We Have Moved!

Hello Everybody! Because we will be posting more and more we decided to have a new start and we now have a new blog! We will post about the same things but even more frequent!

Please look at our new blog!

http://believeadvocatechange.weebly.com/


Thank you for all your support!

We will not go away, welcome to your first day!

The Women's March. An empowering and inspirational march. 173 marches took place around the world a week ago. We both marched in separate marches, one in DC and one in New York. This was an inspirational time and day for so many women across our country and the world, we would love to share our perspectives and what we thought of the women's march: 

New York March:

I was not able to go to the DC march, so I stayed local and joined in with women and men across NYC to march. It seemed as if every person in the whole city was going. On the train there it was filled to the brim with people with signs. And the whole train car ended up in a conversation about how they thought Trump became president and how to organize. A true NYC moment. As soon has we got off the subway we were swarmed by people from all over the city and the state. With pink pussy hats and some awesome signs, we all started our chants in Grand central station before we could even get outside. And when we got outside we were overwhelmed by everybody that was marching, it was standing room only and the march wasn't even moving. I was very surprised by a number of kids that came to protest as well. Many were with their parents and had made cute signs of their own. We barely moved for all the hours that we stood but that is not to say we had nothing to do. One person would start a chant at the very back and before long the whole place was chanted and screaming with them.
 The highlight of that whole day for me came when somebody bumped into me from behind, I turned around. And stared in awe at Chuck Schumer, my NY senator. He then yelled at all the people in the crowd "We're going to win this fight, everybody!" I was amazed and so happy to see him there, with us and also dumbstruck when he shook my hand.  The march finally came to a close and it was the most empowering and inspiring day of my life. This day taught me that yes, yes we can.

Washington DC March:

I trailed and led vast numbers of people during my time marching. If you were to squint into the distance, all you would see was the pink of the pussy hats sported by nearly every marcher. Other attire included Nasty Woman shirts and Feminist jackets. Prior to both the rally and the march, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on large, open grounds. Cloth canvases were spread beneath our feet, on which people had signed their names and wrote inspirational messages in sharpies. There was a large blow-up model of Earth, and across it, a banner reading "We are all in this together." Religiously, whooping cheers would spread through the crowds like a human wave would at a stadium. I saw a number of distinct and clever posters that I managed to get pictures of, and we will showcase those below.
The rally—in which organizers and other public figures spoke for several hours—lasted much longer than the marching itself. The audience got so stir-crazy at some points that chants of "We want to march!" would circulate. Guest speakers including Alicia Keyes and Madonna sang respectively Girl on Fire, Express Yourself, and Human Nature.  Afterward, we paraded through the streets, chanting a variety of mantras. These included:

"Show me what [Democracy/America] looks like!
"This is what [Democracy/America] looks like!"

"You're orange, you're gross, you lost the popular vote!"

"We want a leader, not a creepy tweeter!"

Upon passing a Trump hotel, boos filled the air. The public responded similarly to banners congratulating and welcoming Trump into his presidency.
The march ended in front of the Washington Monument, and people dispersed from there. But for the rest of the day, clusters of posters lined the sidewalks of public areas.
I am very glad to have taken part in the experience.


What were your experiences? Share them with us!

Thanks, and as always keep tuned for more articles and posts!

Week of Janurary 16th-22nd

Last week has been a big week for many reasons. Here are some of the things we thought were most important:


1) One of Obama's last acts as president: commutes 330 inmates committed of drug crimes.

One of Obama's last featured acts as president was commuting 330 inmates for drug crimes. This is a very big step and Obama has pardoned and commuted 1,200 people in his presidency, more than any president before him. He decided to commute these people because he wanted to give them a second chance. Most of the people he commuted or took out of prison were in prison because of minor drug felonies.

