The Bullet Journal (For All Our Fellow To Do List Makers!)

Insightful thoughts about the Zimmerman trial...

I must first say that I did not write this. It was posted by a friend who also did not write it with the following caption. I repost because this needs to be said.

Insightful thoughts about the Zimmerman trial from a very thoughtful leader, theologian and pastor in the Christian social gospel movement for decades. 


Lament from a White Father
By Jim Wallis 

It’s time for white people — especially white parents — to listen, to learn, and to speak out on the terribly painful loss of Trayvon Martin.
If my white 14-year-old son Luke had walked out that same night, in that same neighborhood, just to get a snack he would have come back to his dad unharmed — and would still be with me and Joy today. Everyone, being honest with ourselves, knows that is true. But when black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin went out that night, just to get a snack, he ended up dead — and is no longer with his dad and mom. Try to imagine how that feels, as his parents.

It was a political, legal, and moral mistake to not put race at the center of this trial because it was at the center from the beginning of this terrible case. Many are now saying, “There was a trial; the results must be accepted.” How well the case against George Zimmerman was prosecuted, how fair the tactics of the defense were, the size and selection of the jury, how narrowly their instructions were given — all will be the subject of legal discussions for a very long time.

But while the legal verdicts of this trial must be accepted, the larger social meaning of court cases and verdicts must be dealt with, especially as they impact the moral quality of our society.

This is not just about verdicts but also about values. 

And the impact of race in and on this case, this trial, and the response to it around the country must now all be centrally addressed.

There is no doubt that this whole tragedy began with the racial profiling of Trayvon Martin. In George Zimmerman’s comments, rationales, and actions, the identity of Trayvon as a young black man was absolutely central. Both sides in the courtroom admitted that.

And when the defense put up as a witness a white woman who had been robbed by a black man as central to why Zimmerman picked out Trayvon Martin to follow and stalk — it really said it all. Was she robbed by Trayvon Martin? No. So why should he be suspect because of another black robber? That is racial profiling. Period.

As the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his most famous “I Have a Dream” speech, whose 50th anniversary is coming up this August 24th:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

King’s dream failed on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla., when George Zimmerman decided to follow Trayvon Martin because of the color of his skin. This led to a confrontation in which a child was killed by an adult who got away with it, because of the way Florida laws were written and interpreted.

What exactly happened between Zimmerman and Martin will never be known, because the boy is dead and the adult did not have to testify and be cross examined. How a black boy responded to a strange man who was following him, and what the stranger did with that, is a story we can never really know. But regardless of the verdict that rests on narrow definitions of self-defense and reasonable doubt, it is absolutely clear that racial profiling was present in this whole incident.

And racial profiling is a sin in the eyes of God. It should also be a crime in the eyes of our society, and the laws we enact to protect each other and our common good.

White parents should ask black parents what they were talking about with their children this weekend. It is a long-standing conversation between black dads and moms, especially with their boys, about how to carefully behave in the presence of police officers with guns. Now they must add any stranger who might have a gun and could claim they were fearful of a black man and had to shoot. The spread of legalized carried-and-concealed weapons and the generous self-defense laws that accompany the guns will lead to the death of more black men in particular.

Death is horrible enough. But systematic injustice — one that allows white boys to assume success, yet leads black boys to cower from the very institutions created to protect our own wellbeing — is a travesty. Listen to the stories from Saturday and Sunday nights, of 12-year-old black boys who asked to sleep in bed with their parents because they were afraid. If black youth in America can’t rely on the police, the law, or their own neighborhood for protection — where can they go?

This is one of those painful moments which reveal an utterly segregated society, in reality and perception alike. White people have almost no idea of what black people are thinking and feeling — even the parents of their children’s friends from school or sports teams who are black. Trust me: most white people over this past weekend, whether conservatives or liberals, had almost no idea of what was happening in virtually every black family in America.

Finally, there is a religious message here for all Christians. If there ever was a time that demonstrated why racially and culturally diverse congregations are needed — that time is now. The body of Christ is meant, instructed, and commanded by Christ to be racially inclusive. If white Christians stay in our mostly-white churches and talk mostly to each other we will never understand how our black brothers and sisters are feeling after a terrible weekend like this one. It was the conversation of every black church in America on this Sunday, but very few white Christians heard that discussion or felt that pain.

White Christians cannot and must not leave the sole responsibility of telling the truth about America, how it has failed Trayvon Martin and so many black Americans, solely to their African American brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s time for white Christians to listen to their black brothers and sisters, to learn their stories, and to speak out for racial justice and reconciliation. The country needs multi-racial communities of faith to show us how to live together.

To Those Who Just Don’t Get it!

