.

Its time to wake up and see that the man on the tv screen being chased by people with guns may not be the whole story.

Martial Law like Tic-Tac-Toe

Yes Boston was a Martial Law training exercise but it didn’t start out that way. That was some impressive on the fly thinking going on there. Lets not forget the bumbling media with their perverse need to “get the exclusive” being the reason behind the tennis game of retraction that was going on.
If you are skeptical like most people but have no idea where to start…I tell you the internet is both the best and worst place to begin. Your social media sites like youtube is full of people like you and me just trying to weed out news media bull to see what is or is not.

I’m sure by now that some people are aware that there was military presence at the marathon finish line. What some people don’t know is why.

Why were they there? What were they doing? And most importantly, why the hell the news media syndicates didn’t feel the need to tell you that.
They didn’t want to interview any REAL spectators or runners because those people just couldn’t keep their mouths shut about the announcements about the bomb sniffing dogs or black ops personnel in full gear (tan pants, tan boots and black jackets).

But lets move from the “who” and get to the “why”…

Martial law is coming people. Its written in the bible in the book of Revelations that the world will be under control of the Beats….oops I mean beast. (I’ll come back to beats later)
So if the world is controlled under one faction….the ENTIRE WORLD, then martial law has to play a significant part of that plan.
You cannot control an unpredictable situation. Meaning…you have to know what is possible in every scenario. You have to prepare for multiple outcomes; and you have to be ready to deviate from a well laid plan.

That is what happened in Boston. There was a well laid plan that was screwed up by the news media and they had to deviate but the outcome was the same.

Boston was the first major city to undergo martial law. They shut down the buses, taxis, trains and planes. I did not rhyme on purpose.
You could not even walk on the street without a valid reason. If you called in to work you absence was excused only because your boss wasn’t allowed to work either.
You were marked by the over 9,000 multi law/military personnel unit tasked to get their chops on how quickly they could secure a site. They were tested on several things but most importantly on how long they could hold YOUR cooperation.

But O.N., if that’s true then why bomb? Don’t you think that your reasoning makes no sense? Fool! What did I just say up there ^ in section one titled “Know Your Enemy”?
They need YOU to believe that THEY have a VALID reason. They cannot just strip you of your freedom. They need you to GIVE it away!

You need an example don’t you? Ok….so…lets see:

If I walked up to you on a street and said…excuse me…would you please give me your wallet? I’d like to know who you are, where you live and what you do…and if you have wallet size photos of your family that would be even better since I’d have a way of cross referencing you in the event you tried to run and hide from me.

You would say hell no. I would too! However…in the game of tic tac toe…you have to corner your opponent with seemingly innocent moves until the end up blocking themselves and you make that final winning move. If you do it right, you can win in just three moves…and not three moves you make…but three moves in total! And by the time your opponent sees it, they have no choice. Either way they lose. I loved that look. When they finally see that no matter which block they chose…you were posed to win the game…its better than chess because you’re required to outsmart in such a small window of time…I’m getting away from myself here.

So lets revisit the same scenario with a few changes…

If I RAN up to you and told you I was law enforcement and tracked a dangerous person headed your way. I told you this person was known for planting…oh I don’t know, poison on his victims which later killed them instantly. I flash my unrecognizable identification to you to validate that what I say might in fact be true. Then I ask you to dump your belongings right there on the ground so that I may ”sift” through your personal items in the hopes of finding what ever YOU assume shouldn’t be there…
…meanwhile you see the same scenario playing out on the street with other people.
Guess what. Your FEAR of the unknown will super-cede your sensibility of self. You would dumb your bag, your purse and even turn your head upside down to make sure you were alright.

Bahzingah – yes I stole that from Sheldon. But you see my point. This is what happens every single time the media reports on some outlandish crime that affects more than one person. You have to notice that with each occurrence, the media will lead you like a horse in a bridle to an appropriate bill or law in question. Then they’ll do things like ask you to vote on their polls or comment on their stupid facebook pages on what you think.

And while you, the hardworking citizen are played in an aggressive match of tic tac toe you have no idea that they’ve so perfected their strategy that before you start you’ve already lost. Why? Because you aren’t even playing! They are making your moves for you. All you’re doing is going right along with the program. Crying when you see the sad stories….err news about people being shot so you give them your guns…because we all know if you own a gun you’re going to shoot someone.
You get angry when you see the movie….err news about some terror suspects(coughgarbagecough) so you agree to be locked up on house arrest for several days until they can kill him in your streets and fabricate a believable story later.

and meanwhile…

American Idol judges are being fired….aww! Dancing with the Stars is heating up! So You Think You Can Dance is returning! More movie blockbusters coming out! Gas dropped a penny!

