All I Want for Christmas is to Help My Mom!

Tags

court, crowd funding, donation, Fundly, help, lawyer, legal, Mom, mother

I know it is a little late, but I finally know what I want for Christmas. This year I want to help my mom get a lawyer to defend against a false accusation, so I started this campaign on Fundly. If you wanted to but forgot to get me a present (or did not know what to get since I didn’t want anything), you should donate instead. I’ll never know you forgot if you make a donation!

Click to visit my fundraising campaign page.

My mother is an honest and hard-working woman. She raised me as a single mother and we fought through the tough times together. This false accusation comes on the heels of more tragedy  – a year ago on her birthday our house was robbed and the year before that our apartment was flooded. This all to the woman who always places my needs above her own, no matter what the cost to herself. For years she supported me and cared for my now deceased grandfather. My mother is my hero. And she needs my help. Please, help me help my mother by donating to support her defense.

Gay is Normal

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ally, equality, gay, Gender, heteronormative, Homosexual, human rights, LGBTQ, marriage. DOMA, oppression, rights, sexuality

The other day I was in the company of a man I barely knew. I can count the number of times we have met on one hand and barely need two for the number of hours we have spent together. Our relationship is most aptly categorized as “professional.” The environment we were in was the same, albeit quite casual. He said to me, “I might not be around in February, I will have to let you know. The boyfriend and I are traveling to…”

I bet I flinched. But why? I have not problem with non-hetero sexuality, and I consider myself a supporter (I cannot claim Ally status, as I believe that is reserved for those actively engaged in forwarding the rights of the LGBTQ community). So I should have no reaction, right?

Wrong. I flinched (or at least fear I might have), because where I am from it is unheard of for non heterosexual people to so openly and offhandedly disclose their sexuality. It just does not happen. Where I am from homosexuality is not normal. Or so our society makes it seem. What is normal anyways?

I believe homosexuality is normal. Gay is normal. I flinched not because I cared about his sexuality either way, but because heteronormativity told me his action was abnormal. Take a moment to think about how heteronormative our culture is. When we ask someone if they are seeing someone, we assume that person to be of the opposite sex. When we go to a singles event, it is by default a heterosexual event unless specifically labeled LGBTQ. We talk of marriage as if it is part of the normal progression of life, but for many it is a legal impossibility unless extra steps are taken.

Face it, gay is normal – whether our heteronormative recognize it or not. When we fail to accept this fact we make ourselves look ignorant and foolish. And we hurt good people in the process. Right now there is a “debate” about gay rights, but in reality it is more like a “denial.”

“Good Money”

Tags

compounding, Investing, Money, Ponzi, schemes, stocks, Wealth

Want to see a fool share his “wisdom” on Youtube? This is why the internet is a very scary beast: it is not so full of information as misinformation and non-information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZSr-1nEEMA&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Even if this guy’s 7 steps were true, let’s think about how much credit we could really give him. Check out these quotes:

1. “Good Money.” Really?
2. “How you can get extremely, extremely rich during time of economic turmoil.” Haha, okay.
3. What’s going to happen to the economy in the next 6-36 months that will bankrupt the entire population.”
4. (says it has happened before, with no details) “So there is quite a precedent for this happening extremely, extremely often.”

His “wisdom” is extremely, extremely foolish. Please do not listen to people like this. who promise you their financial wisdom. Seriously, the man predicts gold will rise to $56,000 per ounce (it peaked in 2011 at about $1,900, before this video was made). I think my favorite part is how he tries to build rapport by naming the bad guys: “I am absolutely disgusted by what the banks, politicians, and the Wall Street sharks are doing to the great families of America, and I am making it my mission in life to provide as many people as I can with real information about money, about investing, and about the economy…”

Bullshit.

If you want to improve your financial situation, the best thing you can do is read. Yes, the best thing you can do is not invest, not buy gold, not try sneaky things. Your best option is to read. Read about stocks, read about savings, read about compounding. You need to arm yourself with real information from trustworthy sources to battle all the misinformation floating around in cyberspace. On average, the stock market returns about 10%. This means that, if you invest $1,000 now, were able to realize this theoretical 10% growth, and did not make withdraws/additional investments, you would generate:

1 year: $1,100

5 years: $1,610

10 years: $2,593

20 years: $6, 727

30 years: $17, 449

40 years $45,249

Now since 40 years from now I will be approaching the current retirement age (probably a good decade before my generation’s retirement age) it’s a good number to consider. What if I invested $1,000 every year for 40 years? In 40 years I would have $486,8511! (These numbers assume steady 10% annual growth is an impossibility).

Investing for your future (or your kids future) is not about get-rich-quick and Ponzi schemes, it is about finding a way to regularly put aside a little money and make it productive. Despite what most of us not in the upper class believe, you don’t have to be rich to make your money work for you. All you need to do is be smart. And read!

– Inspired by the recent post I wrote about class mobility (and its inspiration) and a friend’s comment that ‘poor people are taught that only rich people can make their money work for them.’

Thoughts on Class Mobility

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big break, class conflict, classism, dream, Entrepreneur, finances, Ideas, lower class, middle class, Poverty, rambling, rant, stability, upper class, working class

But by and large, I think that the three classes in America today are relatively rigid and solidified in nature. Most people, I contend, are happy living their lives the same way that they did while growing up, provided that they had all of the basic necessities of life

I came across this blog post from Gain Sense about class and class mobility (or immobility) today. Read it, then consider my thoughts below. Fair warning: talking about class/opportunity/my childhood usually ends with me jumping all over the place. There is just so much there – it defines every piece of who I am.

First World Problems.

