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vindelllas · 4 years ago

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Can you talk about beauty in revati women more specifically revati chandra? Thank you very much✨

i got you love 💕🤍💗

a mini exploration of revati chandra natives 🐘:

🐘 angelina jolie: revati chandra

🐘 rihanna: revati chandra

⌛️ in my opinion, revati chandra women have some of the best appearances out of the entire zodiac. they typically embody the best physical features of their genetics. they have the youthful features of the revati nakshatra’s ruler budha, such as plump, pouty lips; youthful and arched eyebrows; hypnotizing and magnetic eyes; strong jawlines and dainty noses; and larger foreheads. whereas, brihaspati (the ruler of pisces) bestows these natives with a naturally curvaceous, hourglass-shaped, and busty figure. their figures are not extremely thick or have such a waist emphasis like dhanishta, but more so a thickened, slimmer body type. the are typically of medium height, around 67-68 inches tall (budha-ruled women tend to be short but brihaspati-ruled women tend to be slightly tall, so there is somewhat a height balance). they favor embellishing their beautiful features with more yin characteristics like medium-to-long hair, long nails, diamond jewelry, and thinner eyebrows.

🐘 ali mcgraw: revati chandra

🐘 janet jackson: revati chandra

🌊 due to revati’s high expectations of both themselves and others, these natives are often prone to slight feelings of low self-esteem. they seem to struggle with accepting the losses and short-comings in their lives. this behavior sends them into an emotional spiral and causes them to forget how to handle situations of adversity. they may sometimes lack the practical and disciplined nature they need to survive during times of trials and tribulations. internally, revati chandras are quite compassionate to others and struggle with expressing the same compassion to themselves, as they are always under constant stereotypes and ridicule from others. this is why revatis may either seem emotionally unavailable (as an adjustment to society’s cruel nature) or insanely emotionally unstable (due to them growing tired of concealing their emotions to others and choosing to rather manically embrace all of their suppressed emotions at once).

🐘 whitney houston: revati chandra

🌱 revati belongs to the mridu (tender) nakshatras, along with mrigashira, chitra, and anuradha. the mridu nakshatras are best for pursuing platonic relationships and the enjoyment of life’s pleasures. such as, romance, dance, drama, fashion, and literature. because revati is also ruled by pushan, the deity for nurturing and safe travel, they are naturally called to explore the finer things in life before the ascend into the plane of pure spirituality. men, in particular, struggle with this placement more as it conflicts with their natural yang nature and causes many revati chandra men to become obsessed with the vanity of the physical plane. as budha-ruled men embody the trickster archetype to the fullest and become too consumed with pursuing the “next best thing” as fast as possible, like younger women and greater amounts of money. whereas, revati chandra women seem to focus on enjoying their creative pursuits and the journey of life much more.

🐘 salma hayek: revati chandra

🏹 revati chandra women are highly sexual beings. their mercurial nature makes them naturally quite shamelessly promiscuous and embody the stereotypical male fantasies of the “cool girl” (a woman with a youthful glow, high sex appeal, and a preference for vulgarities/alcohol/physical activities). this seems to cause great polarity in pop culture. revati chandra native cardi b is quite infamous for her highly sexually explicit songs and revealing outfits. budha-ruled women love to entice and tease others with their abundant looks and hypnotic aura. after all, mercury/budha is regarded as the playful trickster in vedic astrology and the elephant yoni is regarded as the best yoni for sexual endurance. yet, they know how to market their bodies to receive the utmost profit. think of revati chandra celebrities like salma hayek and eva longoria who are known for their figures and body revealing scenes in film. men seem to idolize and worship the playful sensuality of revati chandras, while women seem to often feel imitated and threatened by their nature.

an excellent musical example of revati’s constant hate they receive for wishing to control the sexual narrative of their bodies, harsh exterior, and their proneness to the usage of vulgarities:

🐘 cardi b (revati chandra): upper photo

🐘 eva longoria (revati chandra): lower photo

🐘 sade adu: revati chandra

🌬 because revati is symbolic of the natural twelfth house, the house of great intuition and our soul’s ascension/descension, these natives have a strong sense of intuition. they are typically expressive of their deep connections to the astral plane through their artistic endeavors. revati chandra native sade adu was known for her transcendental, almost aquatic-like voice and angelina jolie stars in the disney film “maleficent”, a fairy-tale and dream-like film. revati’s expression of the twelfth house is much different than the other pisces rashi nakshatras. revatis stand out in both the physical and astral plane, they bring unique qualities from both realms as they are the utmost mastery of the nakshatras. in “maleficent”, angelina jolie plays a misunderstood fairy who learns to embrace both her dark and nourishing nature. she has contrasting pale/dark features, large and black wings, and huge horns. she looks nothing like the other soft, pastel-loving fairies and is often stereotyped as mean or brutal. this is much similar to the nature of revatis, their harsh external nature is often confused for being robotic or aggressive, this is why tropical aries are often given such a bad rep for their agression. revatis feel so deeply and truthfully on the inside, but struggle with expressing their emotions out of fear that they will be even more misconstrued. everything affects them so much, they prefer to become almost numb. as they progress through life, their outer shell eventually shatters and reveals the strong, yet caring, individual they truly are.

🐘 anna wintour: revati chandra

✨ revati natives are sincere and passionate with everything they do. they strive for a clear and honest approach to their work and life and are called to live uniquely and embrace their individuality. like all mercurial nakshatras, they tend to embrace an ambivert/extrovert lifestyle and have very outgoing and magnetic personalities. their social nature and great beauty allow them to dazzle and hypnotize the hearts of the masses. this magnetism is why we see many revati chandras rising to the top of their respective fields. such as, rihanna and her fashion/cosmetic/music career, angelina jolie and her acting/philanthropy career, and anna wintour is often regarded as the reigning queen of fashion. revati is literally translated as “wealthy”, these natives continuously blossom and flourish thanks to budha’s charm and brihaspati’s blessings of prosperity!

hope this helps love 💕 happy february everyone! i plan on exploring chitra next!

xoxo, angel <3

#vedicastrology #nakshatras #mercury planet #astrology #budha #chandra #moon #pisces aesthetic #pisces moon #revati

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argumentl · 4 years ago

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The Freedom of Expression Ep.2 - Ghosn escapes to Lebanon

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, this is the second installment of The Freedom of Expression. Um, Joe san, Tasai san, here we are again.

J, T: Yep *laughing*

J: Why are we laughing at that?

K: Well, somehow, while I was introducing you two, I was wondering whether I should also introduce the third, no, fourth person..

J: I see, I see.

K: I thought I'd leave it at that.

K: Yes, lets leave it there.

Kami: No, don't leave it there.

J: Ah, of course, we try to ignore him, he'll appear.

K: Ahh, but during the first episode, there were times without him, weren't there?

J: Sure

Kami: Ah, but I was just being quiet. I was waiting until the end to come in.

J: I see.

Kami: You played right into my hands

*everyone laughs*

J: We played into your hands? This god has a nasty personality, doesn't he? *K laughing* A god saying that?!

Kami: Of course you would tell me I have a nasty personality.

J: This god is surprisingly small, right? *K laughs a lot*　..saying such things?!

K: Okay, so lets get to the freedom of expression, the concept which we started on the radio and are now doing on youtube. Last time was our first try, how do you think it went, for anyone interested?

J: Well, just how DID it go?