Do you even remember North Korea threats? Do you even consider how or why Canada and Russia are being talked about in closed boardroom meetings with your leaders. Is it a coincidence that some random guy somewhere successfully created a plastic gun? And the feds, who of course knew nothing and do not condone it, silenced his site and confiscated his materials? Do you know that sometimes a conspiracy theory isn’t a theory but a thesis?

Its times like these in the history of mankind to stop looking at the man telling the story and start looking at the writing on the wall. Its time to stop taking in the spoken ”facts” and start looking at who stands to gain from the circumstance.

There is enough crime tv on air today for everyone to see corruption in their every day lives but people are still choosing to be ignorant. Has tv really done its job? Has it truly desensitized us to violence and gov corruption? How many people thought Trinity was a criminal in the first four minutes of the first Matrix movie? Was it a coincidence when the real evil showed up that they looked the way they did?

Have they done their job? Did they show us exactly who they were just to make us comfortable with the idea? Are you ok knowing that those who claim to do all they can to “protect” you means that they truly did ALL THEY CAN?

Can they even be stopped now…

‘If you ride like lightning, you’re going to crash like thunder.’

When I first saw the trailers I must admit I wasn’t totally enthralled, though, now that I’ve seen it I can understand why. Without giving away the twists and turns, the film went in completely different direction to which I thought it was heading. Nevertheless, The Place Beyond the Pines still managed to keep me hooked. With a jam-packed Hollywood cast including Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, it was dark, emotive and had one hell of a plot.

Directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) The Place beyond the Pines tells the story of a covert motorcycle racer named Luke, (Ryan Gosling) Now, picture him driving down the backstreets of Schenectady covered in tattoos with a lit cigarette resting on his lower lip, this is pretty much all Gosling does, but it’s amazing! Anyway, so he after reconnects his former lover, Romina, (Eva Mendes) he finds out he’s a father. He decides to leave the circus and start providing for his family; however in doing this he commits a series of bank robberies, where he comes face to face with ambitious police officer, Avery Cross, (Bradley Cooper) Cross hasn’t been in the force long and is anxious to move up the ranks, however, along the way he discovers that his department is rife with corruption. Now, this is where you have to pay attention, suddenly, were 15 years into the future where we meet two young boys. Haunted by their families past, the two form an unlikely friendship as their world begins to fall apart.

Here is my problem, there were too many unlikeable characters, I wasn’t sure who I was meant to be rooting for and with all the deceit and corruption flying around, my emotions were all over the place.

Anyway, putting that aside, the story and the characters were incredibly intriguing, although, I almost wish they could have explored their past more; I wanted to know how they’ve ended up in this situation. Furthermore, I have to say the acting was superb, I mean I’ve never been a huge fan of Gosling (queue boo’s) but I felt really drawn to him, though that could be because he looked so cool. With fantastic plot twists, cinematography and editing, The Place Beyond the Pines is defiantly worth watching.

Check out the trailer

Knowledge is an acquired quality
How many times in your life have you regretted that you did not know enough, have not read more to show your intelligence and enhance your image and confidence in a business conversation or situation? It happens to the best of us; however how many of us become determined to educate ourselves, to be wittier, better informed, and faster thinking.

Knowledge is an acquired quality – it is not inborn.

You choose
The choice to be educated or not, to be on top of things, is always ours to create and make. Some people make it earlier, some make it later, and sadly some don’t make it at all. Yet, let us be honest about it and admit it, if only to ourselves, there is no better reason for self-content and pride, than the feeling that you can carry on an interesting or important conversation, operate and utilise the facts, understand your counterpart, and stand steadfast on your own.

The beauty of knowledge
Intelligence is a chosen path for those who appreciate the importance and beauty of this personal skill. It becomes a part of who you are, the image you project to the world, an inalienable ingredient of your own self-perception. Obtaining knowledge is a matter of choice and, in fact, a simple thing to acquire, when you have made your decision to acquire it, committed to it and, once commenced, you never abandon the process.

Here are some simple steps to you get started:

Tip 1: Have ‘vision’ and stay focused
Whatever business situation you are in have a ‘vision’ as to what you personally want to achieve from it and equally important stay focussed on that vision. Take in and absorb all the information and process it. Try to analyse it yourself and make your own decisions. When talking on a subject, do not lose the topic; rather, stay on it until you have finished or the discussion is over, or at the very least agreed an outcome. This will help you to consolidate your thoughts and allow your listeners to come up with any comments or arguments unencumbered.

A focused mind is able to expand and store new information more effectively.

Tip 2: Be mentally active
As a trainer, business coach and mentor I always encourage my mentees to have the brightest mind. This is a matter of personal choice, whether you are an avid stamp collector; love reading or are a film buff, train and exercise your brain, every day. Remember the smallest details of a conversation or task and analyse the ideas, complexity and outcomes.

