Obama this, Obama that: Who's Really to Blame

After President Obama delivered his State of the Union address this past Tuesday night, some were inspired, some remained hopeful, some criticized, and some were still skeptical. It is election year and Obama has every right to boast of his accomplishments during his term. We know politicians like to make promises and we also know that sometimes they are not always able to follow through with these promises. But it becomes unfair when we expect everything and nothing less from one single human being. People fail to realize that this isn't a dictatorship and our president isn't running the country all by himself. People are also failing to recall that there are three branches of government: legislative (Congress), judicial (Senate), and executive (President). All three are in charge of making decisions which affect our livelihoods here in America. We like to blame Obama for everything but how come Congress is currently getting a pass?

All you're doing is pointing fingers at a man whose hands are tied. The State of the Union was an address (in this case it is defined as a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons) which was directed at Congress, the senate, and us as a nation. He was addressing the other two branches of government ESPECIALLY Congress to make the right decisions when it came down to passing bills which will benefit the US and to stop insider trading something which is currently affecting politics making it more about profit than people. He was addressing the nation to make the right decision when voting in November 2012. Obama was delivering promises but if it was up to him to make them come true he wouldn't need the State of the Union to tell us his plans, he would just execute them and sign them into law right then and there. 

People like to say they've done their research and they know all that Obama has and hasn't done. But if you truly did your research you would see that a Republican controlled Congress has made it increasingly difficult for change to really come into effect. That's where Americans should be blamed. You allowed Congress to be filled with Republicans and conservatives who accept insider trading and allow themselves to be swayed by big corporations. Yes, America, YOU. Republicans in Congress didn't magically appear. Voting doesn't take place every four years. Election day happens every year. It's to give you the chance to vote for someone who you WANT to make political decisions for you. Decisions that will affect education, healthcare, and the economy. Voting for your Congressman and Senators is important too!

Will you vote to re-elect your Congressman and/or Senator

In the end, we are all to blame. We are all pointing fingers at each other instead of accepting responsibility for our own actions. President Obama has his strengths and weaknesses and should be well aware of them when it comes to decision making. Congress should be well aware that their approval rating is practically down the toilet and instead of asking Obama where's change, they need to ask themselves how come they're not giving us any either. Our judicial branch needs to aware of the fact that we matter too. That the decisions and cases they take on go beyond numbers, statistics, and profit. The decisions affect all of us but we sometime aren't aware of it. And we as a nation need to raise our self-awareness on a higher level because right now we can't see past blaming our president for all our woes. Yes, you're in pain but you're not taking action as well. You wanted change? You're mad at Obama for not bringing that change? But what have you done as well to bring in that change? You thought just by voting once in 2008 and then four years sitting on your ass that change would come busting through your door? WAKE UP. We're all in this together. A democracy. 

Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

YOU, the NATION, AMERICA--it's by the people. You need to take the reins and not only vote for a president, but your Congressman, and Senator. Get it out of your head that if you vote once every four years, you'll find a president who will make your problems go away. That's not their job alone. It should be your job as well and the jobs of all the branches you elect.

Stop Blaming, Take Action!

Twitter: @JusticeisBliss1

email: justiceisbliss@gmail.com

Update on SOPA/PIPA: What you Need to Know

Click on the Links to get more info

and follow @JusticeisBliss1

"Both SOPA and Protect IP attempt to combat online piracy by preventing American search engines likeGoogle and Yahoo from directing users to sites distributing stolen content. Both bills also would enable people and companies to sue if their copyright was infringed. Obama has come out against both bills, which killed SOPA and puts pressure on senators come January 24^th."

Senators received money to support SOPA/PIPA!  (click)

Check this link to see how much senators received from major TV, music, and movie companies to support the end of our internet freedom

"......It's a small price to pay for controlling how the Internet works in the United States. If you're still unsure what exactly SOPA is, check out our comprehensive article on the bill. Above are the senators that received in excess in $100,000 in campaign contributions from the Movie, Music, and TV industry. Oh hey, they all support PIPA. These numbers were compiled by ProPubilca.

If you live in the states governed by these public servants, be sure to give them a call and tell them that SOPA/PIPA will destroy the Internet. Mat's right, we really do need an Internet Lobbyist. [ProPublica]"

Obama says so long to SOPA   (click)

"Just like piracy itself, this debate isn’t over. Expect more bills to move forward, although the wording in future legislation is expected to be more narrowly focused in an attempt to appease the current administration. But given the current economic climate and the upcoming Presidential election, there could be a different administration entering The White House soon, changing the landscape for these types of bills."

Obama Administration's Response to petitions and online piracy   (click)

--For those who think that petitions don't make a difference!!!!!!

