Hello… and a good morning to everyone.

There are so many things happening in this world…many wonderful and many not so wonderful. In the midst of the not so wonderful, I work on having faith that people will do the right thing.

Sometimes I come across something that pulls at my heartstrings more than I anticipate, for whatever reason. Perhaps I’m just more sensitive at the moment of the read, or perhaps the writer has a way of speaking to me that just gets to me more than I expected.

This morning I read this write about the deportation of immigrants. I felt compassion for these men. They are alone, unsure of their future, straddling two places…one they would like to call home and one they may be deported back to, with no one to reach out to, many without friends and family.

And then I felt anger after reading the inhumane treatment these men had to endure. Being treated like animals (Not that I feel it is OK to treat animals this way either) instead of the human beings that they are.

From Think Progress:

The Mass Deportation Of Black Immigrants That You Haven’t Heard About

A repatriation flight carrying 80 immigrants to their home country in 2012. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MATT YORK

Last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency quietly deported dozens of African immigrants who were trying to seek asylum in the United States.

Sixty-three men who were unable to secure visas to stay in the country legally on humanitarian relief claims, according to a source within ICE who spoke to ThinkProgress on condition of anonymity. Activists who spoke with deported individuals said they were sent back to Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal.

Immigration activists believe that number may be closer to 90. They also say many of these men shouldn’t have been targeted by ICE in the first place because they had already passed their credible fear interviews — a preliminary step in the asylum process to determine whether immigrants would be placed in grave danger if they’re returned to their home countries.

Some lawyers say that black immigrants have the odds stacked against them in the immigration court system. ICE generally requires immigrants to have a sponsor who’s a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. The agency also has stringent requirements for identity documents, which is problematic for immigrants from countries like Somalia where the government didn’t always have the ability to issue those documents, according to Jessica Shulruff Schneider, a supervising attorney at the Americans for Immigrant Justice.

“Many of the individuals that are Africans don’t have close family members or friends to assist them from the outside,” said Shulruff Schneider. “It makes it virtually impossible to fight your case.”

One man deported back to Ghana, who asked for his name not to be published, did have that kind of support. He had a sponsor in the United States ready to take him in. Nonetheless, an immigration judge threw out his asylum claims and deported him from the Krome Detention Center in Miami, Florida.

He’s just one of many African immigrants who began appearing at the Krome Detention Center in the weeks leading up to their deportation around mid-June. Activists like Ellen DeYoung, a volunteer with the immigrant detention center visitation group Friends of Orange County Detainees, quickly noticed this troubling trend.

Immigrants are flown back to their home countries on repatriation flights. CREDIT: AP Photo/Matt York

DeYoung had been visiting an immigrant detainee from Ghana who wants to be identified only as N.M. since last summer as part of a visitation program to prevent detainees from feeling isolated near her home in Orange County, California. But in early June, she says N.M. was transferred away from that detention center to Krome.

“When he called me from Krome, he said that Africans were coming in from all over the country — everywhere,” DeYoung recalled. “He continued to call saying, ‘please help us, please help us, they’re going to deport us on Tuesday.’”

According to DeYoung, the conditions that N.M. was subjected to at Krome were “nightmarish, like something out of a movie.”

“He said two people were given injections and put into wheelchairs. He saw somebody rolled up and tied into a canvas and put into the plane. Some of them were pepper sprayed and I didn’t get a clear answer on that on how and why they were sprayed,” DeYoung said.

ThinkProgress was unable to verify DeYoung’s disturbing account of abuse, but it tracks with some of the allegations of physical abuse documented in numerous lawsuits brought against the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that oversees immigration enforcement.

The national spotlight typically isn’t focused on black immigrants from African and Caribbean countries. In the conversation about deportation, it’s often exclusively portrayed as a Latino issue.

But deportation is part of the reality of the black immigrant experience. According to forthcoming report by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and New York University Law School’s Immigrants Rights Clinic, black immigrants make up 7 percent of the total immigrant population (roughly 3.4 million people) and 10.6 percent of all immigrants in removal proceedings between 2003 and 2015. In the 2014 fiscal year, the ICE agency deported 1,203 African immigrants.