Tip 3: Stimulate your brain
Load your mind with analysis and decision-making even in simple everyday situations. Take an unusual task to resolve, stay on it, and celebrate the results that will follow. The satisfaction you will experience will be very rewarding. Our mind needs a constant challenge to stay on top of the game. The routines we are accustomed to at work do not do the job. Challenge your brain with cross words, puzzles and games, like Sudoku or chess, etc.

Tip 4: Get trained, get a coach or a mentor
There comes a time in everybody’s development when they need support to improve their knowledge. This is perfectly normally and when that time arrives should not be ignored, as this is the time when many managers reach their peak and will not develop further without training or the wise advice and support of a coach or mentor. Everybody, not matter what level they are in business needs a mentor.

If this is you….seek training and support now!

Tip 5: Be your own master – make your own decisions
There is nothing wrong with seeking an advice. But doing it on a regular basis might be damaging for your mind, self-growth, and ability to make your own decisions based on your own analysis. Face the challenge by yourself and only after the decision has been made, bring it to the table for a discussion…… if you want to. Stand by your decision and defend your point of view. Even if you lost and opted for another solution, you have just acquired a priceless experience and your brain has gone through a very good and useful exercise.

Tip 6: Read, read and read
If you are reading this blog then well done! Stay informed on the latest happenings in the world, expand your vocabulary, stimulate your brain with the masterpieces of world literature, enrich your erudition, and put it to use whenever you have an opportunity. Reading good books is a rewarding way to expand your knowledge, boost your intelligence and please your heart and soul. Good books stay with you forever, and once in a while, as you go through life, you return to them. And guess what – it is amazing how your perception changes as you read the old book anew! You know why? Because you have changed, and the ways you perceive and analyse information will have been modified as well.

Positive outcomes
Last but not least. Obtaining greater knowledge helps you enjoy your times with yourself. Consequently, it boosts your self-esteem and you acquire a great new business partner …. your improved knowledgeable self. And what can be better than being content with who you are, the way you…….a more intelligent you!

Do you need help improving your knowledge?………then contact us today.
Trisha Proud
Managing Partner
Partners in Solutions Ltd

https://twitter.com/proudtrisha

Along these streets so long and narrow,

I walk forward with purpose, my head held high.

Into my line of sight you stride,

Looking as if you are trying to hide,

Oh so delectable a morsel I have never seen!

A man your match, there has never been.

Glistening with a light sheen of sweat

Like the dew dripping from fruit that has just been wet.

So tempting you are this season’s pick

I understand the why the girl fell for that trick.

Those goblins knew she could not resist,

And offered her treats, and sweets, and drink

Vanished, they fled, leaving her near the brink

Of death and temptation I know what they think

And here I stare at my own sweet crossroad

Understanding fully well that to have just one taste

Well, it may very well end me

But one taste of your sweet lips…

To not savor would be simply such a waste….

If Rush Limbaugh is satire, then it is a particularly adolescent form of satire. Whether or not he is just kidding depends a lot on how much backlash he gets, and whether or not he and his fans feel like distancing themselves from a given comment. All to often, his cheap shots become gospel to a significant segment of the pseudo-conservative public. His game becomes satire precisely when Limbaugh is forced to deal with the absence of a rational case for his position.

Case in point, many people still seem to think Sandra Fluke testified about her own sexual activities and/or that she wanted the public to pay for her contraceptives. She didn’t.

But that’s a different rant. What has my attention today is a rather different gambit, Limbaugh’s efforts to spin the captivity and sexual abuse of three young women in Cleveland Ohio into a diatribe against the welfare state. Media Matters ran a story about Limbaugh’s comments here. The audio is painful to anyone with an ounce of sense, but it’s what I will be commenting on, so my apologies…

Limbaugh’s narrative is slick as Hell. He doesn’t assert that the Cleveland kidnapping has anything directly to do with welfare opportunism; he simply uses the coincidence of an episode of Hawaii 5-0 to field the story. The potential effectiveness of this meme is readily apparent, welfare as a subsidy for kidnappers, the mere thought of it may do more to combat aid to the poor than a thousand stories about the dreaded welfare mother. Limbaugh doesn’t need to assert the truth of his narrative; it is enough to generate the association. Much as he has done with one outrageous suggestion after another, Limbaugh settles for insinuation.

Limbaugh will of course cry foul (or ‘drive-by media’) if people call him on the claim, because of course he never quite made it. But that is a skillful propagandist for you. Long after his audience has forgotten the details of his particular presentation, they will remember the narrative he presented for them. The power of that narrative is what will matter in the long run, and neither the facts of the case, nor the logic of Limbaugh’s half-assed argument will matter in the long run.

But what really interests me is the disclaimer; “I couldn’t help but make the connection. I mean if everybody else in the low-information crowd is gonna use what happens on TV for reality, why can’t I?”

