Verizon to add $2 convenience fee! (Tell Verizon: Drop the fee for paying bills online via petition)

Verizon $2 convenience fee
-via Foxnews.com

Verigreedy is at it again! Oops I meant Verizon. The company ,who this past summer endured a nationwide strike by their employees for being unwilling to negotiate their benefits, has decided to travel the same corporate greed route this time leading to loyal customers who make their company what it is today. As soon as January 15, customers should expect to pay $2 for online and one-time credit card payments. In other words, you'll be penalized for being green saving the environment by not wasting paper. For what seems like saving money by not wasting your precious gas or on any other form of transportation to go pay at a Verizon store, you will be charged at your inconvenience . Ultimately, you'll be charged for making things convenient for the company! Instead of having to wait for checks to clear and payments to be mailed, they're charging you for going out of your way to make sure payments are sent on time. Customers should get a discount just for that! How sad. Whether your a verizon customer or not, this will eventually affect all of us in one way or another. Just like Bank of America was cornered by regular Americans into dropping their $5 bank fees, we can do the same for Verizon. It's pointless, no one ways to pay what will add up to a total of $24 for the year which can be used for gas, food, and other bills. Verizon, seriously, even after network outages, they have some nerve.

For change -->

Economic Justice- Tell Verizon to drop the fee!!! sign the petition

Are we paying close attention to the bills being passed?

"You can stay blind or you can open your eyes"- @JusticeisBliss1

It's so easy to pay attention to Kim Kardashian's love life, the latest on Beyonce's pregnancy, what celebs wore to the Grammys, or which reality stars fought who on their show. They're the main events on blogs, magazines, and usually the main buzz on the internet. However, do these events really even affect us? We pay more attention to people who probably do not know us, care for us, and most importantly make decisions which will affect us, our family, and our futures to come. Celebrities aren't neither the 1% and surely not a part of our 99%. They're part of the .01% because their salaries are so high and exorbitant that they can't even be categorized on the same scale as even highly paid CEOs on Wall Street. So whatever decision Congress decides to make, I doubt that they would even care. However, YOU should. We part of the 99% should be aware of the bills being passed which can affect our livelihood. Yes celebrities and reality tv stars are such an escape from our boring, mundane lives but a bill that will affect your child's education, student loans, and healthcare-- all of which should take priority over what any celebrity is wearing to the Academy Awards. Not saying dedicate your life to politics, just saying be more aware. The reason why we are in this mess is not necessarily wholly due to Bush's fault but we weren't paying attention. We are part to blame for this mess. So as you sit and complain about what the government is not doing for you, find out what they ARE in fact doing and pay attention before you find yourself in a compromising position.

Ignorance may seem like bliss, but in the end , you usually end up with the short end of the stick because the people that we're paying attention knew where to go, what to do, and how to do it before it was too late.

Links!

opencongress.org
-Stay in the know about what's being passed and what's happening! Read the blogs

A Bill That Could Ruin America?
-top 20 things you should be aware of with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

The American Government
-the top 10 things you should know about how bills are passed and about the vetoing process
History lesson worth revisiting

Tracking the United States Congress
-Another website to help you stay in the know giving you bill summaries and statuses
-check the most recent one passed which may affect your healthcare!!!

Dating in the 21st Century: Is it unrealistic to hold on to traditional views?

If you're a single woman in the 21st century, then you probably wouldn't expect the guys you are currently dating to: call you and have long stimulating conversations with you, pick you up from your house, take you to a fancy restaurant, show you a great night, walk you to your door and give you a kiss good night with no intention to get into your bedroom. (This would be considered: the "dream" guy even though decades ago this used to be how every man would be expected to date you)

Now the guys you are currently dating are more likely to text you sporadically and if they text you on consistent basis it would indicate they are very interested in you. Calling you every night would be almost be a stretch with just quite a few men feeling comfortable doing so. On a first date, you probably would be more comfortable meeting him at the place with some women ,depending on the region,even driving with her date in the passenger. Restaurants and movies are now more reserved for "couples" than actual people who would like to date. (If you see two people in a restaurant, the assumption would probably be that the are more likely to be a couple than people on a first date.) Now "dates" are in more unconventional places like the bars and even the person's home. He'll probably be walking to your door because there's an understanding he will be in your bedroom.