Black immigrants from Africa and the Carribean (sic), are largely ‘invisible-lized’ in the public’s consciousness.

“One of the challenges that we at BAJI face in our work is that black immigrants from Africa and the Carribean (sic), are largely ‘invisible-lized’ in the public’s consciousness, so the face of the immigrant is often a Latino face,” Carl Lipscombe, policy and legal manager at Black Alliance for Just Immigration, told ThinkProgress. “Largely these immigrants are in deportation proceedings as a result of a criminal conviction, or some sort of criminal contact. And that can be anything from possession of a small amount of marijuana to petty larceny, some sort of theft of something of little value. Any of those types of offenses can result in someone being detained or deported.”

Since 1996, many immigrants with minor criminal convictions have been caught up in civil deportation proceedings thanks in large part to a pair of legislation known as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) and Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). These federal laws made it mandatory for immigrants to be deported after they serve out prison sentences if they had been charged with aggravated felonies, as well as expanded the list of crimes that qualify as aggravated felonies.

Racial factors contribute to black immigrants coming into contact with the criminal justice system in the first place.

“[Black immigrants] tend to live in urban areas,” Lipscombe said. “They tend to live in lower-income areas and they tend to live in neighborhoods that are heavily policed for whatever reason. As a result of policy, like ‘Broken Windows’ or ‘Stop and Frisk,’ many black migrants — like black Americans — get arrested and end up with a contact with the criminal justice system at some point in their lives, many at a young age.”

Though the deportation of black immigrants likely won’t stop, advocates are hoping that people will begin talking about them as a group in the same way that they are folded into other movements.

“When we talk about Black Lives Matter, that includes black immigrants and black people worldwide,” Lipscombe said.

*****

Readers: Are you familiar with this happening? My wish is for those that don’t have a voice, or experience that their voice is not heard, they get to have their day too.

I don’t know enough about it but my gut tells me this perhaps has to do with the republicans having control of Congress and a lack of funding in this area. (Homeland Security)

Thoughts?

Blog me.

Joseph: Yes, a small price to pay considering how much O’Reilly brings FOX. Still, I despise men getting away with sick behavior with such little repercussions. In May of this year O’Reilly planned to sue his ex-wife whom he also accuses of having an affair while they were married.

O’Reilly eventually lost custody of his two children as the result of his divorce, due in part to allegations that he had been violent with his ex-wife on at least one occasion. Leaked documents cited by the Washington Times described an incident witnessed by O’Reilly’s daughter in which he allegedly dragged his wife down the stairs while holding on to her by the neck.

Why am I not surprised?

Eric: Oh…your comment made my day. I’m so excited you adopted from a local shelter – big kudos to you and your family! How lucky the little love has a new mom and your mother has a little one to look after. A perfect union. 👩🏻+🐶 =❤️

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I don’t know about you, but this guy closely resembles Trump in more ways than one.

Here’s the write from Think Progress:

Britain’s New Foreign Secretary Says British Colonialism In Africa Wasn’t So Bad

In this Thursday, July 12, 2012 file photo, the mayor of London Boris Johnson poses for the media with a plate of food in the athletes’ dining hall during a media opportunity at the Olympic and Paralympic athlete’s village in London.

Following the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron, new PM Theresa May named her Cabinet Wednesday. One of the most notable names on the list was pro-Brexiter and former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who was appointed Foreign Secretary.

Critics of Johnson’s appointment have already pointed out his numerous gaffes and propensity for offending foreign leaders. Many media outlets published articles listing all the various countries that Johnson has offended during his reign as mayor.

In April, Johnson said President Barack Obama might have an ancestral dislike of Britain. Johnson didn’t attribute this to Obama’s feelings over U.S. independence in 1776, but to his Kenyan heritage.

“Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire – of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender,” Johnson wrote in the Sun about Obama’s purported removal of a Churchill bust from the White House. Obamareplaced Churchill with a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr.

But one of the most egregious comments made by the new Foreign Secretary relates to England’s colonial history in Africa.

In a 2002 commentary in the Spectator, Johnson argued that “Africa is a mess” (the entire continent of course) — and it has nothing to do with colonialism.