‘Low-information crowd’ is of course a reference to ‘low information voters’ which is how the right wing echo-chamber has taken to referring to liberals. That this summary judgement is utter nonsense has little to do with its value in pseudo-conservative rhetoric, and Limbaugh must know that his own less-than-impressive fan-base will love to think of their enemies as ill-informed. Of course this remark adds another ingredient to that theme, suggesting that liberals rely too much on TV for their information. He doesn’t need a reason to believe this is true, and neither will his fans. It is enough to assert it.

But all of this is the powdered sugar on the brownie, so to peak. The real work of this disclaimer is the suggestion that if there is anything wrong with using a TV show to interpret a news story about which Limbaugh admits himself to be ignorant, well then that fault lies with his liberal opponents. They are the ones who do this for real, Limbaugh is merely showing us how silly they are. This gambit is a tu quoque fallacy at best, or in terms with a little more widespread usage, it is two-wrongs-make-a-right. I think teh average third grader can understand the problem with this gambit, but it’s pretty much standard operational procedure for Limbaugh.

The particular particular utility of this you-do-it-too gambit lies in its conjunction with the inability to field a hard claim in this instance (and so many others). Limbaugh has no evidence that this kidnapping is a welfare scam; he just wants people to associate the two themes, preferably without thinking too much about the details. A quick they-do-it-too serves both to relieve him of responsibility for checking the facts before spouting off about them, and to shift responsibility for his own sleazy gambit to others. If it is shocking that Limbaugh would make (or almost make) such a wildly outrageous claim without any evidence, well then that is all the fault of liberals, because Limbaugh is only satirizing their behavior.

…except it isn’t.

This is Limbaugh advancing a narrative, and past experience has shown it is an effective strategy. Time and again Limbaugh’s fans have adopted his narratives as gospel truth long after the facts should have led any reasonable person to conclude otherwise. There is no satire in the successful propagation of such lies. The tu quoque gambit is there simply to cover his tracks in the event that the backlash proves too strong. When the public tires of answering this kind of idiocy, Rush and his fans stick to their guns.

This is not mere entertainment, and it is not satire. It is a propagandist doing what he does best, which is to deceive the public. The man has made quite a career out of it.

It is the career of a con artist.

She grips the weapon used to cut his arm open. Trevor, her husband, slightly bent, looks up at her.

“What a wicked woman you be!”

She narrows her eyes and creases her brows. “Wicked Trevor? Me? Me Sherrill Kesley-Monroe wicked?”

He moves back from her, gripping his hand, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Wicked, hmph.” She wipes the knife with a hand towel. “Never once, not once in all me years of knowing yuh, did yuh eva say thanks, Sherrill, me sorry Sherrill, me appreciate yuh, Sherrill. Hmm? Yuh good fi nothin man!”

Trevor narrows his eyes at her as he sits on the stool close to the sink.

“Wash me draws dem, Sherrill, cook me food, clean di house, wipe me shit when me sick, Sherrill. Tek me son Sherrill, di son weh nuh belong to yuh, Sherrill, feed him, put clothes pan him, change the piss up sheet. Teach him fi read, Sherrill. Hmm? Yuh neva say sorry, Sherrill, fi sleeping wid yuh dutty bleach out face whore Karen! Have people a laugh! Call me fool, the level a embarrassment, Trevor! Me! Eh? Look pan him, look pan yuh boy!” She points at the boy sitting at the island in the kitchen. “When him come here, him couldn’t even spell him name! Me tek him despite constant chattin’ a di neighbours!  Me tek him, teach him fi read, yet him tun roun’ disrespec’ me!”

Trevor looks at his son and shakes his head.

“When yuh come in a night time, yuh drunkah dan Ole’ Nah Bade Rodney, di same man yuh sidung an’ criticize every chance yuh get! Yuh come in ya! Drunk! Who haffi mek yuh tea fi yuh sober up? Who haffi tek yuh call dem from work, cause you nuh know yuh yeye from yuh knee? Me! Me wake up 5 o’clock, look yuh breakfast, afta me stay up til late a wait pan yuh!”

He looks back at her, “Sherrill…”

“Nuh call me! Listen! Cause dat’s all me eva do! Listen to yuh complain bout work, complain bout people who nah give yuh back yuh money, me listen to yuh complain bout the young people weh just join the Force and get promotion while yuh still stuck inna di same damn position! Yuh neva help! Not even when me sick. All yuh do is complain! Eh? Me tek yuh cussin day in, day out! Me! Trevor! The boy is not me son! But me tek him an’ treat him di very way me treat me own! An’ all me ask, is fi him fi show me likkle respec’. All me ask is fi yuh show me some. Nuh likkle appreciation? Nuh nothin’?”