T: Right, I'd like to know the reaction.

J: Yeah, I'd like to know. I'd like it to spread on social media.

K: Yes, me too.

J: Please, by all means, share this for us!

K,T: Yes

K: Right, well for our first item, over to you Tasai san.

T: Well, this is news from Tokyo Sports newspaper..

J: Oh, from Tokyo Sports? Like, is it a UFO or a monster kind of story?

T: Well, I know what you mean, but its not that today. Its about (Carlos) Ghosn.

J: Was Ghosn a monster?!

T:*laughs* No, no, no, its not that.

J: Really?

T: It was really big news at the end of last year. The news that Ghosn escaped to Lebanon. Firstly, what did you think about this, Joe?

J: Oh me? Well, Im one of those that thinks the Japanese judiciary system is terrible, so I thought it was convincing.

T: Ah, I see.

J: Of course it was an illegal thing, but for someone as rich as Ghosn, I think it was nothing.

T: Well, as for Ghosn, he is now in Lebanon, but its been said in the news that the recent worsening of relations between America and Iran will be really bad for him.

J: Can Tokyo Sports really report such a serious story? *K laughs*.

T: Yeh...We have to report this kind of thing.

J: Right

T: So, America killed Iran's number two, General Soleimani in an explosion, and with Iran calling for revenge action, the tension is such that, people are fearing WWIII breaking out. With the current leader calling on Lebanon's Shia military organization, you know the organization Hezbollah?...there is a possiblity that Lebanon could become a battle ground...in which case Ghosn would lose his place of saftety and he would have to flee from there, and might get arrested in a different country. Thats the story, how Ghosn might still be facing danger.

J: I see, direct.

T: Its really like a story from a movie.

K: Yes, thats right.

T: Hiding in a musical instrument case..

J: For sure!

K: A band came to his house right?

J: Yes, yes, he was having a party.

K: Yeh..and like hiding in the case...its interesting isn't it? *everyone laughs*

T: Its a case for a very large instrument, and the makers of it have issued a warning, that this case is not intended to be used in that way. *J, K laugh*

J: But there are not many people who escape overseas, its impressive!

K: Yeh, it really is like a movie.

T: Its great...there is even talk of making this into a movie.

J: Ghosn's story?

T: Yeh

J: Wow. Kaoru, have you any thoughts about this Ghosn news?

K: Well, while being quite simple, the scale is outrageous *laughs* I wonder how much it cost..

J: Oh, probably a considerable amount...its been said that it seems like his fortune has decreased..but it probably hasn't disturbed him too much.

T: On the issue of bail, he paid 15 billion yen, which was apparently further confiscated, but Ghosn probably doesn't give a damn about that.

J: Probably not

K: When he came out, he disguised himself right? Its also kinda interesting from that angle.

T: Oh, dressed like a cleaner, right?

K: Yes, yes, yes.

T: It seems like he thought it would work

J: Well, another thing is, the Japanese judicial system is said to be a so called 'hostage judiciary'. In Japan, the prosecutors have the right to charge people with a crime, but out of all charges made in Japan, 99.9% are found guilty. In other words, if you are charged, the court case is more of a formality, you will almost never be found innocent. It equates to one out of a thousand cases being found innocent. Now, as far as I know, the conviction rate should be a bit lower, ninety-something percent, but if you lower the conviction rate much, the authority of the prosecutors is suspected, as if the original charges were wrong. Its difficult, but a conviction rate of 99.9% is quite extraordinary. So with the fact that prosecutors have so much power, and with this 'hostage judiciary', so called criminals are pushed to confess. At first they are questioned without the presence of a lawyer, and there are many cases where foreigners confess to the crime, even if they havn't done it. The police will say to people, 'you are not leaving here till you confess'. Now, if you really didn't do it you could provide your evidence to the court, but in Japan, the court will take a self confession as the strongest evidence. So, in the end, once you've said 'i did it', you might as well have done. And even if you later say 'i didn't do it', it will only be seen as a lack if repentence, you will not be found innocent...and Ghosn must know all this. This court case is predicted to go or for 5 or 10 years, and say, if it was ten years, his life is already nearing its end. Whether its right or wrong, he probably arrived at the conclusion that he had no choice but to escape.

T: He can do it because he has money.

J: Exactly

K: Ah, its turned into that kind of conversation.

J: Eventually, yes. We are not all equal.

K: But, couldn't you say it would better that he had stayed in an orderly place like Japan?

J: Yes, yes, especially if the place he has escaped to becomes a war zone. Theres a chance that Japan might end up being the safest place for him.

T: Which do you choose, an approaching war with your freedom, or a safe place facing a court hearing?

K: Oh this is gonna be a movie.*laughs*

J: It seems likely...But who would play Ghosn? Who looks like him?

K,T: *????* 1*

J: He's the only one who could do it! If it was dramatized..

K: It makes you wonder how Japan could let this happen, Ghosn was probably surprised too.

T: So for people who are out on bail in Japan, they do sometimes make them wear gps locating device, or restrict thier movement. It seems like Ghosn has really thrown Japan into disorder.

J: Hmm, in Japan, whenever there is a happening, the measures taken against it are often 'too much'. So, if you talk to people in other countries, recommendations will differ. For example, in France or somewhere like that, a traffic accident happens, and someone dies...Well, i mean, if it was in Japan, they would install a pedestrian crossing and traffic lights, which is ok in itself, but if you do this type of thing too much, it starts to get inconvenient. But if it was overseas, a traffic accident where someone dies, they would just warn people to be more careful next time. Rather than doing sonething physical, just encourage people to be safer, and after that finish with it. In Japan, they would definitely either install facilities or place equipment, measures to prevent it happening again, but on the other hand if this is done too much, you may eventually end up with restrictions on you speech or movement, so thats something we have to be careful about.

K: Mm, if you blame other people or things, you may end up losing your sense of self responsibility.

J: Things primarily happen due to our actions, we need to remember that, but people will end up blaming other things, for a sense of security. This becomes a vicious cycle, I feel.

T: This has been excessive recently, funny stories about celebrities being criticized for saying certain things, and then nothing happening.

Kami: Um, is it wrong to be on Ghosn's side?

T: No, I think its ok.

K: Its a personal opinion.

Kami: If you were on his side, he might give you money if you ask him *everyone laughs*

T: What a wierd opinion for a god!

J: You really are working for money, aren't you!

Kami: Well, I just thought if I was rich I could be in control of everyone.

J: I see, I see.

Kami: Like if I told people to cooperate with me, they would say, yes, yes, and just do it. Like, I would say to Tasai san, can't you write a nice article about me, and throw over a bit of cash..

T: I would be quivering

K: *laughs*

J: If it was Hiranabe san, you'd have to take him to dinner.

Kami: Yeah, I've a feeling he would say, 'Ghosn was right!'.

J: I guess so.

Kami: I mean, even if the story in the media is a joke , if someone said 'I'll give you a billion yen if you do it', you would do it right?

J: Well yes..a billion.

Kami: The real god, wouldn't be like that of course...but I'll do it for small change. *everyone laughs*

J: How much would you help Ghosn escape for?

Kami: About 10,000yen.

J: So cheap!

Kami: Its because I know my capability.

T: Isn't god supposed to be all powerful, and all knowing?!

Kami: No, I can't do anything.

J: A god who, can't do anything, strange isnt it?