For some 21st century women, before this date even happens, she may have already hooked up with her male partner and then decided to go on a date with him. Before it was talk, court/date, marry than sex. Now the accepted process can be sex, talk, date, then marry.

Now is it wrong for a single woman to expect the traditional process?


On the flip side, if you are a single man in the 21st century, then you probably wouldn't expect your date to be anything like the woman decades ago who would only be dating you because of the intent to marry.  You wouldn't expect her to make you wait 15 dates before the thought of sex came to mind.
Women now can date for fun, for money, or just for the hell of it to get out the house and grab a bite. Just as different reasons for dating has been socially accepted, so has casual sex.

 Now a single man can expect some women to help pay or pay for the date.
They're no longer expected to be gentleman holding doors and pulling out chairs, as some women have vehemently opposed asserting their independence.
Given that the stigma of casual sex has virtually disappeared, single men should expect some women to have a high number of sexual partners, even surpassing theirs.
The 21st century allowed women to become more aggressive with sexual advances, absolving men from responsibility, killing chivalry and courting .
A single man should also expect that a single woman, contrary to dating one person years ago, will have other options. Vice versa for the single woman.

Now is it wrong for a single man to expect the woman he dates to be a virgin or have a low count of sexual partners or be the only person he's dating?

Our dating scene and process finding "the one" or our "soulmates" has drastically changed. Women expect a knight in shining armor and a gentleman but look for their future partners in clubs and bars where the intent is to "hook up". All while men's expectations of women are built on fantasy, what they see on TV, celebrities/models, and what they "think" their dream superwoman should be like.

We haven't fully accepted that we've changed the dating scene and blurred gender roles making it harder to stay in healthy relationships which can develop into a marriage built off honest and realistic expectations of our partner. We are a reflection of who we attract and who we date but do we truly understand how we're dating in the first place?


Cool Links!

Dating in the 21st Century

"But how far must dating deteriorate before things change for the better?"
-Link also offers the true origin of Valentine's Day!


The 21st Century Dating Scene

Dating Do's and Don'ts
"I can't read women anymore. Some women want men to act out the traditional chivalrous role. Others are extremely independent and are offended if you open the door for them."




Love in the 21st Century -CBS news
(CBS)  Looking for love in all the wrong places? 

Well, you might not be alone. The number of single adults has reached all-time highs. Nearly 90 million Americans need all the help they can get to land a date, let alone find their ultimate soul mate. 

New Year, Same Problems: Minorities, Women, and the Poor in 2012

"They said they wanted to be treated equally, and now that they are why are they still complaining?"
"There's a Black president, there can't still be racism in America."
"Poor people in America are just lazy, they aren't willing to work hard for the American Dream"

Quotes sound familiar? They should. Although paraphrased, they represent many of the thoughts and beliefs held today towards people of color, women, and the citizens living in poverty. Racism, sexism, and class-ism are not as blatant as they were before. People have found new ways be politically correct without being truly offensive. Politicians also find creative ways to insult the economic conditions of Americans struggling to make ends meet (cough Newt Gingrich) and get away with it because there are people within their party who actually agree but are too afraid to voice their opinions. Those living check to check do not typically have the time to voice their opinions and when the occupy movement attempted to do just that--their opinions were immediately degraded and undermined by the media. Is it truly class war fare when it can never be a fair fight between the rich and the poor? Racism has infiltrated its way through various institutions-- finding ways to keep minorities segregated in under-performing school districts with limited resources and means for educational advancement in their communities. The health of women across the nation is under constant attack by men who wouldn't otherwise know any better about what is right and safe for women's health especially for those who are unable to afford healthcare. Cancer screenings, Planned Parenthood services, basic prenatal care--all being defunded, all essential to a women's health, essential to the health of women of color who still have some of the highest infant mortality rates in the country.  Where are we going to stand in 2012? Behind the people who could care less about the majority, the 99%? Behind the party blocking well needed tax cuts for the struggling and disappearing middle class?


