It's the battle cry of the republic. It's the symbol of patriotism. It's the hope and prays of the union to continue as one under God. Yet at one time it symbolism did not always mean free. The song creator did not always believe in his words that expressed the American ambition to always stay free. History has revealed the many flaws of our past and now we have to reconcile the wrong. Women and minorities did not have the say or right to think freely and this song of patriotism was born under that era. For many decades, this song was held dearly by former slaves and people without a right. It is up to us the next generation to understand our history and use what we know for good. We must adopt the words and apply them to our own lives and live our the true meaning of its creed. And now it is debatable to honor the words of a slaveholder. America can honor his gifted poetry which got many Americans thinking about freeing their slaves and denounce his livelihood which agrees with slavery. We must face the contradictions and break their trance on American society realizing that they have stained our past. We must break down the song that confronted America's transgressions. America must try to redeem its past and focus on a more equal future among the races. Children have learned these verses without understanding them. Children in belief in the betterment of their country proclaimed those verses as if they were written by God and in stone never to be changed. Our children must be told the truth and they must accept what their ancestors went through and know their place in the history of America. Education must teach the harsh truths of history so America can be better and learn from the mistakes of the past. Thus, America will not repeat the past's sins and emerge as a nation of unity and not division. Immigrants have come to our country believing that they too can become a part of the American Dream. Their truest desire to become a part of a nation where they could fight for it and dream along with it. We must end the attack on immigrants for this nation was made from them. We must welcome all who find our creed noble and our power divine. America is privileged to lead the world and we did not exactly earn it. Every life is precious to building up our nation and the protection of our borders. We must end the ridicule of immigrants because they are a part of America, we hope for. Soldiers have died with these words of the songs fighting endlessly in war and never seeing lasting peace. This song made it the American Way to fight for peace, "the bombs bursting in the air." We must end the idea that peace can only be accomplished through war. War is devastating and traumatizing. We must end the glorification of war. Generations have been lost at war, nations have been divided because of war. Peaceful diplomacy will save our union, not destructive ambitions. Silent soldiers with tears down their eyes hoping for a day without a battle and they secretly resist. We must find a way to bridge all these gaps in knowledge. We must put the song in perspective orchestrating the peace that can last a lifetime. May we never forget what our freedoms and rights are and never think too highly of ourselves preserving the union for ages to come. We forgot we maybe forged out of war and wars do that but we do not have to remain at war with others and ourselves.

Photo by Chris Henry

China and its plan to be a greener country, and this are beginning to have repercussions on a global scale. According to new research by Bloomberg, since 2011 electric vehicles have caused a decrease in global oil consumption of approximately 3%. The important thing about this data is that more than three-quarters of this decrease is due only to electric buses.

President Donald J. Trump has been silent about the death of George Floyd and other black and brown victims who have died at the hands of police in the United States. Instead, he has doubled down on “law and order” threatening to send the U.S. military to end the protests. His latest cause raises questions about the heart and mind of the current president. His new cause is the preservation of monuments honoring men who committed treason against the United States and who slaughtered Native Americans in order to steal their land.

I think it’s safe to say that most reasonable people of all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and genders agree that political correctness has spiraled out of control. That being said, it seems that it has even gotten to a point that we completely make things up out of nowhere in the name of political correctness and the idea of being ”woke” in this modern society. Here are 10 examples of concepts that have come about through the lens of PC culture and why they are really just false realities.

Is the United States really that much in trouble that Kanye West and - gasp! - Kim Kardashian West could actually live in the White House?

*100% of the earnings from reads on this article will be donated to the Loveland Foundation (read more about the organization at the end).

Two years ago, I ventured into the world of freelance content writing fulltime. I uprooted my life in Seattle and moved to a beautiful place on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington, where I could live frugally, make art, and write.

Back in October 2019, a video posted by an old school friend popped up on my Instagram feed. In this video, he was sat on the shoulders of another friend, leading chants in Lebanese asking, ‘Where’s the money?’, surrounded by a crowded street of protestors in London who were holding up Lebanese flags and banners. This school friend was Joseph El Kadi, a 23-year-old Lebanese student who is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Cambridge. My interest peaked when I saw the video, but with the pressures of work taking a toll and the lack of media attention surrounding the issues in Lebanon, I liked the video, pushed my interest in the video to the back of my mind, and kept scrolling.