This week was an historic time in the fight for gay people’s civil rights. The gay community has been celebrating the victory as we should be. But we also know we still have a lot of work to do before we truly have equality amongst those who disagree.  I will say this. I haven’t heard a good argument against gay marriage being legal yet. So if you have one other than it’s not natural, it’s against the Bible, procreation, imposing our “immoral” beliefs, scantity of marriage blah blah blah give it to me. There’s a comments section, speak up!

This week I have seen very few negative posts on my timelines about it. Most people are just not weighing in or they have been posting supportive things. I have seen a couple posts here and there and some really offended me. The main one I saw was this little diddy:

It’s deceptively packaged in wording that makes it sound like “this is harmless, I do not wish you harm, and don’t tell me I’m wrong for my opinion because then you’re a bad person.”  But to someone who is gay, who wants the same type life you have. We want to be able to marry the person we love, have and raise our kids, be able to do the same things with our families that everyone else gets to do and what business is it really of yours to say we can’t or should n’t?  To say or post this crap is literally telling gay people “I have my life but you are not worthy of getting these same things because MY bible told me so”. Do you hear how that sounds?  They used the same exact arguments years ago to fight interracial couples getting married and really integration in general. And they even had Bible verses that they claimed backed that up. Sound familiar?  The Bible doesn’t tell you to discriminate against people or treat some as though they are less than yourself. It just doesn’t do that. The people who triumph in the Bible stories are not the group of folks acting as a crowd but the underdog who really needs help but is being trampled or blocked out of the crowd by healthy people.  God is a loving, forgiving, and accepting God. We are all sinners in his eyes and no sin is worse than another. If that’s the case and we’re suddenly a theocracy then we shall outlaw beer, cigarettes, divorce, tattoos, cussing, large portions at restaurants and probably even some of these churches because some of these church leaders are being worshipped like God himself.

Jesus walked amongst the sinners to show us God’s love. He didn’t elevate himself above us and discriminate or exclude those whose lifestyles were not according to the Bible.  He actually protected sinners. So now we have turned around God’s word and snobbed it up in true human fashion. We snub those who don’t conform to what OUR interpretation of the Bible is and group up into cliques and judge like our own mess don’t stink.   

It’s sad that we use this book, this holy book as a tool of hatred and discrimination. We as Christians must learn to appreciate and even celebrate the differences between people. We must remember that faith is personal and our sins are really only between us and God. You are free to have your beliefs but one has to understand the difference between what they believe and what others should be free to do.

If gay people get married, nothing at all happens to your faith, to your marriage, to your life by allowing others to share in the same happiness, and it’s selfish to voice such a strong opinion when you don’t even have a dog in the fight.  As a heterosexual you can get married, have kids, and not have to worry about the expense, time, and hassle of 1 parent having to legally adopt the kid that their partner had so that both people have legal parenting rights. Or you’re allowed to make decisions on your partner’s behalf in the event they are too sick or hurt to do so – or even as simple as being allowed in to see them in the hospital without having to have pre planned (and spent $) to have those legal documents drawn up to allow that ahead of time as well. Whereas bubba and betty sue can get drunk and get those rights automatically after a drunken night at a elvis themed wedding chapel in vegas. Yup soo sanctimonious. Aint it great to be straight!? 

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

We found this on Facebook and thought we should share:

 

 

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

 

 Alt + 0153..... ™... trademark symbol

 Alt + 0169.... ©.... copyright symbol

 Alt + 0174..... ®....registered ­ trademark symbol

 Alt + 0176 ...°......degree symbol

 Alt + 0177 ...±....plus-or ­-minus sign

 Alt + 0182 ...¶.....paragr­aph mark

 Alt + 0190 ...¾....fractio­n, three-fourths

 Alt + 0215 ....×.....multi­plication sign

 Alt + 0162...¢....the ­ cent sign

 Alt + 0161.....¡..... ­.upside down exclamation point

 Alt + 0191.....¿..... ­upside down question mark

 Alt + 1.......☺....smiley face

 Alt + 2 ......☻.....black smiley face

 Alt + 15.....☼.....sun

 Alt + 12......♀.....female sign

 Alt + 11.....♂......m­ale sign

 Alt + 6.......♠.....spade

 Alt + 5.......♣...... ­Club

 Alt + 3.......♥...... ­Heart

 Alt + 4.......♦...... ­Diamond

 Alt + 13......♪.....e­ighth note

 Alt + 14......♫...... ­beamed eighth note

 Alt + 8721.... ∑.... N-ary summation (auto sum)

 Alt + 251.....√.....square root check mark

 Alt + 8236.....∞..... ­infinity

 Alt + 24.......↑..... ­up arrow

 Alt + 25......↓...... ­down arrow

 Alt + 26.....→.....r­ght arrow

 Alt + 27......←.....l­eft arrow

 Alt + 18.....↕......u­p/down arrow

 Alt + 29......↔...lef­t right arrow

 

Health Tip: Bananas

Teach Our Daughters The Difference...

