Thoughts Here!

Big impacts start small

[thoughtsofayat]

Exploitative Alliances

The United States has been supporting a country, that, at its core, is contradictory to everything America stands for. Saudi Arabia is not free, democratic or equal to its citizens, three qualities that are integral to American values. Oil and politics might seem like logical reasons for the alliance, despite differences in beliefs. However, if one looks at recent history, these aren’t really factors any more.

Ever since the first oil deal with Saudi Arabia in 1933, the United States has been a strong ally to Saudi Arabia over oil. But since the diversity of the global oil market in the mid-20th century, oil is no longer a big factor. In fact, for the latter half of the century, it was Cold War politics that brought Saudi Arabia and the United States to the same side. The Saudi government, a monarchy and a theocracy, made them natural enemies of the communist Soviet Union and thus a natural United States ally, according to Vox News. As we move into recent years, Saudi Arabia and Iran have become two big opposing powers in the Middle East, each vying for dominance and each backed by United States and Russia, respectively.

Yet just because an alliance was made during the Cold War doesn’t mean that it’s a good reason to continue that alliance. The Cold War ended over 20 years ago, and the United States’ interests in the Middle East have shifted. Iran is no longer a hard-cold enemy, as demonstrated by Obama’s 2015 nuclear peace deal. And with the aftermath of Iraq and the entrance of Obama, the United States has shifted more toward letting Middle Eastern countries determine their own democratic government, advocating for peace for civilians. In other words, the American interests contradict Saudi Arabian interests against Iran. For example, in Egypt, where Saudi Arabia and Iran have a proxy war, the United States supports the democratically elected Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia opposes them as Gregory Gause, a University of Vermont Policy Professor, writes on Law Fare Blog. Gause also talks about Syria, where Saudis see the removal of Bashar al-Assad, supported by Iran, as their bigger priority in the country.

Ever since the first oil deal with Saudi Arabia in 1933, its alliance with the United States has remained strong. Yet after so many years to think the relationship over, it’s time for United States to stop and ask itself why we are still friends with a country that has such a poor human rights record.

If people have doubts that the United States still supports Saudi Arabia, then they should look at the recent actions of Congress. As NPR reported in December 2015, the U.S. State Department just approved a $1.29 billion arms sale, effectively providing Saudi Arabia weapons that it will use to violently further its interests in Yemen.

The United States obviously has a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia even today. Yet the more one thinks the relationship over, the less it makes sense. Freedom House, one of the leading organizations collecting data on the freedom of countries, consistently gives Saudi Arabia a freedom score of seven (the worst and lowest possible score). Human Rights Watch points out that the Saudi government withholds human rights to women, migrants and those imprisoned. Saudi Arabia is already infamous for its denial of rights to women, but its migrant workers are constantly subjugated to conditions like confinement, non-payment of wages, food deprivation and all types of abuse providing some of the worst working conditions in the world. Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system has laws that allow persecution for broad crimes like “breaking allegiance with the ruler.” These are all evidence from Human Rights Watch report clearly indicating a lack of equality and democracy in Saudi Arabia.

Now that we are all caught up on the Saudi-United States history, some questions still remain. Yet by now, the answer should be clear: There is no real reason anymore. Saudi Arabia and the United States might have been allies in the past, but the world’s changed now, and there’s little reason for the relationship to go further. The bad news is that as the U.S. grows farther apart from the Saudi Arabia, it will likely lead to more turmoil in the country and thus the Middle East. But in order for Saudi Arabia to ever be a future ally the U.S. can actually be proud of, we must break the relationship now. We can’t continue to coddle a country whose values and actions  are anti-American at its core.

http://ucsdguardian.org/2016/01/10/exploitative-alliances/

I don’t think it’s my best piece of literary writing, but it is a topic I care about. Might write about it more eloquently later on.

[thoughtsofayat]

Amman, Jordan

[thoughtsofayat]

Muslim In America: We Must Understand and Combat Islamaphobia

With the recent rise of Daesh, more commonly known as ISIS, it’s hard to be an American and not have an opinion about Islam and Muslims. If you are anything like my friends, you have many questions and nobody to ask. As Huffington Post points out, only a quarter of Americans have a Muslim friend.