When Emma Stone, at the 2018 Oscars, referred to the Best Director nominees as 'these four men and Greta Gerwig', she was met with a mixture of praise and heavy criticism- and it wasn't from misgoynists. Sure, the actress was right to call out the ridiculously low number of female nominees- but she was swiftly criticised for ignoring the fact that "these four men" included a Latino man (Guillermo Del Toro) and a black one (Jordan Peele). Men of colour, as Stone's critcs pointed out, don't exactly get everything handed to them. Why should they- along with women of colour- celebrate one wealthy white woman for cheering on another wealthy white women, ignoring their experiences, and calling it feminism? (Plus, no-one's forgotten Aloha.)

TRIGGER WARNING: the following review discusses some graphic and severe elements of Cupcake Brown's memoir, "A Piece of Cake." While some details may be disturbing, it is important to talk about them, as they pertain to systemic injustice we the people are trying to overcome. Thank you.

Why did the US assassinate Qasem Soleimani in early January this year? “Well”, explains Aimen Dean on the 'Conflicted' podcast, “because he never wrote anything down”. The military leader was so paranoid about espionage that he kept all of his plans, contacts and intel in his head. Killing him was not just a show of strength by America, but a tactical ploy. It essentially “re-formated the hard drive of the Quds force”.

My solution that covers the plastic crisis is to clean it up. We need fleets of ships designed to do just that. California has plenty of coastlines to clean up. We have the whole of the West Coast, bedsides, to try this idea out on. 12.7 million tones of plastic winds up in our ocean every year, according to the BBC earth website. This is because plastic has trouble breaking down, being recycled and degrading. Aspergillus tubigensis is one such natural way to fix the problem as this fungus lives in warm habitats. This fungus could be let loose in a landfill, which would breakdown problematic plastics such as diapers.

RICHMOND, Va. — As Confederate monuments topple from their pedestals, accusations of racist, sexist and homophobic acts have risen from a chorus of frustrated present and former museum employees. The museum in question, the Virginia Fine Arts Museum, sparked a stream of negative comments on an Instagram post made on June 3.

In the age of information, ignorance in a choice and unfortunately is still king. Our timelines are constantly flooded with curated material that the media uses as a strategy to sway opinions but as new age activists, it is our responsibility to cut through the clutter and get to the point. Today the point is that Black lives matter and we can not claim an inclusive culture (a.k.a. all lives matter) until the war on Black bodies ceases. So, where is the problem? When did this begin? Before we tackle the actions we can do now, we must at least get a sense of the historical problem behind this issue, however raw it may be, to understand the dire need to address it.

Is the United States really that much in trouble that Kanye West and - gasp! - Kim Kardashian West could actually live in the White House?

Time stood still in the Nation's Capital where it usually does, twice a day. A sediment of Saharan dust dribbled all over the sidewalks. Statues were being taken down in the background to reduce some type of tendency of our's to turn back. Short moments at polling stations were always worth it when you knew who would win. Downtown, definitely, looked different these days and, if that means it's a result of an unusual amount of urban renewal, then they sort of should've built more polling-stations - you know, like phonebooths everywhere. Or, just let hipsters vote from their highrise.

The recent outbreak of Covid-19 in America is affecting everyone, including the Duke and Dutchess of Sussex. The Royal couple had been living in Canada but now reside in Los Angeles. The first hurdle they must deal with is funding for their security detail, which is quite expensive. The Daily Mail recently reported that because Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have relinquished their duties as senior members of the British royal family, and are living in the US, they are now responsible for footing the bill for their security which is multi-million dollar tab. President Donald Trump made it clear in an interview that while he respects the queen, the US has no obligation to take on this enormous debt.