She throws the knife in the sink. “Shit! Wuklis man! Come!”

She walks over to where he sits and tugs at his shirt; he stands and follows her to the sitting room.

“Everything! Everything is me! Me iron yuh clothes, cook yuh food, weh yuh nuh eat a night time, even when is you call an’ seh me fi cook! Me cook all when me damn tiad! All when me nuh want weh yuh want. Every Thursday, yuh call “Sherrill, cook di curry chicken wid rice, curry chicken wid dumplin’,” an’ yuh nuh nyam it… come! Mussi think me have time!”

He sits on a chair in the sitting room; she goes to the bathroom for bandages and dressing.

“Hmm? Look at all me do? Me woulda do anything fi please yuh! All me ask is fi yuh listen, an’ show likkle appreciation!” She returns and stands before him. “Hmm Trevor, all me do, look pan all di tings me do? How much people woulda do di same fi yuh?”

He sighs and hisses his teeth, “damn woman, imagine me nuh do you nothin’.”

“Nothin’? Me ratid! Trevor wah mek yuh wicked suh?”

“Me have exam tomorrow, how me fi write afta you damage me han’?”

She pulls up a chair and examines the hand, “I’m sure yuh will manage.”

“Boi me a tell you.”

“Yuh neva do nothin’, tell me Trevor, yuh eva tek responsibility fi anythin’ inna yuh life?”

He hisses his teeth.

“Me tek yuh in when yuh neva have a ting! Look pan yuh now! Big Superintendent a Police. Look how yuh did skinny, now yuh have dis big belly in front a yuh. Yuh neva even know wah press clothes look like! Neva even have a family near-by. An’ me tek yuh in! An’ not a appreciation me get. Nuh likkle thanks Trevor? Nuh nothin’? Everyday me get cussin’ an’ fi wah? Fi wah Trevor? Me try, me always try.”

“Tek you time wid me hand!”

“Kip steady! Bout tek time, me soon done. Thirty-five years…”

“Lawd done now nuh!”

“Nuh tell me fi done, me nah done! All me do, is do good, yuh put out me son, me one boy, weh neva disrespec’ me yet, eh? Bring in dis boy, Bleach-Out Face Karen boy inna me house, have him a disrespec’ me. Yuh neva once tell him fi min’ him mannas!”

Trevor shuffles.

“Now, see me done.”

She gets up and walks to the bathroom.

“Eh, look how the woman mash up me han’, cut me fi nuh reason at all,” he mumbles.

“Nuh reason?” she sticks her head out of the bathroom, “nuh reason, hmph. Me say me done, but mek me tell yuh, me neva cut yuh good! Not even stitches yuh nuh need! But A bet yuh won’t lick me inna me face again, A bet yuh! Bout yuh nuh do nothin’, man gwan yaa!” she walks into her room and shuts the door, leaving Trevor to mumble to himself.

My thoughts was muddled like a mixture of sand of garri. Clarity was betrayed by my conciousness. Certainty was nota friend of the bearing to direct my sanity. The images before me made my eyes to shrink; my heart did worse quaking like a half-dead motor engine.
             ‘Please, erm..close the door…’ his sweat-soaked voice staggeredto semi-life. Our bodieswere skilled by the vident waves of shock, and soon, our faces emitted questions that saturated the atmosphere like angry bees demanding answers on the nature of such momentary occurence.
             Confusion was gold in the moment; anger was oxygen; irritation was breath; fury was salt; life was beast; death seemed closer than ever; it felt as though the world was ablaze and the heat was seiving through the thiness of my navy blue T-shirt.
             Whose voice as balm was going to spring fire? Were answers oing to fall from the heaven on our tongues? Silence was the god of the moment.
             I felt my little man rising, and that ultimately sealed the abnormality of the moment, for my eyes couldn’t stray off the dangling massive breatss of chinwe. My admiration for her trippled, quadrippled…it bacame limitless. Immediately my eyes hit hers, she adjusted her body, retrived a pink cloth which looked like a pink blouse and plamed her chest. Mr Laraba did same, withdrawing from her buttocks and satching his black trousers off the wooden table littered with all sizes of books. The motion of the trouser swirled the smell of semen.
          My heart was in a pothole; I was not sure of whch pothole it was sinking in; the pothole of anger or the pothole of lust. Mr Laraba’s bald head made it more of the pothole of anger, and even though I was ready to bathe Chinwe with my wrath, her slender tighs made it more of the pothole of lust.
         Words sprang from their mouth and colided against one another; I was glad that the collisions were far from sensible meaning and so my ears were saved from greater achos. I stormed out of the firly scattered office or so I though, but actually I walked out calmly, solemny like a priest in procession.
        On getting outside, I felt as though I had been elevated from a pit of fire. Over a billion questions hit my heart like snow balls, and really I felt like a fool that life and self had succeded in deceiving.
      Why did life have to pass a spear through my soul? Why did today ever come? hy wasI not distracted on my way to the office? Why dditnI understand that particular topic in ‘The Nature Of Life Exhibited In A  Literary Work’? Why couldnt I have approached someone else? Why was the door not properly locked? Was it just a chance of the divine? Why did I not use the knife in my pocket on them? Why did I not tell Chinwe that I was a hardcore cultist instead of appearing as a hapel usher suited with dilligence? Why did we rub our minds with the notion f virginity till marriage? Why didnt she tell me that she was no staranger to the hills of men? Why did she appear to me as  a nun who slept on the church altar everyday? Why did I not tell her that I usually ran into the skirts of randorm girls and prostitutes? Why did a life I had known have to crumble before my eyes? Why did my girlfriend have to DOGGYSTYLE with my lecturer?

