Fight for the Future

SURVEILLANCE DOES NOT MAKE US SAFER

Flock is a surveillance company that sells Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) and partners with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and law enforcement to target people during immigration raids and to investigate people who travel for abortion care. Dozens of cities across the nation have already taken a stand and canceled their Flock contracts – you have the power to get yours to do the same. We’ve compiled this resource to help you join the principled community of people fighting against surveillance, drawing upon winning strategies and resources from activists on the ground.

Continue reading:

https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/flockout/#toolkit

Anniversary, Americans with Disabilities Act: July 26, 2026

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush in 1990, is the nation’s strongest measure protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. It bars discrimination based on disability and guarantees equal access to public buildings and businesses, employment opportunities, transportation, telecommunications, commercial facilities, and state and local government services.

The following facts are possible thanks to the invaluable responses to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we measure America’s people and economy. 

Did You Know?

45.8 million or 13.7%

The total U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population with a disability in 2024.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Continue reading:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USCENSUS/bulletins/4219ee1

Max Needs Your Help

Max has weeks. Not months. Weeks!

Max is 15 and out of time. 42 million registered donors and 0 perfect matches exist for Max. A cheek swab takes 5 minutes. If you are age 18-35 you could be the one.

"I'm posting this because I need your help to save my son."

Max was six when his blood first told a story no parent wants to hear. Low platelets. Low red cells. Low white cells. For years, doctors watched. In December 2024, his numbers dropped again. A bone marrow biopsy revealed what his doctors called "pink flags." The doctors said they should add a transplant doctor to Max's care team.

The diagnosis: a rare blood disorder that, left untreated, will become MDS — a type of blood cancer that can progress to acute myeloid leukemia. This type affects fewer than 1 in 1,000,000 children. The only cure is a stem cell transplant. The only way to get a transplant is to find a donor.

But Max still doesn't have a match.

Please follow the link below and go to Swab for Max and register to be a blood stem cell donor and request your free cheek swab kit. It only takes 5 minutes to swab your cheek and then PLEASE SEND IT BACK TO THE LAB IMMEDIATELY! 

Thank you! Together we can find a perfect match for Max.

https://swabformax.com/?fbclid=Iwb21leARADjljbGNrBEAOLmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrz0-4bzvt-1G45qtOKTKxFX-N7n5B9zc0Cz8IDbpiNQszdvgG3Jca2x0BeQ_aem_-OKVLOo5jBr-iHewEKpoiA

Back to Blogging

This post is the beginning of a series about the mustard seed. I haven't published any new blog posts in quite a while mostly due to just being caught up in the every day things that seem to make time fly by. Before you know it it's been more than year. I am sure that some time has gone by with me just procrasinating and I guess you could call it writer's block. I have been struggling with finding the perfect topic to create a blog post that is something to mark my return to my blog. I can't really say that Mustard fills that need but considering my blog content and style I figure Mustard just might be a great subject to make a come back post.

I have always had an interest in herbs and their benefits as well as all the alternative methods such as aromatherapy and of course one of my favorites is the ancient mythology behind herbs. Mustard or the Mustard seed falls into all of those categories with so many uses that I have decided to make a great come back with a series blog post which is something new to my blog but I have faith in it being a very good decision. I have a personal connection to the power of Mustard as it has on so many occasions relieved severe leg cramps that my husband experiences. More on that in the final chapter of this series so please join me in discovering the amazing Mustard seed.

Click to Give

A free way for anyone to give to charity.

Greater Good is a suite of charity-driven websites that launched in 1999 with The Hunger Site. It has since grown significantly to become a powerful vehicle to raise money for worthy causes in the U.S. and around the world. Proceeds from our Click-To-Give sites and Gifts That Give More programs help fund projects that help people, pets, and the planet in meaningful and measurable ways.

Continue reading: https://click.greatergood.com/clicktogive/ggc/press-media?gg_source=GGC&gg_medium=house&gg_campaign=ctg_footer

Foothill Flyers Win Tournament

The Foothill Flyers won the USA Softball of Sacramento Select Series III Tournament.

The tournament was held at Livermore Park in Folsom March 10 and 17. Competing in the 12-and-under division against 14 teams from around the region, the Flyers went 6-1 in the tournament.