2) The Women's March 

WOW! We will be posting more about our perspectives on the women's marches and our experiences later, however, we thought it needs to be acknowledged as it was such a huge event in this past week. A grand total of 173 marches were held around the world. Australia and New Zealand kicked off the day because they wake up first. Then it went to Berlin, London, Netherlands and more. Even Australia had its own march by scientists on an exploration (below)!!! Many different marches were held all over the USA including DC, Los angles, NYC, Austin, Huston and so much more. Many different celebrities spoke at the marches including many politicians and senators like Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, and Gloria Steinem. What was a big hit at the women's march were the pink "pussy" hats that were knitted by hand? In many photos, it looks like a sea of pink! There were many different signs, posters, and merchandise sold and overall in DC alone more than 3 times the amount of people showed up than for trumps Inauguration! This was an event to go down in history
March in Antartica 
March in NYC

3) A lawsuit that could cost Trump control of his businesses

Media outlets are churning out headlines detailing the devastating measures that Trump has taken on his first few days in office. Among these is his issuing an executive order prohibiting the federal funding of international aid organizations that perform or provide information about abortions. But many people have overlooked a rather significant effort aimed against Trump: a civil complaint filed against him in federal court for alleged violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The first section of the complaint, titled “Nature of the Action”, sets forth the basis of the lawsuit in simple English, without complex legal jargon. As the complaint states, “Never before have the people of the United States elected a President with business interests as vast, complicated, and secret as those of Donald J. Trump. Now that he has been sworn into office as the 45th President of the United States, those business interests are creating countless conflicts of interest, as well as unprecedented influence by foreign governments.” If Trump were to be found liable on the claims, he would presumably have to divest himself of many or all of his business interests on the basis of the concern that “private financial interests can subtly sway even the most virtuous leaders, and entanglements between American officials and foreign powers could pose a creeping, insidious threat to the Republic.”

4) Trump's inauguration 

Trump began by characterizing America's flawed state, beginning with Washington's corruption, poverty, unemployment, and finishing with the lack of security and squandered tax money. 

"But that [reality] is the past," he assured the audience. He outlined his vision through sweeping promises that jobs, borders, wealth, and even dreams--which apparently we had lacked--would be brought back. 

And it wouldn't have been Trump without the proclamation that America would start winning again, "winning like never before."

 He emphasized two simple rules that would ensure this fate: "buy American and hire American."

And he finished with his campaign slogan.

Of those who tuned into his speech, some spoke well of it, and others were disgusted, like Jill Abramson, who compared it to "any speech at a Trump rally" and rendered him incapable of magnanimity.

We encourage you to listen to a clip of the Inaugural address, like the one on the Washington Post website that sums up the speech's significance in a concise manner.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/20/donald-trumps-full-inauguration-speech-transcript-annotated/?utm_term=.efce89e82e1d

Sources Cited:

• Guillen, Magdalena. "Obama Commutes Prison Sentences for 330 before Leaving Office." AOL.com. AOL, 19 Jan. 2017. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
• Abramson, Jill, Michael Paarlberg, Jamie Weinstein, and Steven W. Thrasher. "'He's Already Let America Down': The Reaction to Trump's First Speech as President."Opinion. Guardian News and Media, 21 Jan. 2017. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Another Inspiring and Motivational Story

Every two weeks we try to find an inspirational story for you guys! This is the one we found:

A group of students decided to make a teacher's daughters Christmas when they gave her- her own school bus. There teacher's daughter, Gabrielle Howell has a condition that makes her progress much slower than other kids. And for Christmas, she asked for her very own school bus. The teacher told this to her students, not expecting anything. However, one student took notice of this and created her own go fund me page. She raised enough money to buy a school bus on sale. After doing this her and a group of students parked it outside of the school and worked on it after school hours. Then Christmas morning finally came they left the newly done school bus outside of the teacher's house. The picture below shows their awesome work on the bus:



I hope this story cheers you up, especially a few days before Trump's inauguration. I also hope that this story inspires you all to always remember to do small little things as they could make someone so happy!

Thank you for reading and as always stay tuned for more upcoming stories. 

Sources:
1) "Students Transform School Bus Into Gift for Teacher's Developmentally Challenged Daughter." Good News Network. N.p., 14 Jan. 2017. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.

Martin Luther King Jr.

It is important to remember these inspirational words and advice from Martin Luther King Jr. (Dr. King). He paved the way for people and activists in our world today. Without him, our world would not be the same as it is today. 