MORAL LESSON: Lies and deceit never get one anywhere. The tables always turn. Be inspired. Bless.

Circles, I go round in them.

Stupid situations, I find myself in them.

Stranger’s beds, I wake up in them.

Feelings, I don’t have them.

“I love you”, is what I tell them.

Wanting out, need to get away from them.

A nice guy, that’s what I seem to them.

The façades…they don’t notice them.

Via: Politico

White House holds ‘deep background’ Benghazi briefing

The White House held a “deep background” briefing with reporters on Friday afternoon to discuss recent revelations about the Benghazi investigation, sources familiar with the meeting tell POLITICO.

The meeting was conducted on “deep background,” according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, but sources told POLITICO that the existence of the meeting was “off the record.” The meeting began around 12:45 p.m. and postponed the daily, on-the-record White House press briefing until mid-afternoon.

The session was announced to reporters in the wake of an ABC News report showing that White House and State Dept. officials were involved in revising the now-discredited CIA talking points about the attack on Benghazi.

MORE HERE

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Cartoon by: Henry Payne

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Cartoon by: Michael Ramirez

Once you’re exposed to injustice and forced to question absolutely everything that is presented to you, it’s extremely difficult to live your life, eyes covered.

The other day I really needed to get gas for my car. As in I had 7 kms to empty. The nearest gas station was a Shell station. But I took the risk and drove the extra bit to get to another gas station that I know has nothing to do with Shell. You see, I haven’t purchased gas from Shell in 7 years, and I’ll tell you why.

Shell has a lot of really manipulative and expensive commercials that try to show you what an amazing company they are. They say that they are giving back to the environment and taking part in funding different organizations. But they are full of shit. They are so full of shit, I almost vomit all over myself every time I see these ads. In University I took a class called, ‘Inequality and Social Justice’. I wish every person had an opportunity to take this class. It was profound. It was a pivotal moment in my University career, and I can honestly say I have put the knowledge I gained from this class into practice on more than one occasion.

One of the topics we discussed was the Ogoni people in Nigeria. Shell had set up shop in Nigeria, drilling for oil, and as usual, it was done poorly. The oil leaked into the fields, contaminated the soil, in turn contaminating their food. It also contaminated their water. Last but not least, it contaminated the air they were breathing. People started to get sick and die, children were being born with deformities. Pretty soon the Ogoni people had enough. They began protesting (peacefully of course) in the streets. They wanted Shell to fix their mistakes and get out. A leader of this movement emerged named Ken Saro Wiwa. He was a Nigerian writer, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize. He wanted nothing more than for his people to live happy, healthy lives, free of contamination.

Long story short, this man was murdered, among others who were tortured or murdered as well. To read more on this please check out the article below (certainly not to reduce the severity and heaviness of this situation but more so that the facts are straight):

http://www.ratical.org/corporations/OgoniFactS.html

Now you may be saying that atrocities such as this one occurs regularly in the world and surely me not buying gas from Shell has little to no impact on anyone’s lives, but you’re wrong. In 2009 I received a family from Nigeria, arriving to Canada as refugees, needing resettlement assistance. After only a few days, I noticed that the father of the family was in visible pain, daily. I took him to the doctor and after some x-rays and ultrasounds we came to find that he had extensive damage in both of his shoulders and in his upper back. He began physiotherapy and taking muscle relaxants, but the pain never really seemed to subside. After becoming quite close with this family over the next few months, they slowly started opening up to me. One day, when discussing the man’s pain levels, he disclosed that he had been tortured. immediately my mind flew back to that class in University. I asked him if he was Ogoni and he replied, yes. I asked him if he had been involved in the Shell protests, and a look of complete horror came over his face. Over the next few hours I learned that he was close to Ken Saro Wiwa and that he had been captured and tortured for years by an ‘army’. According to him, this army was partially funded by the Nigerian Government and Shell itself. I can’t say whether or not that’s true, but he was sure this was the case. I began filling in gaps with him based on my knowledge of the situation and he began to ease a bit. He was relieved (and stunned..and happy) to hear that I knew of this story. He went through many emotions as he told me this story, anger, fear, desperation, defeat. I left his house that day feeling mixed emotions myself. I was happy that I had made the decision a long time ago not to support Shell. I was angry that Shell had/has a reputation of being a good company. I was (am) heartbroken to see the direct results of how cruel the world is when money and greed replace the worth of someone’s life.