In the semifinal game, the girls shut out Woodland 12-0 and in the championship game dominated Five Cities 19-4. This was the first time Placerville/Shingle Springs-based Foothill Girls Softball League has had a 12U team win a USA Softball Select Series Tournament Championship.

Pictured from left are Aprilia Brown, Eden Sams, Ruby Mutzig, Abby Herrlin, Bella Milton, Sandy Goelz, Chloe Texdahl, Evelyn Betts, Sophia Kingsbury, Brooklyn Texdahl, Makena Linder, Daphne Lofgren, Kaitlin Munz and Gianna Goelz. In back are coaches Tammy Kingsbury, Shaun Kingsbury, Tim Linder, Andy Lofgren and Amber Goelz.

Courtesy of The Mountain Democrat

https://www.mtdemocrat.com/sports/first-for-flyers/article_a5bc6c74-e6ea-11ee-b25d-f7c3c7a23752.html

Why is it called "Black Friday"?

 

Do You Know The History Behind Black Friday?

After Thanksgiving comes Black Friday. But, where did Black Friday come from?

What and when is Black Friday?

Black Friday is a name used for two unrelated occasions. It is now most popularly used in the US to refer to the day after Thanksgiving, which is often considered the first day of the holiday shopping season and is known for featuring discounts from retailers.

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is always the fourth Thursday in November. In 2023, Black Friday is November 24. In 2024, Black Friday is November 29.

The name Black Friday is also used to refer to September 24, 1869, the date of a financial panic in the US sparked by gold speculators.

Where did the term Black Friday come from?

While many people believe the term Black Friday finds its roots in the sense of black meaning “showing a profit; not showing any losses,” this isn’t actually the case.

Continue reading:  

https://www.dictionary.com/e/black-friday/

Boost Your Self Esteem Month

February is National Boost Your Self Esteem Month.

In this post we are going to explore ways to boost our self esteem and learn the signs of low self esteem in ourselves and our teens. We will also discover ways to improve our teenagers self esteem.

9 Signs of Low Self-Esteem & 10 Ways to Build Confidence

Everyone experiences moments of low self-esteem – you may say it’s just part of being a human being! Rough patches in life may have us questioning our self-confidence and sometimes we need to feel a little self-pity. And then we pull ourselves together, move on, and feel better. When you have healthy self-esteem, it’s just that easy, but not everyone feels this way.

Continue reading:  https://blog.zencare.co/boost-self-esteem/

We all need a boost of self esteem once in a while and that is perfectly normal. We can not forget that our teenagers are going through many changes both physically and mentally. Remember to always give your teen self confidence. We will learn ways to ensure your teen has good self esteem. 

15 Tips to Build Self Esteem and Confidence in Teens

As parents, we want our teens to feel confident about who they are. We cross our fingers that the encouragement and support we’ve given them up to this point has been enough to build strong self-esteem.

The reality is the teenage years are full of change.

A teen's brain experiences a “reorganization” that can leave both parents and teens feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and confused.

As teens search for their place in the world, many struggle through situations that challenge beliefs about themselves they’ve clung to for years.

Continue reading: https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/build-self-esteem-confidence-teens

National Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Day

 March 29th is National Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Day.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29 honors the men and women who served and sacrificed during the longest conflict in United States history.

On March 29, 1973, combat and combat support units withdrew from South Vietnam. Generations later, Veterans of this time period are gaining the respect that was not so freely given upon their return. Involving five U.S. presidents, crossing nearly two decades and 500,000 U.S.military personnel, it left an indelible mark on the American psyche.

Returning veterans did not always receive respectful welcomes upon their arrival on American soil. Over 58,000 killed, never to return. The observance recognizes the military service of these men and women who answered the call to serve their country when she needed them. They didn’t make the decision to go to war.

Throughout National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we recognize the service and duty rendered by all servicemen and women of this era.

NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY HISTORY

U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., introduced legislation in 2017 to honor Vietnam Veterans with a day. They chose the anniversary of the withdrawal of military units from South Vietnam. President Donald Trump signed the National Vietnam War Veterans Day Act on March 28, 2017, calling for U.S. flags to be flown on March 29 for those who served.