Here’s where I come in. My name is Ayat and I’m going to try and answer all your questions about Islam, Muslims and Middle Eastern politics as best I can. My father is a devout Muslim, while my mother is a wildcard. I do not identify as a practicing Muslim, but I am part of the Muslim community. My aim is to promote better understanding of Islam and the Middle East overall.

Since the emergence of Daesh, the hatred and fear of Muslims in America has worsened. Hate crimes against Muslims in America have risen threefold, specifically since the San Bernardino attacks, according to NBC news. These aren’t abstract crimes happening far away. They are happening right here in San Diego. On Nov. 20, a Muslim student at San Diego State was assaulted in the school parking lot when a man pulled off her headscarf while calling her a terrorist, reported the San Diego Union-Tribune.

On Nov. 13, posters appeared at multiple locations on UCSD’s campus calling the Muslim Student Association and Students for Justice in Palestine “terrorists,” according to a student’s Facebook post. These incidents occurred even before San Bernardino, which resulted in an increasingly unsafe environment for Muslims in America. Muslim students explained in a co-written letter that prior to the posters, Muslim students were still subjected to harassment from other groups and bullied via social media, where their pictures are frequently taken without consent, posted online and labeled “terrorists.”

Defaced posters are only the tip of the iceberg. My family and friends are afraid of retribution for being Muslim. However, it’s important to note that combating Islamophobia would be beneficial to more than just Muslims. Dalia Mogahed, who works for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, went on the Jan. 7 episode of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” explaining how the same politicians that are against Muslims also support policies that harm blacks, Latinos, women, labor movements and gays. Donald Trump is a clear example of this. On its website, ISPU has a time-worthy data visualization supporting this statement. In addition, hate crimes against Muslims often target “Muslim-looking or Arab-looking” non-Muslims as well, such as Sikhs, Latinos and Arabs of Christian and Jewish faiths. This in itself demonstrates a deeper level of misunderstanding regarding the very diverse communities of Muslims.

Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding the banning of Muslims entering the United States promotes a deeply problematic intolerance. While many oppose Trump’s remarks, some have echoed his prejudice. My goal is to fight hate with understanding. It’s hard to hate a human you can empathize with. I’m not here to convert you. I’m here to befriend

you.http://ucsdguardian.org/2016/01/13/muslim-in-america-we-must-understand-and-combat-islamaphobia/

[thoughtsofayat]

Updates

Been an exciting week. ( I was about to say busy, but then I remembered my new years resolution. Besides, exciting is more interesting and arguably, more true). As you might be able to tell, I no longer on winter holiday, and thus can’t do winter weekly wikis -ie daily wikis. I am trying my best to do weekly wikis, but I keep wikipedian-ing things and not actually writing a post about it. Need to develop a strategy for motivating or phrasing the assignment to where I will actually do it. However, since I am back in school, regular writing for the newspaper has begun! I will post the 2 articles I’ve written in 2 weeks after this post. I also posted something on Facebook about my last few weeks, which I will post here because I’m very happy to share it. Nonetheless, I’m exciting for this year. (I keep saying that but it is so true).

"This week has been so crazy, exciting and rewarding. The Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWI 2016), which I've been helping plan for over year, finished YESTERDAY and was amazing!! (200 girls in physics, 3 days, lots of fun). My team, Lotus, learned that they will be going to CGIU for the 2nd time. My new column for the guardian about muslims in america published on Thursday (you can still get it) and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, whose work I referenced, sent me an email congratulating me on a good article. GAH! So exciting and its just the beginning of 2016. I have 2 more projects in store that I can't wait to keep working on. Lastly, I want to acknowledge my privelege largely given from my mom. Because of it, I have the time, money, supportive community and resources to work on exciting projects like these. I am immensely thankful to have such opportunity and I guess my best way of showing it is to keep working on things that I believe in. In summary, I am extremely grateful and happy, and I just wanted to share.“

[thoughtsofayat]

The beauty of data visualization - David McCandless

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/david-mccandless-the-beauty-of-data-visualization David McCandless turns complex data sets, like worldwide milita...

Just finished watching this talk on data visualization and loved it. The more I learn about big data, specifically data visualization, the more I’m convinced it’s what I want to do. Now I just have to overcome the hurdle and learning to do it in the first place. #myNextBigProject

[thoughtsofayat]

Dragon Bone Rice Terraces

Guilin, China

[thoughtsofayat]

Autobiography on Privelege

How am I Privelaged, let me count the ways.