Kami: Its because no-one worships me.

J: Ah, I see.

K: Aren't you just a regular old guy then? *lots of laughing*

J: And here's me thinking we were getting somewhere deep!

Kami: I only know one deep thing about this. Straight after he was interviewed by the Juicial minister, the minister said that Ghosn will have to prove his innocence, right?

J: Yes, that was mistaken, wasnt it. Completely wrong.

Kami: The rest of the world media heard this, and thought Japan was in the wrong. It is in the wrong, right?

J: Well, that person was orignally a lawyer, um, I dont know if the youtube viewers are aware of this, a defendant doesn't actually have to prove anything. Its the prosecution side which has to prove the guilt. A defendant doesnt prove his innocence at all. So if a harsh sentence is given, that means the prosecutors did thier job, and if guilt isnt proved, that means the prosecutors couldnt prove it. There is no legal situation where a defendant has to prove thier innocence. So, the justice minister saying Ghosn must prove his innocence was probably seen as ridiculous by the rest of the world.

Kami: Well, it is if its said by the justice minister.

J: Well having that kind of person in such a high position, can the rest of the world trust this country? Its a wierd story, the world's mass media have been laughing, can that kind of guy really become justice minister? But as you said, maybe he's just expressing Japan's inner feelings about this. Oh, Kami is gone! * laughing*

Kami:*laughs* No, I was listening attentively. I was listening, and thinking, he had to run away from Japan.

J: Oh, right.

T: I see.

Kami: Yes, get away from Japan..consumption tax has risen too of course * everyone laughs*

J: Well, yes.

Kami: The Olympis will cost money too..

T: And theres that iternet tax.

K: You know a lot, dont you kami?

Kami: Ive been saving money *everyone laughs* I never have enough.

J: Are you a poverty stricken god?! *lots of laughing*

Kami *stifled laugh* Don't say that.

K: Ok, well lets wrap it up here, the second episode. Please tune in next time.

J,K, T: Thank you very much.

1* I don't know who they said here.

#the freedom of expression #dir en grey

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tattooed-teadrinker · 5 years ago

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It’s time to talk about something serious...

I’ve hit a very important wall in life. The one where you feel like all the fire and passion you have put into developing who and what you are is gone... The moment you realize that you spend more days crying, rather than celebrating the sunshine.

No one tells you that in your twenties you go through a complete breakdown, mentally, physically, and spiritually. The immense pain that is felt when you feel that all your effort hasn’t and won’t be enough. No amount of hours worked, relationships perused, or opportunities taken will fill the void that you feel, when the fire goes out.

Many like to refer to this time as a transformation. But we think of butterflies emerging from their change with these vivid and brilliantly designed wings. But we never discuss how painful it is to shift and change and we “grow” into what our life is supposed to be. You see I was always told that we as individuals are in charge of the happiness that comes in our lifetimes. That we are the sole entity responsible for maintaining that happiness. But what happens when life is great, but you aren’t happy...

I believed like many others that my career in film (in all capacities I find myself creating), was the calling, the purpose that was going to finally give me the life and happiness that I held close to my heart. It was the idea of creation and celebration of a project completed that drove me to push beyond my limits. I lifted until my back hurt, then I lifted some more. I saw opportunity to demonstrate leadership, and i took it. I felt proud of my work.

Then suddenly creation and celebration, felt like work. I started to lose the intensity of my aura, the trait that became my reputation.

I suddenly changed. I was no longer worshiping the sun, and thanking the clouds. I was building up glass walls and allowing the flame to be deprived to creative oxygen.

I greeted everyone on the street with a glowing smile and an empathetic open hand reaching for anyone who was drowning. Now the glass bowl has filled, practically to the brim with tears. The emerging product of the ever predictable depression that comes with your twenties...

Grateful, I was everyday for the beautiful creatures that I lived among. But I was running on smoldered ashes. Searching and digging through a pile of compounded ash that hid the flame. Only to be washed away by the rain that come from the heaviest part of my soul. I destroyed myself, from the inside out. Soon forgetting to eat, shower, and most importantly to be proud of myself.

I always struggled with pride, but I worked on it by asking for help, kind of. But no matter what the moment of triumph was, it was short lived by the feeling of impending doom of late rent payments because the jobs I had put my heart into, (at least at first), were taking their time to pay me. It was the idea of trying to save money, because that’s what we are supposed to do right?

I was damaged. Not by mishandling, not due to lack of resources, but due to a lack of understanding. I’m suppounded by a community that has an ever changing view on development.

I am damaged. I’m broken into a couple different pieces, that seem to fall apart every time I try to put them together. Just like the drawer in my kitchen.

I tried to get creative, I drew, I wrote, I sang, I danced and stretched and meditated. I searched in books, and scoured the internet hoping that there would be a sign that everything I’m feeling had a rhyme and a reason and that one day I wouldn’t feel like this.

That people would stop asking me to do things they know I’m not good at. I wouldn’t have to work projects that I didn’t believe in. That someone would see that I’m trying to figure it out. I’m attempting to identify in as logical a way as possible, what the hell I’m supposed to do now, when all the self-care tips, and classes, and ideas on how to battle this looming darkness didn’t work.

I am extremely controlled when it comes to my emotions, which is why when I break, it’s when I’m alone, and I’m in a safe environment. But you learn to stop reaching out when the suggestions run out, or when you feel all you do is call asking for help while never providing anything in return.

But it’s not sushi ideal thinking. It’s being so aware of the surroundings and being completely overwhelmed with the idea that there are a millon things that I am supposed to do, or try to do in order to achieve this happiness.

I often see posts from people on social media - “It’s time for you to get excited again...” “This storm will pass...” “Keep going.”. All wonderful ideas carefully painted into designs that promote peace and calmness, just to be scrolled by. I do not compare myself to others as it’s impractical and offers no benefit. I followed artists and supported designers who live life similarly to my own. It helped, for awhile.

They say that your circle of friends, gets smaller as you become more successful or in fact when you get older. You are taught to stick with people who will help you grow and progress in survival. But what we don’t talk about is feeling like those people will out grow you because the flame you once provided in their life had been ripped from your chest. You start to lean on your left leg when the right gets tired, and back to the right when the left gets tired. You learn to wipe your tears on your sleeves, roll them up and keep working. Quietly battling an army of invisible and often unknown ideas dragging you every way except where you are trying to focus. And just when you are able to focus, you feel proud. Until the light goes out again and the progress isn’t good enough. Because you are stuck right back where you started, staring at the sky high wall that you thought was almost deconstructed.

It’s the idea of pushing yourself with tears, blood and sweat hoping that soon, will be around the corner, or the next. Finding yourself only creating more obstacles, because it feels like you’ve been here before, and obviously life continues to send you the same lesson until you’ve learned it right?

Here we are allowing ourselves to be exposed, showing the world where and how deep our cuts are and what we are doing to heal them. Because we need to heal to survive. So the medication flows, natural, and chemical to make our way through this “dark chapter” that no one can control. We stitch and sew until out hands bleed, and then we start to patch and piece together what we have left, and when we are done, we start again because soon the stitches need to be removed and we are forced by no hand other than process.

To be cont.

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insist-on-resisting · 8 years ago

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The 14 primary points of fascism, and why Trump is a fascist

1) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

While Republicans were not the most patriotic sort during the Obama administration, now that the black guy is out of office and the orange one is in, they’re turning the nationalist fervor up to 11. Trump is planning another series of support rallies already, wanted tanks at the inauguration, and conservatives are once again wrapping themselves in the flag.

2) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Trump is listed as a threat to human rights due to his attacks on journalists and free speech, his attempts to de-legitimize citizens exercising speech at protests and town halls by directly stating they are not genuine, and his agenda, which has points against women’s rights and immigrants, not to mention is pro-torture. Human Rights Watch considers him one of the greatest threats in the world today for human rights.

3) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Does this one even need explained? When a SEAL died on his watch due to a poor decision made with bad intelligence, he blamed everyone but himself. When anyone in his administration fucks up, he either doubles down, says it didn’t happen, or uses them as a fall guy to insulate his own image. His entire campaign is built on the racist scapegoating of immigrants for economic woes that are not caused by them. He blames President Obama for protests, despite his policies being massively unpopular (a fact which, like many others, he denies).

4) Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Trump wants to give the military free rein to attack what they want, increase military spending when we are already the largest spender in the world, and quite literally, as mentioned earlier, wanted tanks at the inauguration. Fanatical military worship is bread-and-butter for Republicans. Increasing military spending while decreasing domestic spending is a key part of fascist regimes, and exactly what Trump is doing.

5) Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

I’ll just leave this here.

6) Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Trump’s bullying and attacks on the press are accomplishing what they were intended to do: the press is on defense, and the new normal is conservative publications known for publishing outright lies and propaganda getting a place in the press corps. His chief of strategy was a key voice on one of those publications, Breitbart, and maintains ties. Organizations that give favorable coverage take precedence, even if they publish things which are not true. He has successfully made objectivity “left-wing” and his followers have their own fact-free echo chamber that nothing enters that he doesn’t allow. They don’t care if they’re lied to, they believe in Trump and only Trump.

Unfortunately, it’s likely that Trump’s war on the free press is only just getting started.

7) Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Once again, Trump is described perfectly. This, too, is a propaganda tool. If people are fearful of the “other,” they will look to a “strong leader” to tell them what to do, and are more likely to allow their civil freedoms to be eroded in the process. Trump’s useless border wall and pointless Muslim ban are both examples of costly, frivolous actions in the name of “national security” that do not actually do anything other than serve as a propaganda tool.

8) Religion and Government are intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

A theocrat is our vice-president. Attacks on abortion, the LGBT+ community, and Muslims as an entire faith all come from evangelicals, who have a strong voice in our new government.

9) Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Trump has not only moved to cut taxes for corporations and the uber rich, but actually used an Exxon press release for an official White House statement and made a commercial for them from the White House. He continues to profit from his own businesses, too, and refuses to document potential conflicts-of-interest or divest. Rich guests at his country club get special access to the president.

10) Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

Sadly, labor power was so far eroded by the time Trump took control of the country that there’s not much left to do -- but Trump doesn’t want to let that get in the way. He’s already planning on trying to restrict unions nationally. Republican right-to-work laws have already destroyed unions in many states, and weakened the national ability of unions to collectively bargain or lobby for the rights of workers. Trump’s own record on unions as a private citizen isn’t pretty, either, and his disdain for workers is well documented.

11) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

This is already a well-established point of Republican ideology. That’s why you see so much hate on the right wing for “leftist professors,” and why they want to pass laws like this one. Trump obviously has serious issues with the freedom of expression, and because his skin is so thin, he frequently attacks celebrities or artists who satirize him or are critical in any fashion.

12) Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Despite the fact that the overall rate of violent crime has been dropping for decades, Trump makes an awful lot of noise about crime being “out of control.” In fact, he signed three different executive orders designed to “bring crime under control” and “restore safety to the nation.” Republicans support the privatization and industrialization of prisons. This comes at a time when we already incarcerate a higher portion of our own population than any other country in the world. He has set out to purge national agencies of “disloyal” members.

13) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Trump’s corruption is so evident and varied it’s difficult to even know where to start. His lack of released tax returns? His refusal to divest from businesses? His daughter, on multiple occasions, using official resources to promote family brands? Foreign dignitaries staying in his hotels in the hopes of favors? His self-dealing foundation, which may have been operating illegally? His appointment of friends, relatives and sycophants to numerous government offices? He’s not even two months in yet!

14) Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Whether or not there was collusion between Trump and their agents, there is no doubt at this point that Russia meddled in the United States election on Trump’s behalf. A massive, concerted propaganda effort was made, as well as attacks on state voting systems and hacks into the DNC, with carefully timed releases.

But that’s not even the primary danger we face as voters. Furthermore, that’s from a foreign government (unless collusion is proven). Under the guise protecting against virtually non-existent “voter fraud,” Republicans are working hard to take away your voting rights, or at least make it as difficult as possible to vote. That’s why they close down polling stations, restrict early voting hours, pass unconstitutional voter ID laws, and why they have gerrymandered voting districts to the point where a Republican vote is worth more than a Democratic one. Trump has continued this trend by spreading the falsehood that there were “3 million illegal votes” (the amount he lost the popular vote by) and demanding an investigation.

#KeepResisting

#resist #trump #fascist #politics

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churchworker · 8 years ago

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Thoughts On A Presidents Day.

We’ve been through a lot since November 9. We’ve been through a lot since January 20. We’ve encountered legislation, executive orders, and political uprising that many never considered before the 2016 Election. I can’t imagine how non-political folks are feeling - especially those who avoid politics to stay out of the crossfire.

I used to be the guy who avoided politics. I thought that focusing on my faith, prayer, & worship with my community of Christians would create a safe space & belief system to help me survive day-to-day, just dealing with my inner chaos. Sadly, I realized my wife and I would have to take that journey outside of the Church, realizing that the church was adapting to hard line conservatism, rather than honing in on the message of grace & love.

It’s clear to see that in and out of the church, conservatism is lacking any tangible expression of grace & love. Yes, the anti-abortion crusade is supposed to be an outpouring of fiercely expressed love… but in the context of Christianity, people have taken this issue out of God’s hands, and created hordes of self-appointed control freaks & fear mongers.

If these Christians truly put their trust in God, they’d understand that free will is a part of a faithful reality that not even the rightest of the Right-wing can control- try as they may.

Again, Free Will is determined by God. Not even the most weaponized right-wing Christian zealot can change that. Notice how every zealot who’s tried to change the author of Free Will in our past has been stopped? That being said, it should be clear by now that whether a person be stopped or if, God forbid, the world ends, human assertion over Free Will is destined to be stopped.

Did you know that Donald Trump has actually proposed working with mega-churches to become Trump Super-PACs? Yes, scary.

I’m resisting. I’m connected with a local Indivisible group, and I design anti-Trump/anti-GOP banners on my Twitter feed. I’m doing my part to be a part of the conversation. I speak intentionally about my values, and I’m adamant about seeking solutions & progress to reversing the mess that is so aptly progressing, thanks to Donald Trump & the establishment GOP.

One question that keeps coming back to me: Why didn’t President Obama do more to proactively stop Trump?

For a while, I was infuriated. I saw Obama’s low profile in the last days of his term as his checking out. I wondered if he was cornered due to the GOP obstructionism in Congress. I wondered if maybe his power with Executive Orders had a limit. I heard things like… he didn’t want to create the impression of the White House assisting in Hillary Clinton’s campaign (?) The hindsight on that line of thinking must be a significant source of regret.