Read more:  https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-vietnam-war-veterans-day-march-29/

Monsanto is finally being brought to justice.

The pesticide company has agreed to plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes, including two felonies for having a banned chemical on Maui.

The plea agreement requires Monsanto to pay $12 million in fines.

“Monsanto is a serial violator of federal environmental laws,” U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison said in a statement. “The company repeatedly violated laws related to highly regulated chemicals, exposing people to pesticides that can cause serious health problems.”

At the state capitol Monsanto kept saying they were following agricultural safety practices by the label, because the label is the law,” activist Klayton Kubo of Waimea Kaua’i told Organic Consumers Association. “Now we know that they were lying. What else is the agro chemical industry lying about?"

The federal criminal pleas are a turning point. Finally, the Department of Justice has stepped in to prosecute Monsanto’s crimes because the State of Hawaii has been so corrupt and failed at protecting the health of people living in communities surrounded by poisonous fields of GMOs. Now, Hawaii’s politicians and regulators can no longer lie, claiming that these chemicals are safe or that they did everything they could to protect the people.

Ten years ago, the Organic Consumers Association donated to support the creation of a film about Hawaii being the world’s research lab for experimental GMO and pesticide testing. The film was the first to reveal that Kamehameha Schools was leasing land to Monsanto.

Continue reading...

https://www.organicconsumers.org/blog/hawaiis-12m-fine-monsanto?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=OB+737&utm_content=OB+73

Poochy

 My favorite dog is my Poochy.

Poochy is a pitbull and beagle mix which makes him a very loyal and smart family dog. 

He has always been a happy dog which shows in the picture above with his ear to ear smile.

Poochy loves to play outside in the yard with his ball and digging holes is his favorite.

He is a very handsome and photogenic dog. I have so many really great pictures of him.

Poochy is a year and a half old and has been with me since he was three months old.

He is my sweet Poochy Poo and I couldn't imagine not having him around all the time.

I wake up and grab my phone to get a picture of him sleeping as close to me as possible.

He is my best friend!

IPhone 12 Pro vs Galaxy Note 20 Cameras

Which of the latest smartphones has a better camera? The IPhone 12 Pro or The Galaxy Note 20?

iPhone 12 Pro's camera vs. Note 20 Ultra: Portraits, selfies, night mode and more.

The iPhone 12 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra have two of the best smartphone cameras out there. Let's see which is better for landscape photos, portraits, selfies, night mode and video.

The cameras on Apple's new iPhone 12 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra seem similar on paper. Both have a three-lens camera array with improved low-light performance, 4K HDR video capabilities and advanced autofocus systems. And while they both produce excellent results overall, they each have their strengths and weaknesses in different categories. 

For zoom, it's hard to compete with the Note 20 Ultra's 5x telephoto camera, which can make any far-off subject look like it's right in front of you, especially when you compare it to the 2x camera on the iPhone 12 Pro. For portraits, the iPhone generally produces the better result thanks to more natural bokeh (or blur) effects. But choosing an outright winner across every category is not so clear cut, given that both use a clever combination of hardware and computational photography tricks to get great-looking shots in almost all situations.

We put the cameras on two of this year's best smartphones to the test to see how well they handle zoom photos, portraits, landscapes and video.

Read more: Note 20 Ultra vs. iPhone 11 Pro camera comparison

Read more about the latest smartphones cameras and their features by following this link to the CNET comparison:  https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-iphone-12-pro-camera-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-20-portraits-selfies-night-mode-ultra/

May is National Photography Month

May is “National Photo Month.”

OK, so what the heck does THAT mean???

Well, National Photo Month was created to…

 

“…help people get even more joy out of photography and their pictures.”

 

Yet there is a cautionary tale in all this. It is estimated that 657 BILLION (yeah, billion with a “B”) will be uploaded to social media this year alone – and that’s just what will be SHARED, not the total TAKEN.

The problem is that LESS THAN 1% of all these photographs and irreplaceable(!!!) memories will ever be printed, and within only a few years the rest will be LOST FOREVER (see below)!

Add to this the staggering number of old family snapshots currently moldering in attics and basements – even as you’re reading this – and the photographic loss becomes a TRAGEDY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!