Tags

advantage, charity, complain, donation, equity, fair, first world problems, humanity, jar, lucky, People, privilege, third world

We complain too much. I hate how we say “First World Problems.” The phrase pisses me off. It is like we want to be ignorant and snobby. We act like saying this acknowledges the real suffering and the real problems in the world. We act as if that false acknowledgement somehow makes our complaints better. Well, it doesn’t. In fact, it just makes it easier to justify the things we do – as if we are not already masters at that. If you have never heard “First World Problems,” lucky you. Watch these quick videos to get a snarky lesson in FWP’s:

Now that you are either educated on FWP’s or offended I am calling you ignorant and snobby, think about making a “First World Problems” Jar (see #4 on the list). Don’t kid yourself – the jar won’t fix any problems. You and I will still be lucky, privileged, advantaged, or whatever you want to call it. But perhaps it can help us change our perceptions.

Don’t just make the jar and forget it. And don’t contribute to FWP’s by making a meme. When you are guilty of complaining about First World Problems, write down your complaint and add it to the jar with whatever you decide your fiscal penalty will be. At the end of the month, sit down with your friends, family, or whoever shares the jar and discuss your complaints (or if alone, reflect on it). Think about why the complaints are lame and why you are privileged just to make them. Then share your experience with others who might also need a reminder that they are lucky.

The 14 Days to End Sexual Violence | Gettysburg College

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Advocacy, Assault, Gettysburg College, justice, Men, Rape, Rape Culture, SASA, Sex, Sexual Assault, Students Against Sexual Assault, violence, Women

I just want to share this because I think it is excellent programming that should be put in use at every college in America, if not the world. One of my best friends lead this year’s 14 Days to End Sexual Violence and I am so proud of her!

Get Involved in the 14 Days! | The 14 Days to End Sexual Violence

Fearless: Kaleigh Sosa | SURGE

Cost of the Search

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behavioral economics, burden, Capitalism, choice, choice theory, Consumer, consumption, Economics, Freedom, information, Introspection, microeconomics, Opportunity, options, overwhelm, Philosophy, reflective, search costs

Searching

We love options.

We love choices.

We love freedom.

But, when we are

so overwhelmed with options that research becomes a necessity…

so inundated with research that gaining information becomes a chore…

so frustrated with information that choosing becomes a burden…

so tired of constant choice burden that satisficing becomes the only strategy…

We realize that

options can limit.

choices can restrict.

freedom can confine.

When choices become burdens – are we really free?

—–

This describes what I consider to be the story of my life. But it is not just me – the power of information and choice is an interesting topic best investigated from both sides. First, one side insists more information leads to more informed decisions and better outcomes. Then, the other side questions the importance of information and concerns itself with the cost of the information search.

If you want to learn more from an Economics perspective (the only one I have formal experience with) you can start with simple google searches: information economics, information theory, satisficing, search costs, cost of information, rational choice theory – the list goes on.

Swedes Develop Invisible Bike Helmet | Jalopnik

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accident, Bike, crash, Cycling, helmet, invisible, Safety, Swedes

Interesting technical solution, although I question whether the steep price is worth the helmet-less approach. I guess if you really care about your hairdo…

Swedes Develop Invisible Bike Helmet.

http://www.hovding.com/en/how_it_works/

Need your Help: Fund a Human Rights Lawyer

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4k For Cancer, Cancer, charity, donation, Fundly, fundraising, human rights, lawyer, Lydia, resilience, trafficking

This summer I met a young woman named Lydia during my 4K for Cancer ride. Sitting in a room surrounded by strangers, she courageously shared her story of her fight with cancer. Diagnosed as she was about to enter law school, Lydia deferred for a year for treatment. This year she made it through orientation but once again is going through surgeries to fight cancer. Yet despite all the time she spends fighting for herself she never stops fighting for others.

This year Lydia’s Christmas wish is to fund a human rights lawyer for those who are in need of defense but cannot afford it. Defending human rights is Lydia’s passion, and she has this to say about her fundraising goal:

For Christmas this year, I want to raise money for an IJM human rights lawyer to stand up for a victim of violence throughout the legal process. Without an excellent lawyer, poor people have no way to seek justice for abuse–and criminals stay on the streets, where they can harm other vulnerable people. However, with a strong advocate in the court, survivors receive justice and communities are protected.

Providing a lawyer for just one month costs $1550, and I hope to reach this goal by December 10, 2013. Please join me 🙂

Lydia’s cause is pure and her perseverance alone is beyond comprehension. As always, I am proud and somewhat in awe of her optimism and resilience. Please, if you can spare it, please help Lydia reach her goal. Donate now. And if you want to learn more about her story, check out her blog.

To all those who supported me in my 4K ride – this means a lot to me. I rode for Lydia for 70 days and it was her willpower and determination that inspired me through the hardest days. For me it is not just about the lawyer or even human rights: it is about supporting the people in this world who surpass all the odds and put others before themselves to make a difference. Lydia is one of those people. Help her out.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

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consoles, Massive Entertainment, next-gen, PS4, The Division, Tom Clancy, Ubisoft, Video Games, Xbox One

I have not played many video games since I started college (with the exception of the first two summers) and I do not even have my XBox 360 here in Seattle. But with the release of two next generation of consoles just around the Corner (Sony’s  PS4 on November 15 and Microsoft’s Xbox One on November 22) I could not resist checking back in with the gaming world. These new consoles will not have me back at the controller any time soon, but one title caught my eye: Tom Clancy’s The Division. Essentially a FPS MMORPG set in Clancy’s New York City, The Division could entice me to reconsider videogames. I bet I’m not alone.