So many serious issues were coming up… Russian interference in the election, Trump’s conflicts of interest, etc. There was very little response from Obama to those issues.

“I told Putin to cut it out…” among these lengthy, diplomatic, broken answers at Obama’s final press conferences were a disappointment. I was deflated, and I sank into the reality that he would not be the savior from a Trump presidency.

I was impressed with all he was doing to address pardons & commutations, Planned Parenthood, environmental issues, and human rights in the last days of his term. I am grateful for those things, but I was deflated.

Since Obama left office, I’ve started to grow a possible understanding towards his last months as President.

As I’ve become a more informed constituent – I’ve started to realize the physical & psychological damage potential of the far-right conservative movement - and the role that establishment GOP’s are playing in that. I’m starting to realize that America is now a country where just under half of the citizens have passively and/or proactively exercised support of racist & religious bigotry, sexism & misogyny, and Fascism.

As I research more deeply into those things – I am easily overwhelmed by what is a new & unavoidable reality. Sure there is potential to re-establish a political majority for the left and experience a sigh of relief for 4-8 more years from having a majority of folks who resemble your values, but what do we do with the reality that 50% of a nation ranges from being an obligatory tribal voter to being completely psyched up about Trump’s vision for America?

That is a horse pill to swallow.

You can’t deactivate millions of people who are fired up about Trump’s vision. In fact, there are huge conventions & rallies being planned to get even more people fired up – and more hardline Right-wing folks voted into office.

I wonder how many Democrats have witnessed the slow decent of conservative America, and wondered if allowing folks to actually experience a Trump America is the antidote. Let them have it. Let them make their bed. Let them live in a sick environment. Let them exist in a work environment where sexual harassment is celebrated. Let them go to church where they can worship Jesus & Donald Trump in the same building. Let them put society in boxes. Let the hate groups flourish and mobilize.

All the while the reality sets in… there will be no jobs or prosperity for them. Foreclosures and short sales on homes start to increase again. There are no able bodies doing the jobs that immigrants have been doing for several decades, because they’ve all been deported. They have to decide what medical conditions are severe enough to have to go to the doctor, because you have to plan for a $25,000 emergency room visit. You have to plan for a $300- $500 prescription.

Meanwhile, the Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan & friends’ bank accounts are getting fatter (they’re already million/billionaires), and the American people foot the bill for their medical insurance, vacations, and employment.

There will be some “reality overlap”, meaning the Trumpers won’t realize they’ve been completely dicked over while still suffering the effects of having been gaslit.

Unimaginable damage has already been done. Apparently there’s more to come. Maybe the real solution is to just let it happen. Rebuild in the background, and when reality kicks in, Humanitarians & Samaritans rise up to clean up the mess.

What’s my point? I’m wondering if President Obama’s brokenness & inattentiveness at the end of his term was less about his legacy being torn down and more about seeing the inevitable.

Donald Trump clearly isn’t the answer, because it’s obvious that he’s in the game for financial gain. He doesn’t care about unemployment, or immigration, or health care, or anything he’s built a platform on. Everything connects to financial gain.

He hired the worst people to run our institutions. Why? Trump wants to dismantle them, & free up finances to siphon into wealthy bank accounts.

This is the most amazing, large-scale bank robbery in the history of the world. The aftermath will be devastating – and in the end, if we haven’t moved to Canada, we’ll be there to pick up the pieces.

This can only go on for so long right? The news outlets tout, “Never in American history…”, and I agree. A president can lie to the American people, but it’s only effective until they realize it, and they have. For a while now.

If they keep Trump in power, it’s on all of us. Yes - it will partially be on Russia, but we will bear most of that burden. Those of us who voted, those of us who were apathetic, those of us who doubted Hillary Clinton’s credibility, and those of us who bought into the hateful rhetoric and Trump’s empty promises – it will be all of our responsibility as Americans.

I’m a Progressive Democrat – and feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. It’s hard to see past today. When you look back 6 months and struggle to remember something resembling stability, it’s hard to see past today.

A final thought for President’s Day…

Despite my pondering his last days in office, I believe it will become increasingly obvious as time goes on that President Barack Obama did the absolute best with the resources at his disposal, having faced a brick wall of opposition. Obama will undoubtedly be regarded as one of America’s great presidents. He’s a Washington, a Lincoln, a JFK. He is one of those who embodies & personifies the best of America’s identity.

God be with us, God heal us & strengthen us – and give us Peace.

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eichy815 · 7 years ago

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What I Learned in 2017 (Part 2)

GO BACK TO PART 1

My ideal role, at this juncture in time, would be to host my own radio and/or television talk show – merging politics, pop culture, and other newsworthy social issues or human interest stories in my commentary. But, until such an opportunity arises, I will continue being a rational voice for healthy self-empowerment and personal responsibility. I hope that the symbiotic relationship of me constantly learning new things from other people coupled with my own efforts to raise the consciousnesses of others (and stimulate new thoughts in them) will help me continue on a path of personal growth.

Despite all of the ugly, brutal, hostile, poisonous rhetoric and actions inflicted upon our society throughout this past year, it was one of the best years of my life. For the first time in my life, I truly felt that I have a measurable calling to make a difference in the world. I got to truly see how so many people are left out of the dialogue altogether...how those who have been silenced deserve to be heard, and how we additionally need to “fast-track” the listening process with SOLUTIONS (and a serious desire to enact them). This, unfortunately, will take thousands of fair-minded voices entering the mix...not just little ole me.

For those who want to figure out how to make that tangible difference in the world: I highly recommend the autobiographical memoirs of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), entitled Off the Sidelines: Speak Up, Be Fearless, and Change Your World. If you draw upon the lessons of Kirsten Gillibrand – possibly our next U.S. President and first female president – you can gauge how to apply that approach within the context of your own life circumstances.

As a gay male Millennial, this year was one of introspection for me. I did a lot of reflecting upon the social privileges (or advantages) that I possess...juxtaposed with the areas in which I am also a member of oppressed groups. For my gay and bisexual brothers (of all demographic backgrounds) who wish to use any literary abilities we have to make strides on behalf of LGBT people...check out the young adult fiction (if you haven’t already) written by authors such as Brent Hartinger, Bill Konigsberg, Alex Sanchez, Mark A. Roeder, Jay Argent, Michael Barakiva, and Adam Silvera.

Although, if I had to narrow it down to *ONE* single book/title, out of all of these authors – it would have to be Bill Konigsberg’s Out of the Pocket. With Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End coming in a close second.

The newly-energized Republican-led House and Senate utterly failed to pass anything of legislative significance. They wasted multiple months trying to hammer out an Obamacare repeal that bore no fruit. They confirmed Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left behind by Antonin Scalia – but only after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell changed the rules to eliminate all judicial filibusters. And that was after a whole year of stonewalling Barack Obama’s original choice to fill the slot, Merrick Garland (although I still maintain that Obama should have nominated Diane Humetewa, instead). And, on top of that, replacing Scalia with Gorsuch doesn’t even alter the ideological balance of the Court all that much.

Now, once the Democrats control White House and Congress again in the future, the GOP probably won’t like the batch of judicial nominees who are pushed through under those circumstances.

