“Million Reasons” is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). Initially released as a promotional single, it was released to radio stations on November 8, 2016, as the album’s second single. The track was written by Gaga, Hillary Lindsey and Mark Ronson, and produced by Ronson, Gaga and BloodPop.
A pop song with country influences, backed by guitar and piano, “Million Reasons” lyrically delves on “heartbreak and hope” during a relationship.
~WIKIPEDIA~
~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~
Google Images
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Donald Trump is our next president, which means Keith’s not going anywhere. Catch every episode of his new GQ show, The Resistance, and then come join the fight.
“IOTD” is image of the day, a concept I came up with. I teach visual meditative therapy – or in easy terms – a mini mental holiday. For some people it is very difficult for them to get their image right. I post an image a day for people to use in their mini mental vacay. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just beautiful!”
The graphic above describes very simply the economical relationship that exists between Puerto Rico and the United States of America.
Many feel that if Puerto Ricans aren’t happy with their current political, economical situation as well as the relationship with the mainland, why don’t they just leave the “Union“, “if you don’t like it, get out” kind of situation.
It’s much more complicated than that.
To even consider this would be more than terribly simplistic.
The red arrow depicts the monies that Puerto Rico receives from the US. This “aid” includes Pel grants, economic assistance, Medicare, Women Infants and Children (WIC), Social Security (SS), food stamps, etc.
This totals $4 billions + …. would you say it’s a lot of money?
The green arrow depicts the amount of movnes that come from Puerto Rico into the arks of the federal government. This money comes from federal taxes, Merchant Marine quotas, foreign business, ect.
This totals $74 billions + …. how much more does the US receive from than “gives” to the island of Puerto Rico?
Therefore … the answer to the question is: _________________________ .
You fill in the blank.
CABOTAGE LAW .. in Puerto Rico, since 1920!!
“As an ISLAND, Puerto Rico needs to develop its own shipping industry, and conduct its own international trade.
But it is not allowed to do this … thanks to the Law of Cabotage.
Under Section 27 of the U.S. Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (also known as the Jones-Shafroth Act), all goods shipped over water between US ports must be carried on US flag ships that are constructed in the US, owned by US citizens and operated by US citizens. What does this mean?
It means that every product that enters or leaves Puerto Rico, other than highly taxed and severely regulated foreign registry vessels, must be carried on a US ship to and from US ports.
EVERY product that enters or leaves Puerto Rico to U.S. ports must be carried on a U.S. ship — or face highly protectionist tariffs, quotas, taxes and fees that are later passed on to the Puerto Rican consumer. This includes oil from Venezuela, cars from Japan, electronics from China, food from Central America, medicine from Canada — any materials from anywhere.
In order to comply with the Jones Act, all this merchandise must be off-loaded from the original carrier, reloaded onto a U.S. ship and then delivered to Puerto Rico. It all makes as much sense, as digging a hole and filling it up again.”
SOURCE: “War Against All Puerto Ricans” book. Author: Nelson A. Denis
Violence against women (VAW) is, collectively, violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. Sometimes considered a hate crime, this type of violence targets a specific group with the victim’s gender as a primary motive. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states that
“violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women” and that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website that:
Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.
Violence against women can fit into several broad categories.
These include violence carried out by ‘individuals’ as well as ‘states.’ Some of the forms of violence perpetrated by individuals are rape; domestic violence;sexual harassment; coercive use of contraceptives; female infanticide; prenatal sex selection; obstetric violence and mob violence; as well as harmful customary or traditional practices such as honor killings, dowry violence, female genital mutilation, marriage by abduction and forced marriage. Some forms of violence are perpetrated or condoned by the state such as war rape; sexual violence and sexual slavery during conflict; forced sterilization; forced abortion; violence by the police and authoritative personnel; stoning and flogging.
Many forms of VAW, such as trafficking in women and forced prostitution are often perpetrated by organized criminal networks.
Violence against women – particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women – are major public health problems and violations of women’s human rights.
Recent global prevalence figures indicate that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
On average, 30% of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Violence can result in physical, mental, sexual, reproductive health and other health problems, and may increase vulnerability to HIV.
Risk factors for being a perpetrator include low education, exposure to child maltreatment or witnessing violence in the family, harmful use of alcohol, attitudes accepting of violence and gender inequality.
Risk factors for being a victim of intimate partner and sexual violence include low education, witnessing violence between parents, exposure to abuse during childhood and attitudes accepting violence and gender inequality.
In high-income settings, school-based programs to prevent relationship violence among young people (or dating violence) are supported by some evidence of effectiveness.
In low-income settings, other primary prevention strategies, such as micro-finance combined with gender equality training and community-based initiatives that address gender inequality and communication and relationship skills, hold promise.
Situations of conflict, post conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence and present additional forms of violence against women.
This video is on domestic women abuse, as a result, this is a constant struggle for many women all around the world and it must come to an end!
We want to let women who have to go through this struggle everyday in their lives know that they are beautiful, they are strong, and they are worth living.
This video was created by Catarina Oliveira & Filomena Spanu.
A very special Three Kings Day … a wish come true! We will be legally married today. What a gift!!
All my life I’ve known that I was different. At the time, I didn’t have a name for it. Now I do.
The name doesn’t make me. It doesn’t define me. It’s part of me … like being left-handed, like having brown eyes, like being a retired doctor. This is a day that I always looked at … way far in the future. This is a day that I didn’t think I would see in my lifetime. This is really happening today.
Being someone’s first love and being their last love too, after life happened, is sublime
~From a friend~
“When love has conquered all and has been lived for as long as yours, it only becomes a piece of paper that others will need to recognize and respect. The real value is what you have made of that relationship throughout the years. May you enjoy that happiness for many more.”
~From This Moment On~
~~Uploaded on Oct 7, 2009~~
Music video by Shania Twain performing From This Moment On. (C) 1998 Mercury Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
“Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”” ~~C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves~~
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ~~Elbert Hubbard~~
“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” ~~Bob Marley~~
“The soul — which I’m defining as our capacity for these deeply positive human qualities –is something that, in most of us, desperately needs to be developed. Too many of us live in a fractured state, deeply divided against ourselves — often far more so than we are aware of or able to feel. We exist in a self-generated vacuum of moral ambiguity, where everything is relative and our attention is focused mainly on our emotional state. Most of us know a lot more about what really matters than we are willing to live up to. Indeed, we are attracted to that which is beautiful, profound, and meaningful but find ourselves lacking the soul strength to really struggle, to engage in a life-and-death wrestling match with our own division, cynicism, and inertia. The awful truth is that it is just easier for us not to care that much. In order to care that much, we have to be willing to feel a connection with life that is so deep that it hurts. We have to be ready to step onto the field of our own experience in a way that is authentic, unconditional, and deeply committed — to embrace a kind of fearless vulnerability where our transparency is our strength and the living experience of connection is permanent, unbroken, and inescapable.”
~~Andrew Cohen~~
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
~~Black Elk~~
“Love is the vital essence that pervades and permeates, from the center to the circumference, the graduating circles of all thought and action. Love is the talisman of human weal and woe – the open sesame to every soul. “ “Nature never repeats herself, and the possibilities of one human soul will never be found in another.”
“Stray” from the album Grand Piano (Narada Anniversary Collection), a 1997 compilation release by Narada which peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Top New Age album charts in the same year. “In Narada’s 15-year history, no single instrument has more clearly expressd our musical vision than the piano. Its vast scope and orchestral capabilities have allowed it to encompass a sweeping vista of music endowed with the beauty and spirit that characterizes our wide ranging repertoire.”
It Is What It Is 