-started before I was born, when my parents were given enough options in Healthcare to choose when I could be born -it started when i was born on american soil, and thus given my american citizenship -it started at birth, when i was born into a hospital with adequate resources to assure I'm born safe -it followed with good gentics and luck, that i was born able bodied -it followed to home, where i was given food and shelter, important resources for a baby -it followed to my parents, where as the daughter of first generation immigrants I grew up between 2 cultures that in itself created a greater sense of understanding of the world -it followed my parents, their degrees and their access to jobs as a result -then i grew up, my Privelage became living in a safe neighborhood where i could play outside -it became having opportunity to have many toys. Bikes, gameboys, you get the point -it became living in neighborhoods with good public schools -it became having my own room where i could develop as an individual -then we moved, and the Privelage still followed -it showed when my parents asked and considered my brother's and my opinion on moving -it showed when we were able to buy a bigger house in a safer neighbor -it showed when there was a park down the street and a lake in the complex -it showed in that my neighbors were doctors and engineers -it showed in my ability to travel with family, not just in America but overseas -it showed in our home, with my unrestricted access to internet -it showed in my luck, that i was never taken advantage of online despite talking to a lot of strangers -it continues when we moved, closer to grandma this time -it was Privelage of being surrounded by a lot adults like my grandma and uncle who lived great lives and gave sound advice -it continued in my high school, that offered advanced and AP courses -it continued that i could afford the ap exams, the Sat's, the act's, etc -it continued in my city, where taxes are high so public education can be great -it continued to my neighborhood, where my neighbors were diverse like me, despite being in the midwest -it followed to my community, which was liberal and understanding -it showed in high school, where I loved to learn in class and thus never struggled -it manifested in high school that I never developed a mental illness, despite having many friends who did -it showed in all my schooling, where I was never bullied despite being the new kid -it showed at home, where i didnt have responsibilities or worries besides taking care of myself -it showe at home, when my parents considered the needs of my brother and I first when getting a divorce -then there was college, even just the option a privelage on its own -it was Privelage that college was considered a given in my education -it was privelage in that my parents reluctantly allowed me to study anywhere I wanted, even if it was far away -it is privilege that everyone in my family is healthy, and face no diseases like cancer or its equals -it was my biggest privelage that my parents could afford an out-of-state education. This provided the most opportunity in terms of being able to find and afford a school perfect for my ability to grow -it was privelage that my school was diverse, allowing me to continue to talk to and experience other backgrounds -it was privelage that I didn't need a job during college -it was privelage that my parents had been through college, and could understand my experiences -it was privelage, that my public schooling all my life had prepared me adequately for the rigor of college -it was privelage in the summers, that allowed me to afford unpaid internships for experience -its privelage that after college will leave with no debt, and thus a lot of options

There are millions more ways that I am privelaged, but enough said. 

My journey, my opportunities, my 'success' would not exist without such privelage. 

[thoughtsofayat]

Most beautiful man in the universe.

[thoughtsofayat]

New Years Resolutions

In honor, new years coming up and the theme setting new years resolutions, I'm going to be talking about goals. So now winter weekly wiki today.

Now I don't really consider that I set new years resolutions for myself. Instead ever since I was little, I remember writing constantly setting goals for myself periodically (around every 4 months). These time periods aligned with the school year (and thus new years). When I was little, they were big goals. As one gets older, you expect to acomplish your goals. But I've found that in my case, I would not acomplish the whole goal but rather parts of the goal. Like how an artists chips away at a sculpture over time.

For example, here are 2 goals I've had for as long as I can remeber: -Learn the 6 languages of the UN (english, french, spanish, arabic, chinese, russian) -live in a new city (preferably country) every 4 years

In retrospect, it's unfair to say these goals can ever really be acomplished. The 2nd one, living in a new country, is set to become a new goal every four years or so. On the second, I have formally studied 5 of the languages of the UN, but I would hardly say I've mastered any of them besides English. I'm constantly looking to improve.

This can be seen in the other goals I tend to set over time as well. They aren't things that can be acomplished and done with. Instead, I strive towards them always. I think that's the point of goals anyways. To constantly use them as a means of bettering yourself.