“The continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience. The problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more,” he wrote. “The best fate for Africa would be if the old colonial powers, or their citizens, scrambled once again in her direction; on the understanding that this time they will not be asked to feel guilty.”

Not only does Johnson argue that Britain is completely faultless for the current conflicts on the continent, but he also drops other pearls of wisdom like that the British are not guilty of slavery, without the British planting of cash crops “the natives” would still be eating bananas, and the best way to spur the area’s economy would be to cater to British tourists.

As the BBC has reported, “during the last 20 years of the 19th century, Britain occupied or annexed Egypt, the Sudan, British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), British Somaliland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe and Zambia), Bechuanaland (Botswana), Orange Free State and the Transvaal (South Africa), Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, British Gold Coast (Ghana) and Nyasaland (Malawi). These countries accounted for more than 30% of Africa’s population.”

Britain left behind many mass graves and destroyed records of all the brutality it had incurred at the hands of the African people. In Kenya alone, “it is clear that tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of Kikuyu died in the [detainment] camps,” the Guardian reported.

Johnson certainly isn’t the first politician to blatantly ignore the history of imperialism, but that doesn’t make his comments, and his appointment as Foreign Secretary, any less astounding.

Readers: And for that reason, the racist creep was for the exit of the UK from the European Union. Thoughts? The forum is now open.

Blog me.

Before I sign off let me say…

🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BELOVED PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA!🎉

Raquel: Thanks for your kind kudos. I am touched by your words. I always HOPE that this blog can do good for women, here and around the globe. Those stats you posted are horrific. I’m so grateful that the women banned together and voted in a woman president. I certainly HOPE the women here will do the same.

On another note, the Summer Olympics started yesterday. My wish is that it is a safe and fun place for all.

Health info: Thanks for the info. I was familiar with aluminum in deodorant and foods but not in my purified drinking water. Another thing to check out.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

I came home from a wonderful day with family visiting the newly renovated MOMA in San Francisco, only to hear about the atrocity in France, this time Nice, on their much celebrated Bastille Day.

This time the attacker, who has now been identified, drove a truck filled with ammunition, shot out, and ran people over for more than a mile, killing 84 and injuring many people, a great deal in critical condition. At least 50 children are hospitalized. The driver, the attacker, was eventually killed by police.

Like everyone, I am sad and angry this morning. Unfortunately this seems to be a consistent feeling with so many horrific occurrences that have been continually happening.

Here’s the write from the Huff Po:

Truck Barreled, Zigzagged Into Nice Crowd, Video Shows

A witness said the driver appeared to zigzag to “kill as many as possible.”

Shocking video footage shows a large white truck blasting into a crowd gathered at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, on Thursday.

At least 84 people were viciously killed and dozens injured and traumatized in what officials called “a terrorist attack” as the vehicle, loaded with guns and grenades, zigzagged with its headlights off to “kill as many as possible,” according to one witness.

“Nobody in the way stood a chance,” Pierre Roux told the New York Times, recalling that there was no honking as the truck plowed through the terrified crowd.

The footage below appears to show frantic officials trying to get the truck to stop before it speeds ahead toward the crowded street.

Warning: The video below contains disturbing footage. (Click here to see video)

Law enforcement officers later shot the driver of the truck to death.

Eyewitnesses described carnage at the scene, bodies strewn along the road, and devastated, stunned relatives. Thousands were gathered to watch a Bastille Day fireworks display, an annual tradition.

President Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the attack, offering “any assistance” to the French needed to “bring those responsible to justice.”

“We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack,” Obama said in a statement.

*****

To all my Readers in France: I am deeply sorry for your losses, again. I HOPE you and your loved ones are safe. ✌🏽& ❤️

What’s on  your mind? Blog me. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good Morning!

This one is for you, Anna, Peter, Lill and all of my friends on Guam: I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

From RNZ News:

A colony for centuries, Guam pushes for change

For four centuries, the small western Pacific island of Guam has been passed between colonial powers, but within weeks the territory is expected to decide whether to embark on a quest to determine its own political future.

The United States obtained Guam, a banana-shaped island about 50km long, as a spoil of war after the Spanish-American War of 1898 and, apart from a brutal occupation when it was seized by Japanese forces in World War II, it has remained in Washington’s possession since.