Republicans in Congress finally managed to pass through a massive tax reform package...although it’s one that is projected to further increase the national debt and national deficit by trillions of dollars. For this reason, it has been unpopular with most Americans in opinion polls. We won’t see whether or not anyone has begun to feel the effects of this tax overhaul (be they positive or negative) until after tax season has concluded. But one of the subtlest “reforms” the GOP may ultimately come to regret would be FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s rollback of Obama-era consumer protections by repealing net neutrality. Aside from the fearmongering and premature paranoia we saw arise over net neutrality throughout November and December (does anyone seriously believe the telecom giants are going to risk losing competition by censoring content?), the lack of protections or decreased sovereignty that Internet users could experience under the absence of net neutrality won’t bode well for the GOP’s future electoral prospects; specifically, once the business community begins experiencing adverse effects that harms their profit margins.

No one knows for sure what 2018 will bring, electorally. Many Republicans are confident that they can sell Middle America on the Trump agenda and pick up vulnerable Democratic-held seats throughout “red” and “purple” states. Many Democrats are assuming that they can ride a wave of anti-Trump anger to create a “blue tidal wave” that helps them take back Congress. I still lean more toward the prediction that the 2018 midterms will end up in more of a “break-even” scenario, congressionally (Governor’s Mansions notwithstanding), that perpetuates gridlock for the next two years.

There is one major concern that we should be screaming about, from the rooftops: vote-rigging. I’m not talking about the voter suppression and disenfranchisement efforts that we’ve already seen, targeting people of color, the working poor, and college students. I’m talking about potential “vote-flipping” via the hacking of systems that run electronic touchscreen voting machines (specifically those that lack any verifiable paper trails). I would encourage any candidate who trails by only several hundred votes (when a critical mass of their constituents voted using touchscreen machines) to refrain from conceding their elections. Anyone remember the Al Franken / Norm Coleman senatorial recount of 2008...which extended until July of 2009? After eight months of recounting and legal wrangling, Franken was finally declared the winner over Coleman by a mere 312 votes.

Speaking of Al Franken...his resignation after sexual harassment allegations from Leeann Tweeden and seven other women has further divided the Democratic Party. Many supporters of the #MeToo movement have praised Democratic U.S. Senators for calling upon Franken to resign due to his misconduct...citing the need for Democrats to hold themselves to the same standards as Republicans. Others defended Franken by alleging that the accusations were akin to railroading, conspiracies, and/or a false equivalence against Franken compared to the allegations against both Donald Trump and Roy Moore. This latter faction has branded anyone on the Left who called for Franken’s removal as being “traitorous” and caving into a right-wing narrative.

As someone who was never been impressed with Al Franken (neither as a politician nor as a “comedian”), I will be writing about this Cult-Of-Personality-based cognitive dissonance in a future edition of “Eichy Says” in early-2018. But for now, let me analyze their anger: they are subscribing to hero worship of Al Franken because they wanted him to run against Trump for the presidency in 2020, and because they had convinced themselves that Senator Franken was the Senate’s only prominent “bulldog” (against Trump nominees) who had a voting record that was “stellar” compared to a majority of his colleagues. The romanticizing of Franken and acquiescence to “celebrity”-centric sacred cow idolization potentially threatens the Democrats from making the massive level of gains that they hope to make in this upcoming election cycle.

On the other hand, the Trump White House has been marred with its own parade of resignations. Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and Sean Spicer were the more high-profile early exits amid the new Trump Administration. With Rex Tillerson rumored to be leaving sometime in early-2018 (and Omarosa making a lot of noise, on her way out), does this bode well for the rest of Trump’s cabinet?

The Robert Mueller-led investigation (and the saga surrounding right-wing attempts to overthrow him) only complicates things even further. How many more sitting politicians (either Republican or Democratic) will be forced to resign before the November election, in the wake of #MeToo accusations? How many more cabinet members will decide to grab a life raft to get off of what they may perceive to be a sinking ship?

With all of the premature exits we’ve seen, can Steve Mnuchin, Rick Perry, Betsy DeVos, Mick Mulvaney, and Scott Pruitt be far behind?

Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, died from a brain hemorrhage in late-May. A somewhat lengthy list of serial killers and terrorists also died, this past year – Charles Manson, Ian Brady, Donald Harvey, and Omar Abdel-Rahman among them.

The irony of this was how the Fall 2017 season of American Horror Story (its seventh installment) was subtitled “Cult,” and was inspired by some of history’s most notorious serial killers and psychopaths. When coupled with social commentary on the Trump/Clinton toxicity from the 2016 presidential election cycle, these eleven episodes truly proved to be a telling allegory of our current times. This is another topic that will be featured in a future edition of my Morpheus magazine column.

Among the high-profile deaths of actors and performers: Don Rickles, Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Guillaume, Bill Paxton, Jack Bannon, Martin Landau, Erin Moran, Adam West, Jim Nabors, Miguel Ferrer, Anne Wedgeworth, Sir Roger Moore, Jerry Lewis, Powers Boothe, Della Reese, Joseph Wapner, Mike Connors, Chuck Barris, Robert Hardy, John Heard, Michael Parks, John Hillerman, Rose Marie, Charlie Murphy, Jack Blessing, Roy Dotrice, Francine York, Joseph Bologna, Sir John Hurt, Earle Hyman, Jay Thomas, Heather North, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Bruce Gray, Harvey Atkin, Rance Howard, Thomas Hunter, Blake Heron, Danny Dias, Conrad Brooks, Jared Christopher Martin, Richard Norman Anderson, Heather Menzies, June Foray, Richard Lawrence Hatch, Brad Bufanda, Robert Michael Morris, Warren Frost, Míriam Colón, Jon Sheppod, Ralphie May, Darlene Cates, Curt Lowens, Nelsan Ellis, Lawrence Montaigne, Harry Dean Stanton, Ann Kimbell, Reggie “Combat Jack” Osse, Nancy Zieman, Glenne Headley, Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, Clifton James, Johnny Fox, Steve Reevis, Elena Verdugo, Dick Gautier, Robert D. Raiford, Frank Pellegrino, Warren Burton, Clifford David, Robert Osborne, Irwin Corey, Skip Homeier, Brent Briscoe, Dina Merrill, Stephen Furst, Dennis Banks, George “The Animal” Steele, Peter Franklin Hansen, Richard Beale, Kevin Geer, Dorothy Mengering, Chris Wiggins, Shelley Berman, Frank Vincent, Evan Helmuth, Tino Insana, and Roger Laverne Smith.

Among the high-profile deaths of musicians and vocalists: Tom Petty, Glen Campbell, David Cassidy, Fats Domino, Gregg Allman, Chester Bennington, Tommy Page, Don Williams, Cuba Gooding Sr., Chuck Berry, J. Geils, Wayne Cochran, Al Jarreau, Curley Seckler, Sonny Burgess, Chris Cornell, Lonnie Brooks, Ritchie Adams, Dominic Frontiere, Roswell Rudd, Al Hurricane, Red West, Marilyn Tyler, Rosie Hamlin, Kevin Mahogany, Jimmy LaFave, David Peel, Ralph Carney, Richard Dobson, Joseph Fire Crow, Keely Smith, Warrel Dane, James “Sunny” Murray, Mundell Lowe, Robert Knight, Barbara Cook, Chuck Mosley, Jon Hendricks, Tommy Keene, and Grady Tate.