December 7, 1941

On December 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was attacked by nearly 200 Japanese warplanes. The attack resulted in the U.S. entering into World War II. America will not ever be the same. This is why we must retain the top military in the world! To all the Veterans that survived Pearl Harbor we would like to say "Thank You".

Random Facts For You...

The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated on Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains. The sign overlooks the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, the historical center of American cinema. "HOLLYWOOD" is spelled out in 45-foot-tall and 350-foot-long white letters. It was originally created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition after the sign was left up. The sign is protected and promoted by the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization.

The sign was first erected in 1923 and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND". Its purpose was to advertise the name of a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults called their development "Hollywoodland" and advertised it as a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills".

They contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect thirteen letters on the hillside, each facing south. The sign company owner, Thomas Fisk Goff (1890–1984) designed the sign. Each letter of the sign was 30 feet wide and 45 feet high, and the whole sign was studded with some 4,000 light bulbs. The sign would flash in segments; "HOLLY," "WOOD," and "LAND" would light up individually, before lighting up entirely. The sign was officially dedicated on July 13, 1923. It was not intended to be permanent. Restoration company Bay Cal Painting says on its website that the expected life was to be about a year and a half, but after the rise of the American cinema in Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the sign became an internationally recognized symbol, and was left there.

- Lisa Lisa



Health Tip: Urgent vs. Emergency

Urgent and Emergency have very specific meanings for the medical community. Urgent means "Come or Call NOW but still breathing and no loss of limb/life". Emergency means there is a threat to life and/or limb. If you call or text us using these terms we are going to ask "What's the Urgency/Emergency" If you fail to immediately answer or beat around the bush then we will consider your circumstance less than urgent or emergent. Please don't abuse the terms. Have A Healthy Day!!!!

The History of 9.11.01

The 9/11 attacks were a series of four suicide attacks that were committed in the United States on September 11, 2001, coordinated to strike areas of New York City and Washington, D.C. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally piloted two of those planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. The hijackers also intentionally crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and intended to pilot the fourth hijacked jet, United Airlines Flight 93, into the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.; however, the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its passengers attempted to take control of the jet from the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including the 246 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes.

The destruction of the Twin Towers caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant impact on global markets. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. Numerous memorials were constructed, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Pentagon Memorial, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. After a lengthy delay, the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center is expected to be completed at ground zero in New York by 2013.

- L.H.

Personal Safety Tip!

This was taken from a newsletter we recently received and we wanted to share:

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you.  Did you know this?  I didn't.  I never really thought of it before.  I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.


Wasp Spray - a friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection.
She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.  The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you.  The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.  She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would.  She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. 

Health Tip: Liver Disease

End Stage Liver Disease translation you are going to die if you don't get a Liver transplant! You will NOT qualify for a liver transplant if you continue to drink and/or do drugs. You must be absolutely alcohol and drug free for one year BEFORE you can be considered a serious transplant candidate. Being diagnosed with a second terminal illness will also have you removed from the list. Be good to your liver! Have A Healthy Day!

Lessons in Personal Accountability...

I just had a security call because a 19 year old young man was fighting with another man on the property. The security guard approached them and they cussed her so badly that she called me. When I arrived, the first thing out of this 19 year old's mouth was "Ms. Blake, I hate you and I'd appreciate you not saying shit to me because you took my mama from me two days before Christmas two years ago. You really hurt my feelings by doing that!"

Wow... I know that people tend to hold grudges and it's always nice to blame SOMEBODY when things go unfavorably in life. But how is it MY fault that his mother was arrested on felony warrants two days before Christmas two years ago????? Parents, please teach your kids about personal accountability and taking responsibility for their/your own actions. Otherwise, they will go through life pointing one finger at others while three fingers are pointing back at them!

Thank You,

Officer Blake

10 Great Smartphone Applications!!

I know a lot of you have smart phones like androids, and blackberrys and iphones. I have compiled a list of my favorite apps for these devices. Most of these are available at least on both android and iphone. Some you may know about and some you may wonder why you didn’t already know about. Either way I hope you enjoy the list and that at least some of you find something you didn’t know you needed.

1. Groupon

This app allows you to not only search through and purchase available offers on the groupon service. You can also use the app to present the deal to the establishment rather than printing anything out. This is one of my favorites because it makes using the groupon service that much easier.