I will, of course, continue never to step foot into a Shell gas bar or support the company in any way. The blood of Ogoni people will not be on my hands.

I’ve had this particular blog entry drafted for months but never really got around to finishing it. It’s in the wake of the factory that collapsed in Bangladesh that I feel the need to share stories about other companies taking complete advantage of people who are far removed from the North American lifestyle. We think we have no impact. I’ve heard both sides when it comes to the improving the conditions for the workers in Bangladesh and other factories. A boycott vs. pressuring big companies to demand safer working conditions. With Shell, I completely boycott it and encourage others too as well. But for the workers in Bangladesh, these factory jobs are their livelihood. A boycott wouldn’t produce any positive results. However, we need to start caring about other people in this world and the best way to do that is to put pressure on those who have the power (sorry, no, you don’t have that much power. I know, I was completely bummed when I realized this too). I had a man come to me the other day and tell me his brother had just been pulled from the rubble. Again, I became an emotional mess, internalizing his feelings and the heartache of this man. But it’s a great reminder that the six degrees of separation does exist. We are all connected as human beings. We need to start to be more aware, caring, loving. You never know when these stories will hit home and personally impact you. I’ve had enough of these experiences (and likely will continue to) that disable me from turning a blind eye.

I learned a new word term week, it’s called “slacktivism”. I would say that slacktivism is at an all time high, especially with social media. People thing that writing facebook statuses or tweets about things, attacking people on personal choices or issues, and arguing over the internet somehow makes a difference. I agree that awareness is key, but I think there’s a hell of a lot more you can do. I hope that this blog isn’t part of that. I hope that you do your research and go out and make a positive influence on the world around you.

Even if a penniless person does not have access to a phone. When the going gets tough and people in this type of situation cannot afford to pay for phone service nor a prepaid cell phone, nor prepaid cell phone card, there is social media. I’m talking about using Facebook in this case.

The penniless individual can leave loved ones messages to keep them informed of their life activities. Every now and then when I sit down to watch some of my favorite programs (especially some of the live on air television shows), there is usually one individual who uses Facebook to “blast off” at the mouth to other individuals. Usually this pertains to airing their own “dirty laundry”.

This really tickles me sometimes. It seems to me that these same individuals really think that everyone in the world is paying attention to them, or really cares about their real life drama. Some have gotten their fifteen minutes of fame so to speak.

Some do not even realize that within their little “bubble life” environment, they are like a peion. Like a speck of dust amongst a pile of dirt. Numberwise, these same individuals are 1 out of approximately 1.5 billion Facebook users in this world.

So, when they broadcast their private lives, they may only have an audience of 5 to 20 individuals. Facebook is pretty cool. Social media, period kicks ass! And, can be full of surprises as well. These surprises can be pleasant to very pleasant, or down right the kind of surprise that can piss one off.

All in all, I have discovered that I like social media. There are so many sites out there! Even though I don’t date or anything, the founder of one site in particular that I frequent sometimes left me impressed concerning how active he is within his social media community.

Hell, I liked it so much that I even joined the dating group within this community. While the site is new and everything, I feel that while everything is fresh, why not join the band wagon and have a blast! I even formed a group myself!

Now, back to the surprises part concerning Facebook. I received a surprise earlier this week. It was one that down right pissed me off, too. While browsing around my small Facebook community, I found out that an immediate family member of mine befriended my first love’s cousin.

Has anyone ever had a moment where you wanted to ask someone, “What in the fuck were you thinking?” This shit didn’t make any fucking sense to me! O.K. I’m fixing to give you guys a little of information concerning this shit. Almost 21 years ago I met a young man who ended up being my first love.

During the time that we were together, I discovered that I met him once before when both of us were children. He and his family shared their photo albums with me at times. There was one photo in particular I saw that sparked my memory, and took me down memory lane.

That picture was when my first love, his brother, and his late father were dressed in their ”Sunday’s best”. I remembered the event that took place the day I met the little boy, who later on became my first love. Me and an older friend of mine were playing a game of dare.

This was one game I discovered I didn’t like because when it was my turn, the stakes were always so high that I always faced getting into trouble. I didn’t think my very pretty friend could come up with such a dare because she was so pretty and innocent looking. It was this day in particular that I stopped playing dare.