"The White House has responded to two petitions about legislative approaches to combat online piracy. In their response, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff stress that the important task of protecting intellectual property online must not threaten an open and innovative internet."

Don't let anyone tell you different, your voice does matter! 

Video- How PIPA/SOPA will affect us all! (click)

Lastly, If you're still confused about what SOPA/PIPA will really do!

What are SOPA and PIPA and what's the big fuss? (click)

"Although its sponsors have said that they would amend the bill, as currently written, SOPA would enable the U.S. Attorney General to seek a court order to require “a service provider (to) take technically feasible and reasonable measures designed to prevent access by its subscribers located within the United States to the foreign infringing site.” Until this weekend, one of the ways to do that would have been to cut the DNS (domain name server) records that point to the site, but that provision is likely to be removed after the Obama administration weighed in on the issue over the weekend, saying “Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.” The administration also echoed concerns raised by a number of security experts, including some anti-malware companies that the bill could disrupt the underlying architecture of the Internet."

At the end of the day, while it is important to fight online piracy because it is hurting our entertainment industries, it's also important to protect our online freedom. The bills need to be re-modified, so that big companies won't be allowed take advantage of the little people!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Beyond the Famous Quotes and Speeches

Typically on Martin Luther King Day, people are excited to have a day off from work or school, they reflect on his great achievements as a civil rights activists, listen to his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, review his writing, and now most recently share his speeches and famous quotes through social media. While his speeches and quotes are thought-provoking, the deep underlying 
messages are a call to action. We need to do more than just reflect; we need to apply. His quotes shouldn't be a matter of reflection but instead a matter of application incorporating morals and values our lives, our society, and most importantly our nation. Somewhere down the road, America took a detour and is now riding along Injustice Blvd. where 99% of the population currently abides, where the middle class is almost nonexistent, college graduates are struggling as they would if they didn't have a  degree, elected officials could care less about the economic health of their citizens viewing them as numbers/statistics/profits, and the class warfare runs high with disparities between the rich and poor only getting larger. As a nation, today we celebrate a man who preached principles of love, equality, and justice but the we're failing to apply his messages as we let war, inequality, and injustice run rampant in our foreign, financial/economic, health, and education policies. 

Going beyond his quotes and finding the message:

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Like I've said in previous blog posts, we have a tendency to obsess over things which do not necessarily directly affect us, the stability of our livelihoods, and our society as a whole. While it's okay to watch Entertainment television for reality shows, it shouldn't take so much priority in your life that you forget to watch the news and keep yourself updated on what is going on around you. Justice can't thrive without a solid foundation, and that foundation cannot be built on ignorance. Our concerns have to reach a higher level. That higher level being not which just affects us but what will affect everyone around me and even those who I do not know. Dr. King  wasn't only concerned about racism against him and his family, but racism as a whole and how it affected the African-American population. The power of an individual is stronger than most people know. It doesn't begin with just choosing a president every four years; it begins within us. That we make sure our president has the best interests of not only the 1% but America's 99% at heart and will place the victims of economic injustice as top priority.  It also starts with making sure our elected officials in Congress and our state governments are passing bills which will positively affect and advance our economy, healthcare, and education. 

 "A nation that continues 2 spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."#MLKquote"

We're currently living in a nation which has given an exorbitant amount of bailout money to banks and financial institutions, which through corrupted ethics drove us into this economic state we are currently in. We're currently living in a nation which can easily pour billions of dollars on military defense making sure that our army continues to be the strongest all the while trimming the budgets of healthcare for women and children, education for college and graduate students, and medical care for the elderly. It speaks volumes when a nation would rather advance the military than children with promising futures at stake.

"When we take a look at modern man,

we are forced to face the fact

that modern man suffers

from a poverty of the spirit

that stands in glaring contrast


to his scientific and technological abundance.

We've learned to fly the air like birds,

we've learned to swim the seas like fish

and yet we haven't learned

to walk the earth as brothers and sisters" -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We may have advanced as far as technology is concerned, but we haven't advanced as far as our morals and values are concerned. Our nation's priorities haven't advanced.  We would like to think our fancy gadgets have transformed us into a high powered society but we aren't. Our concerns are still individualistic in nature. Our nation sees its people as numbers and not as real human beings who have a basic right to a good life, good education, good job/career, and good and stable living conditions. We're experts on the internet, technology, and science but we aren't experts on what should matter most as that is humanity. Do we even know what we're fighting to live for anymore? That's what Dr. King has been trying to get us to ultimately ask ourselves. Who or what are you fighting for? We need to fight for humanity and a society that is based on equality, built on justice, and courageous enough to take the nonviolent route and restore peace. Our current nightmare is financial. Economic justice should be our new dream which we need to make a reality. If we can still honor him decades later, than we should at least strive to not only preach his principles but use them to direct and guide us to a better living for all Americans.