2. Shazam

This app will id any song playing when you run it and tell it to “listen”. Great for when that mystery song comes on the radio or at the bar!

3. Dropbox

Many are familiar with the dropbox service for your computer. This allows your phone to share in the action of allowing you to access documents as well as put them in the dropbox for future access

4. Remote For iTunes

This app allows your android phone to control your itunes playback using your home wifi to communicate. With both the computer and the phone connected to the same network (and itunes running as well) you can select what song or playlist to play, and control volume and other settings. If you’re nerdy like me and have multiple pc’s yes you can program the app to control itunes on all of them. You’ll just have to make sure the correct pc is selected to control.

5. Tango

This is your standard video call application. It ties to your phone number so once you sign up you can see which of your friends have signed up and tied their numbers to tango. I’ve used other similar programs but I like this one a little better for some reason.

6. Waze

This app is part GPS part social networking. Of course you can use it for directions since it’s a GPS app. However, built into this app is a way of passing along traffic sightings to anyone who wishes to join the Waze community. You can report anything from stalled cars on the road to police car sightings to standstill traffic jams. When you sign up for the app you will find different groups for your area based most of the time on where people are driving to and from to get to work and back. You can start a group that’s more fitting for your own commute or join one that fits your needs. When people report things they get the opportunity to report to specific groups.

You can also program your favorite destinations into the app for easy access. There are some goofy parts of it such as picking your car icon, setting your mood, and picking up these little point pellets – which most of the time are not on your direct route as though you’re going to forget you’re going somewhere and go “pacmanning” all around the streets of your city. Most recently in an update they have added a gas price feature. Overall a handy app to know when there are traffic jams ahead that you should avoid.

7. Moe's

This is for the Moe’s fan on the go. I love Moe’s but going there at certain times of the day sucks because of the long line just to get to start the process of going down the line to order bit by bit. This app removes that part of your Moe’s experience. You order on the app and pay with a credit card. When you go to the store you just walk directly to the register and pick up your already paid for order. For me this app is Heaven sent since I only have a half hour for lunch. The only thing to watch out for is if you open it in a quiet area if your media volume is up it yells “Welcome to Moe’s!!!” 

8. Team viewer

This app is one of my favorites. I already have this on my pc’s and use it to access one from the other. This app allows you to sign in and access any of your account pc’s from your phone.

This is very helpful if you need a file or just remote access to your pc. I’ve even used it to remote in and shut down my pc when I wasn’t home and saw it was about to storm really badly.

9. Ibiker

Unlike every other app on here this is an exclusively iphone/ipod app. I use this for when I go out riding my bike. The GPS allows it to track my path, speed, calories burned, and other statistics about my rides. It stores all of these so you can look back on your results. The app will even notify you when you break previous records – such as longest distance ridden, longest time riding, and most calories burned. Don’t let the title fool you it also can be used for running, walking, hiking and other activities.

10. Hey Tell

The best way I can describe Hey Tell is it is like an audio text message device. This allows you to send little audio clips back and forth and essentially have not necessarily real time voice conversations. I know lots of people hate texting. This could be the answer for them in certain situations. 

Health Tip: Respiratory Failure

I am amazed how my days at work seem to take on themes. This past week’s theme was Respiratory Failure (the inability to breath without the existence of oxygen or life support, i.e. lungs not working). The Health Tip: Don't expose yourself unnecessarily to that which literally compromises "the breath of life". Tobacco exposure, illicit inhalants, and even occupational hazards tend to be the culprits. Have A Healthy Day!!!

Photo Of The Day: Power Struggle

Stay Healthy Tip: It's Getting HOT!

 (Hydration Station in ER for Paramedics and First Responders)

It's HOT outside remember to stay hydrated even if you are part of the health team!!!

Stay Healthy Tip: Watermelon

The Medicinal Purposes of a Summer Slice of Sweet Watermelon: Watermelon helps to cool the body when eaten cold on a hot summer day. It is a rich source of vitamin C and water. Watermelon can help decrease the possibility of dehydration. Be Careful...Low in Calories but High in Sugar Content. Watermelon may raise your blood sugar, eat in moderation if you have Diabetes. Have A Healthy Day!

Photo Of The Day: Food Choices

Stay Healthy Tip: Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Robin Roberts of Good Morning America is the epitome of beauty, strength, and grace during a crisis. She announced this week that she has Myelodysplastic Syndrome which is a compellation of disorders that affects the bone marrow and blood cells. The illness will generally affect those over 50. Symptoms may include anemia (low red blood cells), neutropenia (low white blood cells), fatigue, shortness of breath, pain, uncontrolled bleeding and a decreased ability to fight off infections. Let us continue to pray for her and all that are conquering life changing illness. Have A Healthy Day!!!