Share: Diversity is essential because it uplifts communities, promotes productivity and spirit, and helps the economy to grow. Especially in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is a crucial time to support the movement through supporting Black-owned businesses. There’s a history of big companies oppressing small businesses and putting a heavy burden on low-income communities. That is why it is important to support your local Black-owned businesses. Pasadena has restaurants that are black-owned like Bonnie’s B Smokin, Perry’s Joint, and many more (hyperlink …
Don’t tread on the First Amendment
Share: Over the past week, the First Amendment has been trampled on by both law enforcement officers and criminals who chose to undermine these lawful and necessary protests by engaging in looting and destruction. The First Amendment gives us the right to peacefully assemble and also gives the press the right to report on such gatherings. On May 25th, George Floyd, a 46 year old black man was murdered in Minneapolis by a white police officer and aided by three of his colleagues. Since then, …
The government needs to stop murdering its people
Share: In the past year, 1,036 people have been shot and killed by police, according to the Washington Post. Black people are killed at twice the rate of White Americans, and on May 25, George Floyd’s name was added to this list of injustices. Days later, massive protests followed, in spite of and because of the pandemic we’re in. In a country already on edge due to a government’s callous response to a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, the American people …
Queer people need to stand with Black Lives Matter
Share: Amongst the backlash following the killing of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and countless others by police, queer people need to stand up for the Black Lives Matter movement. Social media exploded with rage over the video of Floyd being killed by uniformed police officers. The protests and following riots created a lot of controversy with many people saying that rioting and looting is horrible and will not get anything done. After numerous videos of white gay men taunting and attacking protestors and …
Flyovers: Common sense flies out the window
Share: On May 15, the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds honored health care workers, first responders and essential employees by conducting flyovers over Los Angeles and San Diego. The flyovers were part of Operation America Strong, a collaborative effort announced by President Donald Trump to display solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though they should be appreciated as a positive effort to raise the country’s morale amidst such a challenging time, they unknowingly encouraged irresponsible behavior that threatened public safety. Concerns were raised …
COVID-19 wreaks havoc on Pasadena nursing homes
Share: When it comes to Covid-19, Pasadena would appear to be extremely negligent. How else would you explain the disparity in the number of Covid-19 attributed deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Pasadena with those of other cities across the nation? The gap is a big one. At the time of this writing, 65 of the 71 or 92% of all covid related deaths in Pasadena were either residents or employees of nursing homes or assisted living facilities. In contrast, Nationally, the …
Ahmaud Arbery: Buried without justice
Share: It is very concerning that Gregory and Travis McMichael, murderers of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, were arrested only after the video footage of the incident went viral on May 5. Yet, the most outrageous thing is that such a video has been available to the Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) for months now. It is almost certain that if the victim had been a white person and the killer had been a black male, the situation would have been very different. The black male would …
Reopening may not be as bad as we thought
Share: The United States has over a million cases of COVID-19, according to the CDC, but the states should help small-business owners and reopen now. The money that was meant to help these small companies was claimed by several bigger companies, such as Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc., a real estate company that owns over 100 hotels across the United States. Only 15 of the 245 public companies that applied for at least $905 million returned $116 million to the Paycheck Protection Program so far. According …
Vietnam traded freedom for safety, and it worked
Share: With less than 300 cases and an astonishing zero deaths from COVID-19, Vietnam has established itself at the forefront in how to deal with coronavirus. While their tactics may be seen as aggressive and hasty, it’s exactly that proactiveness that led to Vietnam standing toe to toe with much wealthier countries such as Taiwan or South Korea, who have had the resources and money for mass-testing, a luxury Vietnam couldn’t afford. Opting for isolation instead of testing for the first few months, the Vietnamese …
Elon Musk Unmasked
Share: Like Musk, most people are sick and tired of being stuck at home and enduring all manner of disruption to their daily lives.The United States however, is not ready to reopen for business. Give people back their Goddamn Freedom! This was his latest rant against shelter in place rules currently in effect in the United States. Musk called the existing conditions a “forcible imprisonment in their homes, against all their constitutional rights”. As the majority of his wealth is tied up in his Tesla …