Among the high-profile deaths of writers, producers, researchers, and journalists: Glenn O’Brien, Liz Smith, Sue Grafton, Dirk Allen, Irv Weinstein, Robert James Waller, Trish Vradenburg, Jim Marrs, Patricia McKissack, William Peter Blatty, Robert A. Sengstacke, Gerald Greenberg, Diane Straus, Michael Bond, George A. Romero, J.D. DiSalvatore, Clifford Irving, R.C. Sproul, Martin Ransohoff, Simeon Booker, Jimmy Breslin, Marshall Loeb, Marianne Means, Les Whitten, John Paul DeCecco, Nancy Friday, Dick Orkin, Vera Shlakman, Edward S. Herman, J.C. Spink, Bob Schiller, Donald Bain, Robert Getchell, John Ashbery, Len Wein, Judith Bailey Jones, Sam Shepard, Paula Fox, Jim French, and Nat Hentoff.

Among the high-profile deaths of athletes and sports personalities: Roy Sievers, Aaron Hernandez, Larry Libertore, Hal Bedsole, Dick Enberg, Charlie Hennigan, Don Baylor, George Mans, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, Bob Glidden, Len Ceglarski, Frank Lary, Y.A. Tittle, Jimmy Piersall, Tommy Nobis, Harold “Tubby” Raymond, Roy Halladay, Bobby Doerr, James W. Hardy III, Ferdie Pacheco, Connie Hawkins, Red Miller, Jana Novotna, Donald Harper, Robert Yates, Jake LaMotta, Rollie Massimino, John Kundla, Ara Parseghian, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Gene Michael, Dick MacPherson, Babe Perilli, Sam Mele, Bob Wolff, Darren Daulton, Bryan Murray, Charles Shackleford, and Terry Glenn.

Among the high-profile deaths of scientists and medical authorities: Robert William Taylor, Raymond Sackler, Fred Kummerow, Ben Barres, Donald Sarason, Gordon H. Sato, Jimmie C. Holland, George Mostow, Ray Tomlinson, William Schull, Viola Davis Brown, Maurice Green, Thomas L. Saaty, Roger Tsien, Irwin Rose, Jewel Plummer Cobb, William Klemperer, David E. Kuhl, John Knauss, Morton Deutsch, Julius Youngner, Arthur H. Rosenfeld, Michael A’Hearn, Vera Rubin, Thomas Starzl, André Jagendorf, Bruce McCandless, Leonard Reiffel, Patrick Thaddeus, Seymour Jonathan Singer, George Olah, Richard F. Gordon Jr., Claudia Alexander, Tom Cornsweet, Gary Wadler, Joseph L. White, Roy Lunn, Maryam Mirzakhani, Arthur Janov, and Dick Morley.

Among the high-profile deaths of artists, visionaries, and entrepreneurs: Hugh Hefner, David Rockefeller, Roger Ailes, Louise Hay, Rich Buckler, Jonathan Demme, Gary Austin, Don Ohlmeyer, Marty Sklar, Bruce Lansbury, Jim Baikie, Chuck Renslow, Roy Lunn, John G. Avildsen, Stanley Weston, John C. Portman, Mathew Hintz, Domenic Cretara, William Agee, Jack Trout, Daniel Milton Rooney, Bob Givens, John Glick, Wendy Pepper, George Avakian, Henry Hillman, Joe Benjamin Harris III, Ruth Bancroft, Mychael Knight, Bernie Wrightson, Rita Riggs, Lois Rice, Gerry Gersten, Dan Spiegle, Carroll N. Jones III, Fred J. Koenekamp, Brad Grey, Jerry Perenchio, Tom Coyne, and Fred Weintraub.

Among the high-profile deaths of politicians and social activists: John B. Anderson, Pete Domenici, Jim Bunning, Maurice Hinchey, Vern Ehlers, Ralph Regula, Sam Dryden, Cecil Andrus, Erica Garner, Jerry Kleczka, Norma McCorvey, Gilbert Baker, Bill DuBois Sr., Marcus Raskin, Judy Martz, Edith Windsor, Dick Gregory, Lillie Mae Bradford, March Fong Eu, Janet Benshoof, Jerry Yellin, Aleshia Brevard, Roy Innis, Bernard Francis Law, Ruth McClendon, Arthur J. Jackson, Stuart Timmons, Edward Rowny, Joy Corning, Kate Millett, Ed Mah Lee, Arthur J. Finkelstein, David L. Armstrong, Vera Katz, Roxcy Bolton, Ed Garvey, James P. Cullen, Kate O’Beirne, Wesley L. Fox, Norman Dorsen, and Sheila Michaels.

TV continued to be a dynamic medium for delving into our contemporary problems while pulling at heartstrings. Some of the breakout series, for me, in 2018 included Fox’s Star and Shots Fired (the latter of which was canceled), the ABC miniseries When We Rise, the AMC western The Son, and Riverdale on The CW (which remixes the Archie comics into a dark suburban teen soap). Also, after one year of waiting, I finally got to see Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (the long-awaited sequel miniseries to Gilmore Girls), once it came out on DVD and I received it as a Christmas present – I don’t subscribe to Netflix, so I had to spent thirteen months dodging Internet spoilers.

There was one other pleasant surprise for me, on the television front: late in the season, I discovered the increasingly-popular new Disney Channel tween dramedy, Andi Mack. Although its audience and demographics skew younger than shows that I would normally watch, it’s a modern-day mashup of Lizzie McGuire and Gilmore Girls that isn’t afraid to tackle sexuality and race while balancing a lighthearted, family-friendly tone. If its subsequent seasons are handled correctly, Andi Mack could be a broad (albeit exaggerated) glimpse into our future.

Perhaps the most provocative symbols of the year 2017 were Pennywise the Clown and Wonder Woman – each of which hailed from a hit film at the box office.

Pennywise, the supernatural antagonist of Andy Muschietti’s remake of the 1990 miniseries It, represents our worst fears spiraling out of control in a surreal-yet-terrifying manner. Wonder Woman, adapted to the big screen by Patty Jenkins and released last May, represents our ability to persevere (and CONQUER, in the name of justice) while facing down misogyny and xenophobia.

While both of these characters symbolize opposite ends of the spectrum, they both allude to the contentious battles playing out within contemporary society (with American Horror Story: Cult also obviously utilizing the “killer clown” motif amid political commentary).

These conflicts won’t be going away in 2018. The big question is: how will we handle them?

A crossroads awaits us over the next few years...but especially next year. A lot of people out there may feel deflated and ready to give up. But, for me, the dystopian negativity and aggressive attitudes from multiple sources only makes me want to fight even harder to prove them wrong.

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foursprout-blog · 7 years ago

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40 Keys To Lasting Happiness

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/40-keys-to-lasting-happiness/

40 Keys To Lasting Happiness

Hưng Nguyễn Follow

Look. I’m like you. I abhor lists like this. They’re all the fucking same. A minion sits down at a keyboard after having just had a birthday, or just gotten married, or just secured their first round of seed funding, or — even worse — just after they’ve read a self-help book, distills their “expertise” into clickbait, and preaches to you that if you just do somewhere between 3 and 100 tasks all the time that you will unlock a blissful utopia within the inner recess of your soul, find everlasting love, live in a perpetual state of abundance, and radiate a cosmic energy that people will find irresistible.

That shit’s not workable. There’s not 36 hours in a day. You’re not a superhero. Stop setting your expectations that high. Instead, let’s take a deep breath and work on incremental change — which everyone knows is the key to success in everything anyway.