(I have sent this letter to my representatives in the US Congress, I have decided to post it here because I believe that the message goes beyond just my own representatives, but to everyone that represents our interests in government. I have changed some of the formatting for Vocal, but the message remains the same. If you agree with my message then please share it. We live in dark times, but that only means we must shine the light much brighter. Let your voice be heard. Let our voice be heard. // Namaste - Ju <3)

In memory is where many of us can escape the surrealness of now. For a nation that was founded by the guiding principles of Liberty, Justice, Education, and Morality have all withered by the decay of corruption, deceit, and greed of those who we entrusted to do the publics good. From humble beginnings of a fledging nation to the harsh realities of today the American public have been grossly misled. While some Presidents and members of Congress thought they were moving the country in the right direction only to have the public ill prepared for the consequences of their actions have had lasting effects on every American. Some of those actions taken were designed to deceive the public and entrench a ruling class elite.

Since we are wrapping up Bryan Steil’s first year in the House, it seems like a good time for a review. So here are the top votes for each month, to give you a feel for Steil’s record.

Photo by Chris Henry

I have witnessed domestic violence since a young age. The first time I remember I was five years old. I went out to dinner with my father and another woman, who he claimed was his friend. When we arrived home, I told my unassuming mother I enjoyed dinner with this woman and my father. After an argument, I helplessly watched my mother being choked by my father. The cops were not called. The guilt of this situation weighed on me for years.

In light of the recent events of yet another black man being killed by a Police Officer as his co-workers stood by and did absolutely nothing I did a little research on shootings by Police Officers so as to not only educate myself but to inform my readers as well.

Someone tell me why the hell it takes a "Riot" ," Protesting," " social media "and "Anonymous" to say and show that Black people needs Justice. Black lives are forever being mistreated or lost and misunderstood. Why ? because of the color of our skin. Why? Because some people were taught to be racist and view black people the same way that they did 400 years ago when we were slaves and expect us to be that way as if we haven’t evolved or we don’t know we have freedom or at least supposed to. Why ? Because Trump already says, What do we as black people have to lose? We’re already in poverty ? We already have problems?

In September 2018, the nation had their ears glued to every word spoken by Christine Blasey Ford at the at the nomination hearing for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. So many of us felt for this woman and couldn’t stand to see her tell her story in front of the U.S. Senate. We also couldn’t stand to see Justice Kavanaugh get through to the Supreme Court. The American Left was disgusted.

Corruption Feeds Terrorism

25 - Korean People's Navy

To date over 6,000 Americans have died due to our blundering in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Vietnam War we lost over 58,000 Americans and what for? What have these wars brought to the American people I ask you? We are still in Afghanistan and Iraq. Vietnam was a complete failure and what is interesting is all of these wars never had a clear goal or mission in mind. I must ask what is our mission in Iran, if it begets war.

The attacks on the World Trade Centre and on the Pentagon had a lasting effect on the world which we still see to this day. The events that had taken place on September 11, 2001, was quoted by many as the event that had ‘changed everything.' The attacks had caused many changes to happen in many aspects around the world and changed many attitudes as to how to cope and deal with terrorism. It had caused conflicts to begin in Afghanistan and Iraq, with many nations around the world rushing to America’s aid to deal with those that had caused 9/11. Security was increased drastically to try and prevent anything on this magnitude to ever be able to happen again. The biggest change to have come from the attacks was surely the intelligence services.

The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day and America’s Birthday, is one of our most popular holidays, in part because it comes in mid-summer. Americans celebrate our “birthday” eating watermelon and shooting off and watching fireworks. This holiday commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia which declared that the 13 colonies were Free states and no longer subject to rule of the British King.

The 15th of 20 articles on the Democratic National Conventions

Dazed and Confused is a beloved cult film, especially among teenagers. I recall watching this film with my older brother during his later high school years. With the setting of the film, it seems like something of a coming of age film for teens. It was always one small scene that stood out to me that many probably take for granted. No judgment if you skip by this scene, thinking little or anything. Is the part necessary for the plot and enjoyment of the film? Of course not! I am speaking of Ms. Stroud's final words to her class...