Its official status is a ‘non-incorporated territory’ – alongside the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – and despite being US citizens, its people are unable to vote for President, the rights of the US Constitution do not apply, and their only delegate to Congress cannot vote.

Technically, Guam is owned by the United States, but is not part of it, which the island’s governor, second-term Republican Eddie Calvo, in a ‘State of the Island’ address earlier this year, said was a form of colonialism that could not go on.

The Tumon district in Guam’s capital, Hagåtña. Photo: AFP

“It’s time that we confronted the fact that for nearly 400 years the state of our island has been colonial,” said Mr Calvo. “It is the unchanged and unrepentant shadow cast upon our long and unshackled destiny. Now confidence may be the one trigger that can change that colonial state once and for all.”

Mr Calvo, seeking a legacy for when he leaves office, pledged to work to attach a plebiscite to November’s election. A decolonisation commission is expected to report back sometime this month on whether that will be possible.

If that goes ahead, Guamanians will select one of three options – pursue the possibility of becoming the 51st US state, with all the associated rights and burdens, such as federal tax; free association with the United States, a status currently held by the Marshall Islands and Palau, and similar to New Zealand’s relationship with the Cook Islands; or full independence.

The issue has been simmering for years, but the heat has been raised in recent years with plans for a build-up of US military forces, which culminated in Mr Calvo’s call for a vote.

Guam is strategically important to the United States, housing both an Air Force and Navy base. Here, a US F-16 flies along the island’s coastline. Photo: US Department of Defense

“In a way, Guam represents a previous historical era. A time when colonialism was common,” said Michael Lujan Bevacqua, the chair of the Guam Independence Taskforce. “And in a way, much of the world has come to an understanding that colonialism was bad and we should eradicate it from the world, but there’s still Guam where this hasn’t happened.”

Still, the path to a referendum is not an easy one. For one to happen, Mr Calvo’s government needs to conduct a territory-wide education campaign before securing enough signatures to force a referendum, which Mr Calvo has pledged to do by the middle of July.

There has also been criticism of the relatively short amount of time that would be available to prepare for a referendum, and the way it has been structured (only people who can trace their roots on the island to 1950 will be allowed to vote).

A satellite image of Guam. Andersen Air Force base is in the top-right corner, while the Naval base is on the left. Photo: Wikimedia commons

It also has to overcome a legal hurdle that requires 70 percent of the native Chamorro people to sign with the decolonisation registry, a task which many have said is impossible.

But Robert Underwood, a former United States Congressman and the current president of the University of Guam, said while it was difficult to work out how to include the Chamorro in the process, it was essential.

Dr Underwood said the Chamorro people had been living under both Spanish and American occupation since the 1600s, and they needed to finally have a say on the future of their homeland.

“When you have a colony how do you decolonise it? Do you include everybody who showed up because they are a colony or do you try to sort out who are the people who really have primary claim?,” he asked. “And so in the case of Guam I think the case is pretty clear that it is the Chamorro people who have primary claim over this process.”

The president of the University of Guam and former US congressman Robert Underwood. Photo: Supplied / University of Guam

Long battle ahead

In any case, Dr Underwood said a vote would be merely symbolic, as the final decision on Guam’s political future would rest with Congress in Washington.

Statehood would require the acceptance and support of the other 50 states, and he said it was unlikely that states like California and Texas, with populations of between 30 and 40 million people, would support Guam, with 160,000 people, having just as many Senators in Washington.

And that’s not to mention Guam’s strategic importance to the United States, especially as it pivots to Asia. The US military owns about one third of the island, and it is home to large Air Force and Navy bases. The Pentagon plans to spend close to US$10 billion to significantly bolster these facilities, with plans to move thousands of troops there and establish a Marine Corp presence. This means Congress is unlikely to support Guam going it alone.

Michael Lujan Bevacqua, who supports Guam breaking away from the United States, said a vote would only be the start of a very long battle for recognition.

“We can’t simply look at this as simply like a vote alone. It has to be part of a larger struggle,” said Mr Bevacqua. “The United States has been very clear that whatever we vote on, it is not binding to them. And so it’s really going to be up to us then to submit it to them [and] try to work with them.”