In that spirit, I’ve scoured the Internet for you — or, at least, every reputable website I could find (all due respect to Mind Body Green) and cross-checked every happiness/success master list, and documented every happiness hack on which a plurality of these content factories could agree. I’ve presented this list below in no discernible order, since there’s no real wrong order to make progress, with the intention that this list feels a little less hollow than the vapid, patronizing Self-Help Industrial Complex would.

I do promise you this: If you do these things a little more often than you currently do, no, you will not suddenly spend your life sipping Prosecco on a Yacht at sunrise while kissing the love of your life under the sun just off the Amalfi Coast. As a matter of fact, if that’s important to you, the whole trip — flight / AirBnB / Yacht / Prosecco — will run you approximately $1,836 to do one time, so if that falls somewhere in the zip code of your definition of #lifegoals, there’s the bar you need to clear.

I’ll make you one more promise before I present the list: If you do any or all of these things a little more often than you currently do, yes, you will find your life to be less stressful, more meaningful, happier, wealthier and healthier. How much? Depends how often you do them. Maybe 5%. Maybe 500%. But definitely a number greater than 0%, barring circumstances outside your control. I’ve also, where applicable, identified a “dosage” for you, a metric existing in a squishy space somewhere between maximum benefit and minimum effort.

***

1. Call your immediate family, as often as once a week.

2. Schedule time to hang out with your 5–15 best friends, one evening per week and/or one afternoon per weekend.

3. Say “thank you” literally every time you feel like you should, as genuinely and graciously as possible.

4. Help people achieve their goals, small or large, so long as you’re not the type of person who feels easily slighted or used.

5. Every six months or so, identify what you’d like to do in the next six months or so. You could probably get away with doing this yearly. Five-year plans are too long and too Soviet.

6. Eat food that you love to eat. Both hunger and life are finite. Make the most of them.

7. That said: Eat more fruits and vegetables. Potentially as much as 80% of your food by volume. Just, you know … when you get around to it.

8. Always have a project. It doesn’t matter if it’s building a bar cart, or cross-stitching a vulgar pillow, or writing Dallas Cowboys slash fiction, or pickling your own artisan kimchi. Projects bring you satisfaction. Satisfaction brings you confidence. One project at a time is fine.

9. Do things you enjoy doing. Love pinball? Cool. I won’t judge you. Get you a roll of quarters and go full-tilt on a drizzling afternoon. This is the non-goal-directed version of №8. Do something small yet amusing daily. (Not a euphemism.)

10. Schedule something to look forward to. Doesn’t have to be the Amalfi Coast. Call your friend and ask them if they’d like to go to the local Bills Backers bar to watch them get mashed out by the Patriots by 40. Do something like this weekly.

11. Drink coffee or tea. There’s a reason caffeine is the world’s most-consumed substance in the world. Because it works.

12. However much sex you’re having … you could probably stand to have more sex.

13. Exercise. Somewhere between 3–6 hours per week, broken up into 30–60 minute blocks almost daily. Split fairly evenly between strength, sport and cardio. Sure, sex counts, too. And it doesn’t have to be SoulCycle. RegularCycle is fine.

14. Do a small favor for someone. Preferably daily. And don’t tell people about it, unless you want people to think you’re a douchebag.

15. Document your progress in a journal or a spreadsheet or on a pretentious Medium page. Nothing can be improved without first being measured.

16. Keep in regular touch with approximately 150 people. Why 150? Seems to be the number that’s floating around. What’s regular? Probably more often than you currently are with your 3,500 Facebook friends.

17. Wake up earlier. 6 a.m. seems to be the popular target, but anything’s better than 15 minutes before work, you hot mess express.

18. Worship or meditate or practice yoga. Or all three. And if you don’t believe in god, don’t worry, there’s no good reason to start.

19. At night before you go to bed, write down one thing you’d like to do the next day. This is weird, but it’s popular. Like Goat Yoga.

20. Create a “Jar of Awesome” and fill it. This is batshit crazy. But I think it’s closely related to the overly Pinterest-y and homework assignment-y “gratitude journal,” and sounds way more badass.

21. Try new things. Do something slightly different every day, or something moderately different on a regular basis. It emboldens you and makes you interesting. Eat out for Ethiopian. Buy a sex swing. Skydive. Maybe all three.

22. Go outside. Daily, if possible. Apparently, sunlight, exercise, and digital detoxification are all good for you, and this is the lazy way to knock out all three. Speaking of:

23. Go analog. Whenever possible, write in a real journal, read a real book, talk instead of text, and schedule your screen time strategically. It facilitates deeper focus which fosters better flow state. (Though, so can Tetris. See also: №8, №9)

24. Take an annual vacation. Somewhere new, if possible. Somewhere they don’t speak your language, if you can afford it. And use all your vacation days, if you get them.

25. Take a class. Learn a language. Learn to ballroom dance. Learn Tai-Chi. Learn to code. What you learn doesn’t matter as long as you’re learning.

26. Learn something new every day. This is the close cousin of №8, №21, and №25. Again, it doesn’t much matter what.

27. Be kind to others. Given the opportunity. If you’re into making friends.

28. Forgive people. Given the opportunity. If you’re into keeping friends.

29. To the extent that you can, make your role models your close friends. I hack this by making my Facebook “Close Friends” list the people I admire the most. You’ll find yourself subconsciously adapting their (desirable) behaviors. And you’ll forget all about your high school BFF who’s posting political memes with typos.

30. To the extent that you can, do what you love, and find a way to monetize it. Five years ago, I was homeless. I decided if I was going to be broke, I’d be broke as a writer and musician. I started doing both for free. Then I started charging for it. Today, I am still a writer and musician. And I am no longer broke. Even though I work 60+ hours per week, I feel like I still haven’t worked since 2011. (I get that this is a super personal, super specific anecdote and lacks the typical snark of the previous 29 entries.)

31. Celebrate other people’s successes. Throw surprise parties. Never miss a chance to say happy birthday or congratulations.

32. Ask people specific questions about themselves. This is sort of a hybrid of selflessness, empathy, compassion, education, edification and relationship building. This is the slam-dunk, actionable way to do all of that quickly and efficiently.

33. Sleep eight hours. Your mileage may vary.

34. Try not to drink. There’s a million mental, social, physical, emotional and legal benefits to temperance or sobriety, but I’ll label the top-line benefit: Unless you’re drinking *while* doing one of the other things on this list, you’re wasting your time.

35. Try not to smoke. (*Glares at self in mirror.*) You’ll have more oxygen and more energy to do everything else on this list, plus, you know … cancer.

36. Spend time alone doing something other than watching Netflix or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. (Just not *too* much time alone, you sociopath.)

37. Shower daily. You know why.

38. Tidy up daily. Clean weekly. Purge monthly. Donate seasonally. Clutter is the NOS button on the superhighway to crazy-town.

39. Read something interesting regularly. Again, preferably analog. Graphic novels? Go nuts. Astral projection guides? Be my guest. As long as it can hold your attention.

40. Cook your own meals. As often as reasonably possible. Depending on context, this could potentially fall under №2, №6, №7, №8, №9, №14, №21, №25, №26, №27, №30, or №36, and could probably lead to №12 if you play your cards right.

In short, perhaps this world would be a significantly better place if we all just learned our way around the kitchen.

#Happiness

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foursprouthappiness-blog · 7 years ago