I never liked the feeling of being nervous, scared, nor being caused to sweat. It was also on a Sunday I was given my dare quest when I met this older little boy. We made eye contact. When I saw him I became even more scared, then guilty because I was doing this on a church day.

And, it was something I didn’t want to do. Yeah, this was the picture of that fair little kid in his little brown suit, wearing his Sunday’s best. After that moment of meeting that kid, I hoped that we would meet again some day. When we did, that dare game was long forgotten, until that picture was shown to me.

Me and this guy saw one another, I fell in love, cried every time he had to go back to his base in Long Beach, California, met and befriended some of his family members, ate meals with them, went to church with some of them, and exchanged Christmas gifts with one of the family members.

During the time we saw one another I even discovered that both of our dads even attended the same school. Now, here is the situation: My family did indeed meet this guy on many occasions. None of them took the time to know him, participate nor encourage any group events involving him, etc.

Further, my family only gossipped amongst one another(mainly about me getting fucked and when I’d probably get knocked up). My diary was even taken by one of my siblings and shared with my dad!
Thank God half of it was written in Spanish. They couldn’t read nor understand that. The point I’m trying to make is that my family didn’t know shit wadoodle about my first love’s family. Only one relative hung out a few times with one of his cousins.
However, I stopped taking her with me to that cousins house because her behavior was not a good influence on that cousin and for no reason at all she wanted to fight the child. I wasn’t going to have that. No one has a right to go around wanting to fight someone because they are a little innocent and slightly geeky.
Anyway, this other “meatball head” of a family member decided to be friends with this cousin in particular(of my first love), who is all grown up now. He never fucking knew her! What the fuck?!!! No one was ever concerned with what was going on in my life and now this shit! It’s amazing when you think you have closed a chapter in your life. Someone can really open “Pandora’s Box”, again.
Before this incident, another family member of mine disrespected Big Momma(identity protected)by requesting to be friends on Facebook with Big Momma’s former best friend. I mean, what the fuck? Her former best friend went through a lifetime of heartache because of Big Momma’s brother, who was seen as a “meal ticket” by some former neighbors in Los Angeles, who got knocked up with another man’s child twice.
This nasty bitch even had the nerve to claim that Big Momma’s brother was the father. While this was going on, Big Momma’s best friend, who had a relationship with Big Momma’s brother originally, really was pregnant with Big Momma’s brother’s child.
The whore down the street even lied about her age(this is what I was told). She really was a ho, though. Big Momma’s best friend ended up getting an abortion because of the heartbreak Big Momma’s brother caused by cheating on her with the whorish tart down the street, who lied to everyone that she was pregnant with this man’s child.
To make things worse, this same man wanted to cheat on his current wife with Big Momma’s former best friend in recent years! Now, she confided in Big Momma to keep this between them and said that she would rather be friends with just Big Momma and no other family members, because of the fact that she didn’t want to be caught up in the past, again,no other issues, etc. would arise.
And, what the fuck happened? One of Big Momma’s sisters browsed Facebook and discovered that Big Momma and her former best friend were now Facebook friends! Big Momma warned the sister that it is not a good idea to bother her former best friend at all.
Big Momma’s sister did it, anyway! Shit! Absolutely no respect! Sometimes I wonder what in the fuck is wrong with people these days. When a relationship between two people is over it is supposed to be over! Everyone should be moving on to meet others, create their own families, and that’s it.
I was pissed when I found this shit out, too! I had to browse Facebook this time because I was trying to find out my kid’s Facebook address and then tried to reach other family members to let them know about her Cinco de Mayo birthday party. After that I decided to coast and browse Facebook, again for a moment. One thing about my family: Because of the horrible pranks some of my siblings have played on me, in my personal life I usually don’t divulge any type of private information, because of their immaturity and what I had to face and deal with concerning their filthy pranks, decisions, etc.
Further, while browsing for the last time, I decided to briefly scroll down to my former first love’s profile. I saw pictures of the well maintained and beautiful lawn he has surrounding his house, his two cute children, and the fact that he’s still a church going man.
Looking at this, I saw and felt good to see that someone other than myself has actually taken the time to achieve their life long goals and actually reap from the achievements. Even though I have yet to achieve mine, I remain working on all of my goals. I’m actually proud of the guy.
Next, I believe that when a relationship is over it is over. Sometimes prowling around into others’ past can bring harm and/or unwanted and raw emotions to the surface that may have been buried long ago. Also, consequences.
To me, this is NEVER safe territory. Unless such information is freely given, or automatically included in a public search, delving into such matters is disrespectful and worse. It is only necessary when answers are needed by the F.B.I., unsolved cases, investigating “deadbeat dads”, etc. It is not supposed to be intended for personal entertainment, sabotage, etc. This is real stuff.
These are real people, real families, emotions, etc. Not a game. Especially not chess.