COVID19 in Ohio due to people not social-distancing or wearing masks. So much for flattening the curve. The Governor of Ohio is closing things back up and have the Stay at Home orders in place, Their have been 9,779 new cases within the last two weeks, A 73% jump, That is crazy scary. Too many people are letting their guard down, and as a result these cases are sky rocketing. Unfortunately it is the younger ones getting infected. Ohio isn't the only state with a jump in COVID19 cases. Their have been so many jobs lost and businesses closing, Unemployment rates have gone up drastically. This has been the worst Recession we have ever seen. I honestly don't think things will get better anytime soon. Where do we go from here? No one wants to go back to lockdown, but I think it's inevitable. Even before states began to emerge from their lockdowns, Experts were already trying to figure out what cocktail of interventions that they could turn to should cases spiral again without having to rely on Stay-at-home measures. They had hoped to have more precise intervention - whether focused only on certain communities, business sectors or designed to protect the most vulnerable - could put out flare ups of cases, A way to balance preventing the spread of COVID19 from swamping health systems while still sustaining some semblance of society and economic activity. Now states are going to find out if more targeted approaches can work. If they don't, and if people don't embrace other basic precautions like masking and distancing it could require governors to reinstate even more restrictions. If communities can't control the outbreaks, What might be left is another Stay-at-Home order. The challenge is, It can take some time to know if the interventions are working, Unfortunately we don't have time, Numbers are going up. Public health experts say, It's like a piece of swiss cheese. One slice - say, suspending sporting events - prevents some transmission, but the virus still has lots of holes to pass through, meaning lots of holes for the virus to transmit. By layering slices - promoting masks no theatre or concerts, limiting group activities, dining mostly outside - The idea is to stack enough strategies to cover up the holes left by any one slice and to block the amount of virus that can get through. People in their 20's and 30's are also accounting for greater proportions of new infections, Possibly a mutation of the COVID19 disease. Leading to believe that the younger crowd aren't wearing masks or social distancing, and packing into bars, being unsafe. There is an incredible stress on the health system and they predict it to get a lot worse in the near future. There is great worry for the Fourth of July weekend, We shall see the numbers, Please stay safe, and let's all social - distance. This Coronavirus will run loose when given the chance. It's not just the lungs that this virus attacks, The virus enters the cells in your system through a process called endocytosis, In which the cell surface surrounds the virus and ushers it inside. This takes only 10 minutes to occur. Once inside, The virus uses the cell's protein - making machinery to make hundreds of copies of itself. This overwhelms the cell, and eventually causes it's death. The hostile viral takeover can cause different symptoms in different parts of the body. Damage to the cells in the Nasal epithelium can cause patients to lose their sense of smell and taste. Direct damage to cells in the heart can cause arrhythmia and cardiac dysfunction. About one-third of all patients complain of gastrointestinal symptoms. Damage to the GI Tract could explain why some patients complain of abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea. Patients also develop acute renal failure. This could be caused by direct damage to the Kidney cells or by a hyperactive immune reaction. Also has other reactions including the Pancreas and Gallbladder. It can even cause lack of blood flow to your intestines. We definitely have a long way to go.

There is something I have been wanting to talk about for a while now but never really knew how to put into perspective until recent events. In 2016 during Trump's election campaign his administration came to New Mexico to rally. Naturally I decided to experience it because it was something big happening in my hometown for once. First, I filmed the rallies against him, the crowds of people that included the local shirtless hippie known as "Skin Man" or "Naked Man". These rallies started peaceful, there were some younger adults revving their trucks with Mexico flags. There were thousands gathered and the energy was unlike anything I ever experienced. However, I wanted to see what both sides were like, the curious Virgo mindset I have. I wanted to know where both sides stood, what empowered them to have such overwhelming belief systems that angered them so. So I went inside of the rally to experience the other side. Inside was a MAGNETIC energy that I had never felt before, at the time it made me extremely uneasy. Their was power in the room I had never felt before. The entire crowd was energetic for the same common goal. It was unreal.

They told us America was the Land of the Brave and Free. What they didn't tell us is that it was only really true in stories made up for Movies and TV.

June 26, 2015: the day that love won. Five years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality was the law of the land, which they voted 5-4. At the time, I was working at a non-profit in Springdale, Arkansas as a administrative assistant when I heard the exciting news. The United States became the 21st country to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. It was a win for LGBTQ+ people, allies, and activists everywhere. As of June 2020, there are 29 countries that marriage equality is recognized. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001.