Here are some more examples of goals I've set for myself in the past (and are still goals today). -Read a book a month. (been a goal since I came to college. it is constantly a struggle). -Every four years or so, I pick up a new extreme hobby. In high school it was a little bit of parkour and gymnastics (went ok). In college, it was to learn to surf and scuba dive (1/2 way there). After college, it is to get a pilot's license.

So without further ado, hear are my goals/2016 new years resolutions. They are not much different from my last goal list in Sept 2015.

-positive thoughts: dont say you are busy. Think of time in terms of priorities -go somewhere new in sd once a week (In my long term plan, I only have a year left in san diego before I go. I should enjoy it). -publish a weekly wiki on tumblr once a week acompanied with a picture (been gaining traction) -become a huffington post author by March (almost there) -read or listen to a book a month (I like having this goal in college. It motivates me to read, which I feel happier doing). -keep doing things that scare me -do a sport 4 times a week (for me, this means signing up for rec classes. been doing pretty ok with this(exercising 2 or 3 times a week when I'm not traveling), but this year I want to added an extra day or two of exercise per week). Right now I have rock climbing, yoga, and surfing planned for 3 days a week. I'm trying to incoporate either ballet or running for the 4th day. -be more present when in company and less on friends

[thoughtsofayat]

Belle, the movie

ugh, tumblr hates me and always deletes what I write. anyways, 2nd time writing this. not going to do a proper weekly wiki today because I make bad life choices on the internet and now it's late and I want to go to sleep (4:30 am).

I watched the movie Belle today, which is amazing and you all should see it. It's by a badass black female director name Amma Asante (sp?) and is the story of a real life black female aristocrat in 1700's england name Elizabeth Dido Belle.

the movie talks about the Zong massacre, which was a trial during the time and one of several judicial cases that made slavery illegal in England. Another significant case was the Somerset vs. Stewart trial, but that was not mentioned in the movie.

In short, the Zong massacre was a slave ship that threw it's diseased 'cargo', the slaves, overboard because it claimed there was not enough water onboard for everyone. The owners then tried to claim insurance on the 'cargo', and the insurance company took the claims to court. It was ruled in favor of the insurers.

For details on everything I mentioned, here are the Wikipedia articles below. I should also mention that Dido's grand-uncle, who raised her, was the judge in these cases and, as wikipedia says, the most influential judge of England in that century. His biggest legacy was court decisions against slavery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_v_Stewart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Murray,_1st_Earl_of_Mansfield

[point-of-origin]

Detroit today. People give this city crap, but I’m always amazed every time I go.

[thoughtsofayat]

Winter Weekly Wiki- Maternal Death

-defined as the death of a women while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of the pregnancy (only counts non accidental causes)

-world mortality rate has declined 45% since 1990

-A mothers death results in vulnerable families. For the infants with mothers who died during childbirth, they become more likely to die before they are 2 years old.

-Most common causes of death: postpartum bleeding (15%) complications from unsafe abortion (15%) hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (10%) postpartum infections (8%) obstructed labor (6%) blood clots (3%) pre-existing conditions (28%)

Malaria, anemia, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular disease all may complicate pregnancy.

-Maternal death is also closely linked to age, income, distance from health center and infant mortality. Young mothers face higher risks of complications and thus death, especially those 15 years or younger. When a mother dies during childbirth, her child is more likely to die as well.

-99% of deaths are in developing nations, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

-Unsafe abortion is the leading single cause of maternal mortality worldwide. In countries where maternal mortality rate is relatively low, unsafe abortions account for 25% of maternal deaths. Note these deaths are preventable and arise from improperly preformed procedures. In low income countries, the most common cause of maternal death is obstetrical hemorrhage.

-Four measure of the maternal death maternal mortality ratio (MMR) - ratio of number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births in the same period. This is used as a measure of the quality of the health care system. maternal mortality rate (MMRate)- number of maternal deaths in population divided by the number of women of reproductive age (usually per 1,000 women) lifetime risk of maternal death - refers to the probability that a 15 year old female will die from a maternal cause. It is usually derived from MMR and MMRate. proportion of maternal deaths among deaths of women reproductive years (PM)- number of maternal deaths among deaths of women of reproductive age

-In the US, maternal death rates are rising (since 2000)

Four elements essential to maternal death prevention 1st -prenatal care. expecting mothers should have at least 4 visits to the doctor to check the baby's health 2nd -skilled birth attendance (doctors, nurses, midwives, etc) who can recognize complications 3rd - emergency obstetric care to address the major cause of maternal death like hemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorder and obstructed labor 4th -postnatal care. for the 6 weeks following delivery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death

[thoughtsofayat]

In honor of the snow today, my first time seeing snow back when I was 5.