“Print & preserve your important photographs & snapshots – WHILE YOU STILL CAN!”

Continue reading:  https://www.archivalmethods.com/blog/national-photo-month/

National Hungar & Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Participating groups spend the week holding a series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events.

To get involved and learn how to organize events in your community to educate and raise awareness of our hungry and homeless citizens visit the hhweek.org website at https://hhweek.org

National Hire A Veteran Day

July 25th is National Hire A Veteran Day.

Veteran Jobs with Veteran Friendly Employers 2020

A list of veteran friendly employers looking to hire veterans after the military. These opportunities are for veterans, military spouses, and military community.

For your convenience all links go directly to the veteran friendly job sections of the employers listed.

Continue reading this article from the source at the link below:

https://militarybenefits.info/veteran-jobs-with-military-friendly-employers/

Update for each state reopening

With all of the stories about our states reopening there can be alot of confusion. Here is the latest news on roping each state. 

As of May 20, each state that had imposed a stay-at-home order or shelter in place had begun lifting the restrictions of businesses and public spaces.

People were allowed, in some places, to go back to restaurants and offices and places of worship. Some people have ventured out; some people continue to stay home as much as possible.

State officials and health experts say they want to see expanded testing, tracking contacts of people who had the virus, improved treatment options and vaccine development when they consider moving on to the next step of the reopening process.

Follow this link to read the latest news for your state...

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-coronavirus-trnd/

100+ Tips to ward off boredom during isolation due to the Coronavirus.

Bored During Self-Isolation? 100+ Tips for Staying Entertained. 

Trapped inside and going stir-crazy due to quarantine? You aren’t the only one! Here are all kinds of things you can do to stay sane while self-isolating and social distancing!

Continue reading for 100+ Tips to ward off boredom during isolation due to the Coronavirus just click on this link https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/self-isolation-quarantine-tips/

MYTH BUSTERS for the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for the public. 

COVID-19 can be transmitted in areas of hot & humid climates.

From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

For more myth Busters on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) click this link:  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-Busters

The World Health Organization (WHO) has very important information on their website. Please go to www.who.int to get current updates and advise on how to keep yourself and your family healthy.

The 5th Annual Migraine World Summit is March 18, 2020

The next migraine world summit will be held on March 18, 2020.

TAKE CONTROL OVER MIGRAINE

Discover what dozens of world-leading migraine experts, doctors, and specialists really do for migraine and headache.

Learn from the experts

At the leading international patient event for people living with migraine and headache. 

HOW IT WORKS

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1

REGISTER

Secure your spot via email for the next event starting March 18, 2020

When you register via email you’ll enjoy complimentary access to this free annual event for migraine and headache patients.

2

WATCH

Enjoy 32 online expert interviews from anywhere

This is a virtual event you can watch online in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Watch 32 interviews free over the 9-day event.

3

LEARN

Discover the latest treatments, research, and best practices

You'll meet the global leaders in the field of migraine and headache including, doctors, specialists, researchers, psychologists, and advocates.

Continue reading :  https://migraineworldsummit.com

Today is National Battery Day

National Battery Day is observed February 18th.

We observe nayional battery day to promote recycling of batteries. 

The inventor of the battery, Italian physicist Allesandro Volta, was born on today's date in 1745. National Battery Day marks his birth, acknowledges the importance of the battery, and is an annual awareness day to focus attention on the importance of recycling batteries. A battery is an electric cell that produces electricity from a chemical reaction. The name "battery" was coined by Ben Franklin in 1748, and was a term applied to "charged glass plates" at that time. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Allesandro Volta invented the voltaic pile, which is known as being the first battery or "wet cell battery." It was made of alternating discs of zinc and copper, along with pieces of cardboard soaked in brine, and produced a "reliable, steady current of electricity."

Continue reading: https://www.checkiday.com/387351c18d3706372aabbe0f4f250929/national-battery-day

The history of the battery

The battery is one of the most important man-made inventions all throughout history. Today, it is generally used as a portable source of power, but in the past, batteries were our only source of electricity. Without its conception, modern comforts such as computers, vehicles and communication devices may not have been possible.

Continue reading: https://www.upsbatterycenter.com/blog/history-batteries-timeline/