lili update 2

<center><b><font face="optima" style="text-transform:lowercase; font-size:15px;"><a href="http://ataylor.insanejournal.com/1222.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: #1f25aa;">Hypocrisy is the mother of all evil and racial prejudice is still her favourite child.</a></b></font><span style="display:none;"><lj-cut></span>
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Lately, I've found myself writing a lot. Journaling, poetry, doodling. I've even dabbled in some bullet journaling. Truth be told, that last one doesn't come easy. I don't know if you've ever tried to bullet journal, but that shit is not easy. I made the mistake of not using a ruler and let. me. tell. you. Nothing will grind your gears more than an almost-there-but-not-quite straight line. I guess it fits. My lines are as straight as I am (ba dum tss).

Really though, I’ve been enjoying writing a lot more lately. Recently I built up the nerve to start sharing my writing and I couldn’t be more overwhelmed by the positive feedback. For years, I never imagined myself getting over the anxiety of being able to share my work. Frankly, I don’t know how musicians do it. It’s so personal and close to you. The most sensitive artists must also have the thickest skin in order to share things so dear to them with the world.

When I opened my journal today, I found myself trying to think of what to write. There’s so many things going on. 3+ million Americans being under water, without power after a devastating hurricane. An entire group of American patriots being called “sons of bitches” for peacefully and gracefully protesting racial inequality and police brutality. The looming threat of nuclear war hitting us because the “President” of the United States can’t keep off twitter. The people shot inside a church today in Nashville. Earthquakes in Mexico, fires in the US and Canada, hurricanes breaking record after record and destroying entire countries, cities, and communities. And all this? That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Just listing off the awful things going on wouldn’t be very productive, so I’m going to use this update to share some info + links on how we can educate and help one another.</table><table width="501"><tr><td><p align="justify"></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#1f25aa"></td></tr><tr><td></table>
<table width="500"><tr><td><p align="justify"></td></tr><tr><td><div align="justify"><font size="2" style="text-decoration: none;"><table width="" style="border:0px dotted #000000; padding:5px; font-size:10px; font-face:; letter-spacing:1px; text-transform:;"><tr><td width="300" style="border-right:1px solid #cdcece; padding:5px;" valign="top"><font face="optima" style="text-transform:; font-size:10px;"><div align="justify">1. <b>Hurricane Apocalypse:</b> This past week, Hurricane Maria left the Caribbean beaten and battered. Before that, Hurricanes Irma and Harvey devastated areas across the Atlantic and Gulf Coast. Millions are still without power. Read more about 2017 Hurricane Season <a href=“http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2017/09/why_has_the_2017_hurricane_sea.html”>here</a>.

    <div align="right">•  <a href=“http://www.houstonspca.org/give/“>Houston SPCA</a>
    • <a href=“https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/hurricane-irma-relief-fund/“>GlobalGiving</a>
    • <a href=“https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund”>ConPRmetidos</a>
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2. <b>Mexico Earthquakes:</b> Within 12 days of eath other, Mexico was hit by an 8.1 and 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Hundreds of people have been reported dead; it is the deadliest quake in 30 years. As the country struggled to make it through the debris, Hurricane Katia struck. Currently, residents all over are trying to clean up, even with the looming threat of collapsing buildings. You can see the damage for yourself <a href=“https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/23/world/americas/mexico-city-earthquake-surveying-destruction-damage.html?mcubz=0”>here</a>.

   <div align="right"> • <a href=“https://cruzrojadonaciones.org/“>Mexican Red Cross</a>
    • <a href=“http://www.fondounido.org.mx/es/EmergencyFund”>United Way Mexico</a>
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3. <b>The NFL Patriots:</b> Over a year ago, Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. Today, numerous players, including the entire Steelers team peacefully protested the white supremacy taking over the White House and, horrifyingly, countless other areas of the US. Colin Kaepernick, one of the best players in the game, does not have a job; however, he does have a movement. Read more about his donations and pledges <a href=“http://kaepernick7.com/million-dollar-pledge/“>here</a>.