Videos!

Two powerful, inspiring minutes of an excerpt of a speech which is never quoted!

The famous "I have a dream" speech




Dont forget!
Follow: @JusticeisBliss1
Email: justiceisbliss@gmail.com

"The Year of Construction": Haiti after two years

It's so easy to forget when you're not being constantly bombarded with images of people suffering from the aftermath of a natural disaster which ravaged their country. It becomes so easy to forget when the cameras stop rolling four months later and the media finds another country to obsess over. It's so easy to forget because it is so difficult to remember an event which does not have a direct effect on you. However for the next few hours and days, the news will be going back two years to force Americans to remember something so near and dear to the people of Haiti and Haitian-Americans. The common question will be: "well whatever happened to ALL that money?". But there won't be any common or simple answers to that question. An simple question that will be followed with complex answers. Answers that are deeply rooted in Haiti's history of political instability. There's so many demands for Haiti to succeed but they are met with a lack of strong leaders to deliver them. So what can we expect for 2012 and has happened since then?

Prime Minister Garry Connille is calling the year 2012 "The Year of Construction" for Haiti. Many of the projects to improve infrastructure, education, healthcare, and the nation's employment rate are all being delayed because of the government's inability to handle an array of disputes (sound familiar?).  However, for a developed nation like the United States, conflict within Washington won't affect its citizens nearly as much as it would a developing nation which has a track record for conflict both within the government and among its people. President Martelly does provide a glimmer of hope, despite doubts and uncertainties in his abilities pertaining to his past life and career, as he races to complete projects including the biggest to date: completion of a state-of-the-art university in northern Haiti after collaborating with Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernandez.

Even with all the delays and stymied projects, Former president Bill Clinton still remains hopeful that Haiti will be able to rebuild within 5 years and quote "may be even better off then before the earthquake". Hopefully this will be true especially since after 2 years millions still remain homeless living in tents. Haitians continue to save face and maintain their strength in midst of all the progress which still remains, projects left undone, and aid money they have still yet to see. All of which still continue to make them express uncertainty towards the future that lies ahead.

#PrayforHaiti
#Haiti2years



Links for more information!

Haiti 2 years: work in progress though directly unrelated to disaster
-find out the major improvements still to be made and what has been done so far

Hope for Haiti: Struggle to Rebuild via ABC news
-photographer Eric Kruszewski  documents the lives of Haitians two years after the Earthquake

CNN Video: President Martelly on healing wounds

Ways to help through UNICEF
-you don't have to forget, but you don't always have to remember
-still continue to keep Haiti in your prayers and hearts

Haiti: 2 years later, where's the money via CBS news





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Email- justiceisbliss@gmail.com
Facebook to come soon!

Education in America via Kanye West's Twitter Rant

"Schools should be designed to prep human beings for real life."
-@KanyeWest


First, much thanks to Kanye West for his Twitter rant on Wednesday night which brought much attention to a topic which both the federal and state government have been trying to tackle and improve for decades now: our nation's education policy. It's already a well known fact around the world that for a developed country, we don't fare well in comparison to other countries when it comes to academic performance. Once you get past the nonsensical rambling and grammatical errors, Mr. West raises some good points for a celebrity who wants to become more involved and make a difference as far as improving education policy is concerned. But we can't always expect our celebrities to fully grasp the core and depth of the issues we peasants face.  Using his tweets, hopefully I can make sense of them and take this window of opportunity ,now that Kanye grabbed everyone's attention, to explain what we truly need to know about education and how to improve.


First, yes, Kanye is right our school system should prep us for real life. We can use this tweet to raise the issue that many schools are currently teaching to the test. Our our students really learning if the curriculum has to be centered around the standardized tests used to determine student's performance in comparison to other student's around the nation? Not many teacher's have the leg room or the time to develop a curriculum that works for them and is also based on the strengths and weaknesses of their students. So in fact, especially in urban inner city schools, our school system is '"prepping human beings" for TESTS.


"Math classes should teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, accounting and money management aaaaaand cut!!! "


I agree with "math classes should teach" up until accounting. For second graders, I am not really sure that accounting would work out to well. But is it worth a try, perhaps? Yea, Maybe not. Essentially learning the basics of addition and subtraction is important in elementary school. Money management essentially uses all those basic mathematical operations. So in fact kids are learning money management but in a gradual step by step process which can lead to more complex mathematical formulas learned later on in High School (algebra, trigonometry, geometry, etc). However, I do suggest that math classes on money management be taught to our current elected officials in Washington so that they will be able to handle our financial national budget and debt crisis for 2012 (Just had to throw that in there sorry!). However whatever "cut" is, I am not completely sure.