Ottawa, CA

[thoughtsofayat]

Rant- Ask Why (in regards to the Paris Attacks)

Late rant about what made me upset about the paris attacks.

My biggest thoughts on recent events is that I hope people don’t stop asking questions and thinking critically. Political shock stuns the public into conformity that would support what is normally criticized (for more on this, see Naomi Klein’s shock doctrine or read my post). I’ve written an entire tumblr post on my personal blog where you can read my personal thoughts and my answers to some questions. For reference, here are some questions I had for myself and I think you should ask yourself too. Is the decision of my country rooted in fear and shock? What are the long term consequences of the options on the table? Is this the best way to go forward for all parties involved (not just my country)? Why was solidarity with Paris so quick to happen as opposed to other locations? Why is there still common place violence/war in certain regions still? Psychologically, what has happened to our population to allow commonplace violence and wars to be acceptable in certain countries and unacceptable in others? Why was Paris bombed and not somewhere else? Why would further intervention be a good (or bad) idea? Where is this ideology coming from? Why does engaging in war to stop war seem like a good idea?

1) History, War and Sympathy What happened in Paris was a tragedy by any means. However, so are the injustices happening in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, etc. However, those tragedies aren't highlighted in the same light in the media, or given the same global sympathy. The main argument I've heard for this is because tragedy happens in those locations daily. It's commonplace. In Paris, it's not so there's more of a shock to it. For this, I have some responses that speak on the greater notion of war altogether. a) How did violence in such nations become so commonplace? Let’s analyze this. To me here are the main factors, but to fully understand them (which I don’t) means studying the history of such regions in detail: But here are the main factors nonetheless. a. Being post-colonial countries : being a post- colonial country largely means that after many years of brutal rule, new countries were created with a need to i. Unite many ethnic minorities that have historically been at war ii. Create a government (usually a western-supported ‘democracy’) with no political experience in the manner iii. Control an economy despite also having no experience in the manner iv. Call and train an army despite their instability and again, no experience in the manner b. Foreign intervention: during the time of their creation, many post-colonial countries also had to deal with the interventions of powerful countries like the USA, Russia, and many in Europe (including France). During this time, post-colonial countries had to accept their inability to stop stronger contries from: i. Propping up leaders in place of citizen elected leaders (USA is very guilty of propping up dictators in place of communist leaders). ii. Staging coups that would overthrow citizen backed governments. Keep in mind that these coups meant arming opposition forces in such countries (and also a sneaky way of doing so without it directly leading back to the supporting country (Russia, USA, etc)).  Things to remember: 1. Who did the arming (US, Russia, China, France -> top provider of arms) 2. Where did the weapons go after the coup? (Changes depending on the country, but this is how a lot of terrorist organizations got their weapons later on). 3. What were the citizens supporting? 4. Who exactly was being overthrown, who was being armed, and which overseas countries benefited. Don’t let western propaganda skew the answers to these questions (and blatantly assume all communists were bad). Look at what each side stood for, and ask if you were a citizen in that country, what you would want. iii. Some wiki articles to introduce the topic: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_authoritarian_regimes_supported_by_the_United_States 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_change_actions 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_state-sponsored_terrorism

Back to the main question. How did violence in such countries become so commonplace? My answer is that we continue to intervene and use war as the answer: supply more weapons to people who are on our side only for a moment, only in 10 years to have them turn around and become our greatest enemies. How many times does this need to happen before we realize this strategy of stopping such violence isn’t working!