We can either progress, regress, or remain stagnant. We've been stagnant for awhile, but now it just seems to be a line of regression into a dark period where politicians, who supposedly are suppose to make decisions based on the well-being of their citizens are instead making them based on money. Regressing into a dark period where leaders see their own people drowning into an economic abyss of debts, credit cards, and student loans and turn the other cheek to appease those who oppose aiding those less fortunate. Regressing into a dark period where men are in control of making what THEY consider to be the best decisions regarding the health of women based on their misinformed opinions, religion, and debunked research. We need to do better. The year 2012 needs to be a our year of change or it truly will be the end. Not like the Hollywood 2012 end of the world perception, but a bleak, dismal hopeless end of our reign as a strong (superpower) developed nation. We claim to be the best, so we should start acting like it.

Links!

Reproductive health care and Women of Color

Minorities and the 2012 election

Gingrich has it wrong about the poor

War on Women in 2012

World Aids Day: #EndAIDS #GettingtoZero- Ending AIDS in 30 Years?

Please know your status, but don't just stop there. Education and spreading awareness are key when it comes to prevention.

"The World AIDS Day, observed on December 1, is an opportunity to raise awareness about the epidemic, honor those who have died, and mobilize actions to end the AIDS epidemic"  --World AIDS Campaign 



It's the first day of the last month of 2011, a time when will be getting ready and preparing for the new year. It's also Christmas Season, a time when everyone will be counting down and preparing for Christmas. It's also World AIDS Day, a time when we can all do our share and help raise awareness for people who are suffering from this deadly disease and aiding in efforts to help prevent its spread. The goal is 30 years. Being that this year marks the 30 years since AIDS has claimed 30 million lives, the goal is to make sure the reverse happens in another 30. Within those three decades, the mission is to get down to ZERO HIV infections and ZERO AIDS related deaths. So many lives across the globe have been lost and it's time to stand up and continue fighting especially now with the help of many medical advancements which no longer make AIDS a death sentence . While we are preparing for the new year and Christmas, it's also important to take time to reflect on those who will not be seeing a new year because of HIV/AIDS or the many people who find themselves struggling to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones because of the high costs of their medication. Today as we honor the lives lost, let us honor their memory by continuing to fight the battle to ending AIDS.

Another 30 years of AIDS? -CNNblog



This is also an important day for African Americans, the population whose people are affected the most by HIV/AIDS. Studies have shown a decrease in awareness about this issue with poverty, lack of access to health care, stigmas, and prisons being among the many risk factors for African Americans contracting HIV/AIDS.

African American Coalition Against AIDS
Like this FB page to get more information on ways to help, stay educated, and spread awareness and join the fight in decreasing the number of African Americans contracting the disease and getting to ZERO.

Take The Initiative, INC
Please also Like this FB page: TTI is an organization dedicated to ending the disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in adolescents of color in Brooklyn.

For more information on the African American Perception of AIDS and what answers science has provided so far visit the following sites:
http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm

http://www.harlemonestop.com/event.php?id=13276
Columbia Student Global Aids Campaign: 30 In, 30 Out: The HIV/AIDS Pandemic, 1981 - 2041. 

http://www.dominionofnewyork.com/2011/11/29/what-scientists-know-about-black-people-and-hiv/#.TtZV5LIk6sr



Also visit this site to get an idea of the statistics of AIDS around the globe, information about the disease, and ways to help in the fight!
http://www.avert.org/aids-statistics.htm
Join the World AIDS Campaign: Getting to Zero thru 2015  --> Demand Zero!