While the people of Guam are divided on whether to sever or strengthen their ties with the United States, Mr Calvo said one thing was clear: “Any status is better than the status quo – an unincorporated territory. Whether it’s statehood, free association or independence, I believe that a change will put us in control of our destiny.”

❤️

Charles: Thanks for saying because I cannot stress those EXACT sentiments enough.

Sephen: Did you hear the news? “No charges are appropriate in this case.” Get over it.

Olga: Uhh…yeah. I’m asking the same thing! Dick?

Everett: Please see my comment to Sephen.

Lill on Guam: Lucky you! I hope you had just as much fun here as you did on your home turf.

Marilyn: Becoming a girlz is an individual thing. It should not be done on a group basis. Peer pressure arises out of group decisions. Only those who ask individually and present a convincing argument for being accepted will be considered.

Dominique:  So nice to see your name here! You got it. Thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing your comments here more often! Don’t worry about being a novice when it comes to blogging, you’ll fit in just fine. Just voice your opinion and join the conversations here when the articles and readers inspire you to comment. I hope you had a good 4th and you’re feeling better!

Bratt: I know, isn’t it AWESOME!

Mike, TM: Sounds like something the repubs would do. It feels like this is about to get even more interesting. Be well.

Readers: With regards to Hillary, let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. Let’s celebrate when the fat lady sings. Don’t believe anything that you read about Hillary being a landslide. It’s not just about Hillary; just like it wasn’t just about Obama. Look how challenging it has been and is for him to get anything done. It will be the same for Hillary. It won’t mean much if we don’t have coattails – aka: The Senate and The House. Let’s keep inspiring people to jump on board and get out and vote. Thank you!

✌🏽&💕

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good Morning!

I love when I discover someone who is doing something wonderful for the environment. As I’ve said before, we count on our environment to sustain our lives. If we don’t take care if it, we will for sure perish, and so will the plant and animal life, but Earth will continue to live on in whatever manner it is left in.

I so want us to take care of our Mother Earth so that we and all of the other life can continue to live and prosper on this beautiful rock that we reside on.

A write from ThinkProgress:

This 21-Year-Old May Have Found The Way To Clean Up The Plastic In Our Oceans

Boyan Slat wants to start the largest ocean clean up ever with the help of nets and ocean currents. He began testing his prototype this month.

Boyan Slat was just 16 when he realized he wanted to rid the oceans of plastic. It all happened after he dove into the problem in the most literal way while snorkeling in Greece and finding more drifting plastic than fish swimming.

“I thought, that’s a real problem. How can we come up with a solution for that?” Slat recalled during an interview with ThinkProgress.

Indeed, the problem is real and large. Around eight million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, according to a 2015 study. In addition, recent research found so-called garbage patches in every major ocean. Plastic is so pervasive that it’s been found in sea ice, and also inside 50 percent of all species of seabirds, 66 percent of all species of marine mammals, and all species of sea turtles.

Once back in his native Netherlands, Slat delved into the topic as people told him that cleaning up the ocean was impossible. Still, Slat, a young inventor who by then already held the world record for most high-pressure rockets simultaneously launched, persisted until he found what he was looking for.

“I saw this animation where they used computer models to show that plastic actually moves” through ocean currents, Slat, now 21, said. “And then I thought, why should you move through the ocean if the ocean can move through you.”

Slat, chief executive officer of The Ocean Clean Up, has taken his eureka moment and turned it into a collection system based on floating barriers attached to the sea bed that use the ocean’s energy to gather plastic waste. After obtaining over $2 million through crowdfunding and more from Dutch government financing, Slat unveiled the first prototype last week in the North Sea, just off the coast of Netherlands.

Less than a mile in length, this prototype is but 10 percent the size of the actual system Slat wants to build to conduct what he describes as “the largest clean-up in history” on a large mass of marine debris floating in the Pacific Ocean called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The prototype will be in the North Sea for a year as the foundation tests if the system can withstand corrosion, storms, and more in the open sea.