It is a bill that goes badly among the protectors of wildlife and the animal cause. In late February, the South African government proposed adding ninety local and non-native species to the list of animals regulated by the Meat Safety Act (MSA), responsible for setting standards for the country's slaughterhouses and regulate the meat trade.

As I continue to educate myself on racism in America, I watched to highly recommended documentary “13th”. The 13th Amendment of the Constitution states "Neither slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction." essentially meaning slavery is illegal, but prisoners can be treated as slaves. This documentary was incredibly informative and compelling to say the least. I've compiled notes I took while watching the film in an attempt to stay engaged and hold myself accountable for my education on the matter and created a list of 13 important lessons or information nuggets from the film to extend that information to others and have an easily accessible format for myself for future reference.

A couple weeks ago, I published an article recommending my favorite wellness podcasts. Since then, it has come to my attention that the woman behind one of the podcasts, Jen Gotch, curated a culture of racism at her company ban.do. In an effort to provide folks, especially white folks, an alternative that is rooted in dismantling white supremacy and supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement, I am offering an updated set of recommendations centered on anti-racism work.

Like so many across the nation, I have been lost this week. Lost in hurt and anger and confusion for so many of my friends. I must begin by acknowledging my privilege. I am a white woman of middle-class. I have never been pulled over with the fear, This is how I die.

* 100% of the earnings (generated by reads and tips) from this article will be donated to Black Visions Collective.

In the realm of Australian politics no other seat is more hotly contested than Eden-Monaro. This seat is geographically located within New South Wales and the Nation’s capital, Canberra. For decades it’s been considered a “bellwether seat” and one of the original 62 seats of the Australian Parliament. If I were to say the seat of Eden-Monaro was the Mecca of Australian Politics, I’d be selling short the importance of it. Traditionally no government has one won office in Australia without first winning the seat of Eden-Monaro, until recently.

Meet Kamala Harris

I'm not targeting anybody in particular, so I'm just going to speak in general terms. We need to vote out our fascist-leaning politicians, but Democrats and Republicans are empty distinctions. Our system of government is something the rest of the world never saw before. Bad politicians need to be peacefully voted out of office. History will be determined once the dust settles, but we need to take our democracy back as a collective. Democracy should be something we need to take back in general because it has been corrupted by the current administration.

China and its plan to be a greener country, and this are beginning to have repercussions on a global scale. According to new research by Bloomberg, since 2011 electric vehicles have caused a decrease in global oil consumption of approximately 3%. The important thing about this data is that more than three-quarters of this decrease is due only to electric buses.

If you've survived Catholic School, you will have an awareness of what a history book looks like. Wikipedia states that the Democratic Party is the oldest party. Political parties got started originally so that commoners could figure out which way to vote according to their value system. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828. The Democratic Party was founded to support Andrew Jackson, but later on it evolved to be a party that was known for its liberalism. In order to get rid of political parties, we have to assume that there is a way to live without them.

India bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok

When Princess Beatrice gets married on May 29, 2020, she will get a new title. Her sister Princess Eugenie did not get a similar title when she got married on October 12, 2018. There is a reason Princess Beatrice is getting a special title. The reason she is getting that title after her marriage explains why her sister Princess Eugenie did not inherit the same title.

There are now almost 3,000 coronavirus deaths worldwide. And America also records the first death in Washington state. The victim was a woman in her 50s. It had arrived, the US media reported, with "serious breathing problems" at EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland, Washington. It is not clear yet when the patient was hospitalized, when the symptoms first appeared and how long it took to get tested.

In a weird case of life imitating art, the country of Wakanda - established in #Marvel canon as the homeland of King T'Challa aka Black Panther - has been struck from the list of approved free trade agreement partners with the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA.

President Donald J. Trump has been silent about the death of George Floyd and other black and brown victims who have died at the hands of police in the United States. Instead, he has doubled down on “law and order” threatening to send the U.S. military to end the protests. His latest cause raises questions about the heart and mind of the current president. His new cause is the preservation of monuments honoring men who committed treason against the United States and who slaughtered Native Americans in order to steal their land.

Dear Mr. Trump,

This morning while watching the news, my husband stood up and walked away from the TV muttering, "Trump would be a terrible substitute teacher."