    <div align="right">• <a href=“http://www.essence.com/hot-topic-news/13-organizations-leading-fight-against-police-brutality#974915”>13 Organizations Leading The Fight Against Police Brutality</a>
    • <a href=“http://mashable.com/2017/08/14/how-to-help-after-charlottesville-white-supremacy-protest/#swOZjY58M5qI”>How You Can Take Action Against White Supremacy</a>
    • <a href=“https://www.bustle.com/p/5-organizations-that-fight-the-alt-right-support-anti-racists-desperately-need-your-help-76185”>5 Organizations That Fight The Alt-Right</a>
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<td width="300" style="border-right: ; padding:5px;" valign="top"><div align="justify"><font face="optima" style="text-transform:; font-size:10px;"><div align="justify">4. <b>United States vs North Korea:</b> North Korea has been testing missiles for years, but as of very recently, they are testing their most powerful bombs. This month, they’ve tested a hydrogen bomb. Estimates put the explosive yield at 50 or 120 kilotons. For reference, the bomb on Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. Combine that with two egotistical hotheads in a pissing competition and you’ve got the threat of a nuclear war. It’s unlikely nuclear war would be the first strategy, but if you’re curious about more info on what might happen, read below.

   <div align="left"> • <a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/04/asia/north-korea-what-to-know/index.html”>5 Things To Know About North Korea</a>
    • <a href=“http://www.newsweek.com/2017/05/05/what-war-north-korea-looks-588861.html”>What War With Korea Looks Like</a>
    • <a href=“http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/north-korea-testing-nuclear-weapons-170504072226461.html”>North Korea Nuclear Weapons: Here Is What We Know</a>
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5. <b>Nashville Church Shooting:</b> There’s not a lot of info out yet, but where’s the rundown. A gunman, who may or may not have been dressed as a clown, opened fire in a church in Nashville. 1 woman is dead and either 6-8 are wounded. All but one victim is over age 60, which puts their lives at greater stake. The gunman was captured alive.


6. <b>Other Organizations To Donate To:</b>

<div align="left">• <a href="https://www.directrelief.org/">Direct Relief</a>

• <a href="https://www.redcross.org/ns/apology/disaster_homepage.html">American Red Cross</a>

• <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com/">Humane Society</a>

• <a href="http://miamifoundation.org/relief/">The Miami Foundation</a>

• <a href="https://www.hands.org/projects/hurricane-irma-maria-response/">All Hands Volunteers</a>

• <a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/">UNICEF</a>

• <a href="https://www.unidosus.org/">Unidos</a>
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I realize this is a lot of take on in one entry. And these aren't the topics I normally write about, but today it felt needed. I honestly didn’t scratch much of the surface for any of these topics. Each one could become it’s own entry, but since it’s all happening right now and there is bound to be a surplus of things in two weeks, I tried to cram it in. I know this isn’t the most exciting update, but lately this stuff has been taking over our day-to-day lives. These are all topics I feel we should take the time to recognize, and I realize I’m missing many. There’s elections going on in Europe and Australia. Flooding in Asia. Genocide, war, poverty all still threaten the globe as they have for decades. I hope I didn’t offend anyone by missing something, and I’d love to be corrected on info if I slipped up.

I hope this update can be used as a way for others to talk about what’s going on in the world. If you’ve wanted a place to discuss, feel free to use this update. Talk about equality, politics, movies, music, sexuality, animals. Anything you want people to know about.

PS. If you're interested in restarting <lj user="noternook">, a Noter Book Club, comment below!<table width="501"><tr><td><p align="justify"></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#1f25aa"></td></tr><tr><td></table>
<center><a href="http://americanfruity.tumblr.com">TUMBLR</a>, AIM: phil and lils, GROUPME: lilipauliner@gmail.com