“The question that we are trying to answer with this prototype is: can we build a floating barrier which is able to survive at sea for years,” said Slat. In the next twelve months, sensors will track the prototype’s every move and gather data to inform the development of the larger system. The North Sea’s minor storms are actually worse than the most powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean, Slat said. “It’s pretty safe to say that if it survives here it will survive anywhere, and certainly in the [area] of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where we intend to deploy it.”

The Ocean Cleanup’s cleaning technology uses long floating barriers creating a v-shaped artificial coastline that catches ocean debris in its center. There, a solar-powered hydraulic pump and conveyor system scoop up waste that boats then collect and take to landfills or recycling centers. This suggests a massive logistical effort depending on how far from shore the system is placed, and the sorting of trash or other bycatch that would follow. Right now however, testing the floating barriers is crucial, so for the next year, they are focusing solely on the barrier. Therefore, plastic collection is unlikely. But “if that goes well we should be ready to deploy the first operational pilot system late next year, and that should put us on track to start the largest clean up in history by 2020,” Slat said.

Slat’s plan has received some criticism, however. One worry is that the barriers will cause too much bycatch — where marine life gets accidentally caught and dies, normally in fishing nets — though the foundation’s preliminary impact statement study found a low risk of that happening. “There shouldn’t be any impact because the barrier is 1.5 meters deep (roughly 4 feet),” Slat said. “It’s really small when compared to the Pacific Ocean, and the current flows underneath it.” Still, he said this test is part of making sure the system is safe. “We are not only testing the technology,” Slat said.

Chelsea M. Rochman, a marine ecologist at the University of Toronto who’s studied the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, welcomed the clean up plan, though she favors preventing plastic from reaching the sea in the first place. “I personally think that preventing it before it goes into the ocean … is better than placing something that large in the middle of the ocean where it’s very hard to monitor,” she said. “Putting things like what he’s doing at the mouth of a river may also be more effective.”

One example of a comparable system placed in a river is Baltimore’s inner harbor water wheel, also known as Mr. Trash Wheel. This device uses the Jones Falls River current to turn a water wheel which picks up debris into a dumpster barge. When the current is weak, a solar panel is in place to provide the necessary power. Since 2014, the cartoon-looking Mr. Trash Wheel has collected 420 tons of trash, including hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles, polystyrene containers, plastic bags, and million of cigarette butts, according to the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.

The Inner Harbor Water Wheel, or “Mr. Trash Wheel” to locals, combines old and new technology to harness the power of water and sunlight to collect litter and debris flowing down the Jones Falls River.

But whether the plastic collection happens in rivers or oceans, Rochman said solving ubiquitous plastic pollution requires “people like Boyan, who are doing it on their own.” At the same time, she said, more top-down solution like the federal ban on microbeads approved in December or plastic bag bans need to happen. Furthermore, developed countries have to help emerging countries in creating better waste management, she said, since emerging nations are increasingly contributing to plastic pollution. In fact, more than half of all plastic reaching the oceans comes from China, Indonesia, the Philipines, Thailand, and Vietnam, according to the Ocean Conservancy.

“I don’t think there is one solution to plastic debris, I really don’t,” said Rochman. “I think it’s like hundreds of little things and the more that we have that are out there and that are highlighted, I think the greater chance that we have.”

*****

Readers: This is so cool. This young man, Slat, has come up with a wonderful idea, and it seems like it is going to work. So I’m excited that in spite of people telling him it was impossible, he held his vision and persisted. As much as I agree with Chelsea M. Rochman, we need to prevent plastic from reaching the sea in the first place, the fact is right now, we have seas full of plastic, and something needed to happen to rid our oceans of the debris that is harming the wildlife.

The fact that Slat, got two million in crowdfunding just tells you how many people are concerned about our oceans and want to do something about it. It took Slat’s epiphany and vision to see it through. I applaud him. I’m excited to see this come to fruition. The fact that plastic has been found in sea ice, and also inside 50 percent of all species of seabirds, 66 percent of all species of marine mammals, and all species of sea turtles, is just heartbreaking. I can’t imagine that his invention would leave the sea life in a worse state than they are now. Let’s hope that it’s safe for our underwater friends, and this year of testing will confirm that.

Thoughts?

Blog me. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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