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 January 15th. He received many different degrees and was a very highly educated and respected person in our society. Some education he received includes: BA in sociology from Morehouse College, and, a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University, and that is not all. He also was married to Coretta Scott and had 4 children with her. He was a pastor before becoming a national figure. In 1963 he delivered what is thought to be his most famous speech, in which he says the famous words: "I have a dream that my four little children wiIl 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." Martin Luther King led a battle and has done so many different protests and marches. We thank him for standing up for African Americans as without him we would not be where we are today. 

Martin Luther King day is a day to commemorate and honor this hero in our society. So, thank you Martin Luther King Jr. 

Thank you for reading and as always stay updated for more posts and articles!


Sources:

• Martin Luther King. Jr., ""I Have a Dream"." The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 30 (2000): 121. Web.
• Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
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Week of Janurary 9th

Hello, everybody!

Here is what you NEED to know that happened last week!

1) Obamas farewell Speech

Here come the waterworks... I know a lot of the country including us are very depressed and sad that Obama is leaving, and this farewell speech showed us why. This great speech will go down in history but here are a few of the highlights.

-An honorary mention to his family. Including his best friend and wife- Michelle Obama. And of course, his two daughters to which he said were smart, beautiful and intelligent but more importantly passionate and thoughtful. He also said that out of all the things he did in his life he was most proud to be their dad

-An honorary mention to Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden. Obama stated that they had become family to them and made life at the white house even better.

Quotes:

-"This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it."

"But that's what we did. That's what you did. You were the change. You answered people's hopes, and because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started."

-"If our democracy is to work in this increasingly diverse nation, each one of us must try to heed the advice of one of the great characters in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

-"For native-born Americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants today were said, almost word for word, about the Irish, Italians, and Poles. America wasn't weakened by the presence of these newcomers; they embraced this nation's creed, and it was strengthened."

These are just a few of the best quotes from his speech. If you want to watch the full speech click on the link below!

Obamas Farewell Speech Link

2) Biden's Award

In the midst of Obama saying goodbye he had one more big announcement he had to make as president. This was to his Vice president Jo Biden. He surprised Mr. Biden with a small party in his honor. Obama then got on the stage in front of everybody and gave Joe Biden The presidential medal of freedom. A reward that has been given very rarely and it was Obama's first time and last time to give this award. Joe Biden was shocked and caught off guard, there were tears, hugs and lots of clapping for this vice president who will go down in history.

If you would like to see the full address, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nD9GxZ0HT0

3) Obama protects two sacred monuments

This is what Obama said about the issue:

"Today, I am designating two new national monuments in the desert landscapes of southeastern Utah and southern Nevada to protect some of our country’s most important cultural treasures, including abundant rock art, archaeological sites, and lands considered sacred by Native American tribes.  Today’s actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes. Importantly, today I have also established a Bears Ears Commission to ensure that tribal expertise and traditional knowledge help inform the management of the Bears Ears National Monument and help us to best care for its remarkable national treasures.

Following years of public input and various proposals to protect both of these areas, including legislation and a proposal from tribal governments in and around Utah, these monuments will protect places that a wide range of stakeholders all agree is worthy of protection. We also have worked to ensure that tribes and local communities can continue to access and benefit from these lands for generations to come."

4)A new type of gun

A new type of gun may be coming to life; one that uses fingerprint scanning technology to ensure that only the firearm's owner can pull its trigger. Many gun-related accidents occur on the basis of loaded handguns getting into the wrong hands, like that of a toddler or suicidal person. This innovation would prevent people from acting on instincts and curiosity in ways that might pose threats to themselves and those around them.

While this concept will serve as a safer option next to a typical firearm, it can not replace guns laws and will not lessen our country's need for them. Gun owners can be just as reckless as those who fire such weapons accidentally, and we must continue to find ways to ensure that guns are used safely and rarely.

Thank you for reading and stay updated, we will be making posts more and more often!

Sources:

• "In A Surprise Send-Off, Obama Awards Biden Presidential Medal Of Freedom."NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2017.

• "Statement by the President on the Designation of Bears Ears National Monument and Gold Butte National Monument." The White House. The United States Government, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2017.

• Gonzales, Erica. "21 of the Most Inspiring Quotes from President Obama's Farewell Address." Harper's BAZAAR. N.p., 10 Jan. 2017. Web. 14 Jan. 2017.