"Instead of kicking kids out of schools for using there iPhones... why not promote it? Allow kids to use search engines to do test..."


I don't know where this happens, but I sure hope students are not really getting thrown out of their school for using their phones. Promoting kids to use search engines for tests? Eh, that would defeat the purpose of studying making our already technologically savvy students even more reliant on technology to think for them. However, the advancement of technology should not only be utilized for pleasure and angry birds, I do agree more schools should promote the use of technology to make lessons come alive and information more readily accessible. 

"Some kids have better memories than others... what about emotional IQs... what about kids who do bad in school because of how bad there.."

Tis true. Some kids have better working memories than the next students. There are also different types of intelligence. Psychologist Howard Gardner lists 9 types of intelligence (click) which emotional IQ would probably fall under "Interpersonal Intelligence" also described as "people smart". Kanye West makes a note of his strength labelling it "creative", something Gardner would describe as West's "Musical Intelligence" or being "music smart". The American school system places such strong emphasis on general IQ without taking into consideration that while a student may not have the best IQ, they probably have strengths in other areas. We need to foster an academic environment which embraces all the different types of smarts a person can possess so kids don't have to feel "dumb" just because they experience difficulty memorizing their homework or they aren't "book smart". 

Yes, it's a given. A typcial "bad" school probably won't have a high graduation rate of 88%, but the problem in America with education has a deeper stem then politicians and school districts would like to acknowledge. When it comes down to it, our "seriously in need of improvement" education policy boils down to our nation's apathetic attitude towards it. Other countries which excel in academic performance are the very ones that place education as a top priority and on a pedestal. Here, our students are treating it as a chore instead of an opportunity which many students in third world countries have to fight and face hell and high waters just to see. 


Education need to be a priority and it is not, it usually gets knocked down to the #8 on our nation's agenda. Do we really value education? If we did, then maybe we wouldn't allow students who read on a third grade level to go on to fifth grade and expect them to do well on a standardized test which uses a fifth grade reading level. It should be seen as injustice to have students cramped up in a classroom of 32 with just one teacher while in a wealthier district the classroom size is smaller with a teacher who isn't burnt out. If we truly valued education, all children would be given the same educational opportunities to learn and advance in this country. But instead, our education/academic programs in our nation are usually among the first to get cut. Kanye West you're right we do need to put our ideas together to create more ideas. However, first, we need to change our attitudes and promote equality and social justice in our school systems if we are ever going to alter the school system, improve academic performance on a national level, and begin to actually prepare students for a life based on this "American Dream".

Link! 

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success

The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.






Don't forget to follow ---> @JusticeisBliss1

The New Year: Making Goals and Sticking to Them!

For many, a new year offers a new start. A new beginning to start over and anew. A new start which allows them another chance to achieve a goal they weren't able to the previous year. This is what we call the New Year's Resolution--our promise to ourselves that we are going to change something about ourselves and actually stick to it. Our resolutions range from the all-to-famous" I want to lose ___ pound" or  "I want to stop procrastinating!" down to the the personal "I want to be a better ____". Unfortunately, our resolution meets the month of February when things start to slow down and we start returning to old habits from our previous year! Whatever the case may be resolutions are hard and it doesn't help that some people are filled with self-doubt, skipping making resolutions altogether because they feel they will be unable to stick to them.

Do yourself one better. Write them down. Your goals, your aspirations, projects, and things that you would like to make happen for yourself this year. Realistic goals whether small or major. It doesn't just have to be one. Focus on the areas of your life in which you would like to make improvements--personal, emotional, romantic, financial, spiritual, academic etc. Reflect on all the lessons you learned last year and incorporate them into your lists. The point is to track your growth, identify strenghths and weaknesses, and develop strategies and ultimately the blueprint for new year improvement or innovative ideas for the projects you would like to tackle.

Writing them down is the first step to making your goals concrete and not just a mental note. Typing them up neatly so you can hang it on your wall, your door before you leave the house, your exercise room, on your desk, in your office, places where you will constantly see them throughout the year. Don't want the daily reminder? Then check it on a quarterly basis just to make sure that you're on your way to achieving everything you wanted. 

The fun part is come December of this year, you can feel proud by crossing off everything that you accomplished. You may have even made it half way in June if you were really a go getter who knows! Don't feel bad if you have quite a couple or a few things that you didn't get a chance to get to! Make a note of it and put it on next year's list! You have 364 days left! Get to it!

Don't forget to follow -->> @JusticeisBliss1 

Link!

New Year Goals and Challenges

-only 8% of Americans actually succeed in achieving their resolutions? This year let's change that statistic!