b) Psychologically, what has happened to our population to allow commonplace violence and wars to be acceptable in certain countries and unacceptable in others? Question staged another way, is ‘why is terrorism in France so much more shocking than terrorism in Lebanon (for example)?’ Here are my answers: a. A lot of the time, violence overseas is our fault (see part a). It’s harder to sympathize when the USA, France, etc is causing / responsible for the violence and at some level, we think the violence is justified. After all, we are there fighting terrorists, right? They deserved to be bombed, etc. (see part a for fallacies in this idea. Where did the terrorist come from, and just how successful war actually is). b. In America, we can just sympathize with France more. France could have (and has been) in the past us. We (the USA) are colonizers, arms- dealers, and foreign interventionists just like France. Both countries have done a lot of damage overseas and incurred a lot of enemies and hate as a results. However, both countries are also supposed to be more powerful militarily and thus able to protect themselves from such repercussions of actions abroad. However, in this instance France failed and it’s scary. It scary because we are supposed to be stronger, and they are supposed to be weaker. They are not supposed to be able to hurt us back. I think this speaks to a deeper issue at so many levels. For example, i. Why is it ok for us to harm a weaker country, and not expect hurt in return? ii. How are countries supposed to grow peacefully and be at the same level at the USA if we treat them this way (weaker countries to be bullied)? In summary, I think it’s just sad. Because by sympathizing more with France than Lebanon, we are sympathizing with the oppressor and not the oppressed. When we continue to support this dynamic, injustice will continue. Truly equal nations that can collaborate on a global scale won’t happen if we continue to believe that certain countries deserve to be better than others. 2) Shock Doctrine The idea of shocking people into obedience is relevant not only in regards to shock therapy, but also politics. After moments of shock, whole societies are more inclined to follow leaders and policies that were otherwise unsupported. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSF0e6oO_tw Full Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=550p455dfM4&list=PL1DE69769369B7089 This came to mind when I read two headlines, • France Bombs ISIS headquarters in Syria • An article written in French paper Le Figaro titled, “Is France Ripe for an Authoritarian Regime?” published a day before the Paris attacks. I can see the change happening, the change being allowed from shock happening already. And this is why I say questioning is important. Because as Naomi Klein points out, “Information is shock resistance.” Don’t take what is-force fed to you. Keep questioning. 3) Burmese Elections Burma just had democratic elections led for the people by the people. While the country still has a ways to go, I could not be happier, mostly because of Aung Suu Kyi. She is the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the winner of the nobel peace prize in 1991. She has been advocating for peace and democracy in Burma since before 1991, and it has not been an easy path. I mention this because of two reasons. a) I believe this is the path to the future. Aung never supported war, and instead supported collaboration among all citizens and progress through peace and dialogues. While it sounds idealistic (because it is), it can happen and Burma is now another case to back such idealism. It’s not an easy or short path, as Burma knows, (before 1991!) but I believe it’s more stable than the options for war and will lead to more prosperity to citizens everywhere overall. When thinking about the current situation in other countries (like Syria and Iraq) and how we can go forward, keep the progress in Burma as an example. b) Aung San Suu Kyi has a speech that resonates with me called, “Freedom from Fear”. So many policies are rooted in fear. When we move forward to make decisions in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, I warn us not to make or support decisions based on fear. Like the shock doctrine points out with shock, Aung San Suu Kyi says, ‘fear is not the natural state of civilized man.’ 4) Keep asking questions War is often a decision that comes out of fear and insecurity (not always), and before we engage or enter any more violence, I would like us to really think of the words of Naomi Klein and Aung San Suu Kyi. Before we make any decision, I think we should think first. Are we still in shock? Is this decision rooted in fear? What is really happening and why? Is this what should be happening? Is this the best way to go forward?

I spent ~ 2.5 hrs writing that and it’s still not perfect, but hey…those are my thoughts.

[thoughtsofayat]

*channeling my inner tortoro*

Hong Fa Temple in Shenzhen, China

[thoughtsofayat]

Winter Weekly Wiki-Cloward-Piven strategy

-a political strategy outlined in 1966 by American sociologists and political activists Richard Cloward and France Fox Piven.

-Strategy was to overload the U.S. public welfare system in order to create a crisis that would lead to a replacement of the welfare system with a national system of "a guaranteed annual income and thus an end to poverty"

-At the time, the strategy focused on forcing the Democratic Party to help the poor.

-Side consquences: easing the plight of the poor in short-term, shoring up support for the national Democratic Party, and relieving local governments of the financially and politically onerous burdens of public welfare

-Result: between 1971 and 1977, mass unrest did happen and their was an expansion of the welfare program. Howeve the guaranteed-income program did not happen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloward%E2%80%93Piven_strategy

[thoughtsofayat]

Toronto, CA