• "Student Invents Smart Gun That Could Prevent Hundreds of Accidents." Good News Network. N.p., 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 14 Jan. 2017.

Weekly recount

We have decided that at the end of every week we will write about the big events and happenings in the week that passed. We will post it at the end of every week so stay tuned!


Weekly Recount:
1) Istanbul Nightclub Attack. 



At around 1:00 am on Sunday at a nightclub in Istanbul people were celebrating the New Year. However, they were attacked by someone with a gun who killed 39 people. They still have not found who the attacker is, however, many officials say the attack has links to terrorism. We send our love to all the victims and the victim's families hurt by this awful incident. 

2) Republicans try to dismantle ethics committee

Soon the republicans with have full control over the house and the senate. In preparation for this, the Republican party has announced that they want to try to dismantle the ethics committee or create new measures for the committee.  According to “The week”, The ethics committee, “established by Democratic speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2008 in response to concerns about improper conduct between lobbyists and members of Congress, the OCE is an independent watchdog that seeks to improve transparency and hold elected representatives to high ethical standards. However, if approved, the new measures will mean it cannot "employ a spokesperson, investigate anonymous tips or refer criminal wrongdoing to prosecutors without the express consent of the [House] Ethics Committee", the Washington Post reports.The push for the new amendment "was led, in part, by lawmakers who have come under investigation in recent years", Politico adds.” (The week, 1)

This is important because if these new changes are put in place then our president-elect would not be judged as much by the unethical things he does. More politicians will be able to get away with things that are not allowed.

Latest Update: Many activists have called in and talked to there politicians to say they disagree with what they are doing. Even Trump tweeted that he disagreed with this act. And because so many people called in and helped, they have changed their mind and are NOT going to dismantle the ethics committee. This example really shows that our voices matter and that we can make a diference in our world.

3) Obama protects land from drilling

In the midst of some bad news, there is always a bit of hope, which this week is this story of President Obama. On Tuesday Obama declared a ban on drilling the ocean floor, this ban protects most of the east coast as well as some of Alaska’s coast. This would help many endangered species near the arctic, including polar bears. Due to this, he used a law that not many presidents have utilized before. This law made in 1953 is called the “Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act”. Canada also made a declaration to protect federal coastlines near the arctic from drilling. This is great news as the more land that is protected the more we can push to end drilling which would benefit the earth in so many ways. However, It is not clear yet if our president-elect Mr. Trump would be able to repeal this act. If he can repeal, however, this act it would take more work than many others, that is for sure.

So let's hope this act stays in place as we continue to push for more renewable ways to use oil in our modern day world.  

4) How diverse is google?

The Department of Labor demanded legally that Google disclose information about its employees including compensation records of the personnel. Much of the company's Computer Programming workforce is comprised of white and Asian males, demonstrating a lack of diversity. Employee transcripts would advance the Federal Dept.'s investigation into potential workplace discrimination, a problem that is crucial to address. If they choose not to comply, the DOL promises to legally invalidate all of Google's contracts with the Federal Government.

5) Could we have found a new type of fuel?

Nuts from Croton Megalocarpus trees found in areas if Africa has been found to yield "high concentrations of oil and protein" that have the potential to "produce a fuel that could serve as a clean alternative to diesel." The untapped market would provide income for many farmers, and the nuts are very accessible, making the production of their biodiesel cheap. If this production were to fully launch, the fuel would serve as a far more environmentally safe option next to many leading fuel brands. While this small news story is neither breaking news nor something that might normally fall under the category of "activism," it is important to be conscious and thoughtful about the world around us and how our carbon footprints advance global warming.

Sources:

• "Why Are the Republicans Dismantling a Major Ethics Committee?" The Week UK. N.p., 03 Jan. 2017. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
• Davenport, Coral. "Obama Bans Drilling in Parts of the Atlantic and the Arctic." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
• "At Least 39 Killed in Istanbul Nightclub Attack." The Week - All You Need to Know about Everything That Matters. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
• Writer, Michael Liedtke Ap Technology. "Lawsuit Seeks to Ban Google From US Government Contracts." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.
• "Africa's New Biofuel Literally Grows on Trees." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.