#the unchecked privilege is staggering

[lean-mean-demon-genevieve]

So Germ made a blog post about body positivity (a couple years ago) and mentioned how her hands/breasts are parts of her body she loves most of all. But then years later she does a podcast where she talks about breast implants because she didn’t like how her boobs looked anymore…the lies come easy to her.

Ok, human to human, I’m going to say something that may surprise you: Our relationships to our bodies can change over time as we age without it being a lie. We cannot help but be impacted by messages of body shame or societal pressures as our bodies evolve in shape and/or size. This MAY have been true for G as well.

HOWEVER…this is also GenPad the Deceptacon so let’s do a Titty Truth-Telling Timeline of sorts, when Gen went from this👇🏼

To this 👇🏼

Then, in April of this year, she appeared on the Bathroom Chronicles podcast (Apple linked, see Spotify for video), and had the audacity to claim that she hadn’t told most of her close friends that she had gotten breast implants in 2021, but they were now removed. (Lol imagine having to pretend you didn’t notice them) The decision to remove them came after experiencing symptoms of fatigue when running, joint pain, inflammation, and brain fog.

If you can’t stomach the whole podcast, we know from this IG post summary that part of the decision reportedly came from turning 40 and wanting to feel sexy. Which…okay, fine. It starts to unravel when she also claims that her implants were the same size as her breasts before breastfeeding. That seems like quite a stretch of truth when you consider 👇🏼

But I don’t think she had them removed. I suspect she just had them reduced so she could run to her satisfaction again (back up to 6 miles and counting after only a sad 2-3 miles that caused concern), quiet her other heath anxieties discussed in more detail in the pod, and soothe her own regrets. Because if you compare how she looked in May 2021 prior to surgery (from a since deleted IG post) to how she looked at the KTLA appearance just days after this podcast was released…

We still have significantly more titty meat than we started with, while also not being able to attribute that to weight gain anywhere else.

So yes, while I won’t throw her under the bus for having issues with her body image, I will get angry at how much she lies in order to look like a health-conscious martyr. She is not just kindly warning others about the risks of breast implants here. Pushing the wellness narrative has potential to push more endorsements her way, so don’t mistake this for altruism.

I will get even more angry at someone with a platform who won’t just come forward and be honest about their procedures while also perpetuating unattainable standards of beauty for everyone else. Gen won’t admit to the parts of all of this that make her the most human. Meanwhile the podcast hosts practically canonized her a saint, thanked her for her “vulnerability,” and called her “so brave” for telling her story.

Brave of her to assume that no one is paying attention with a critical eye. Deception is not the kind of vulnerability you think it is, Gen. And these lies won’t make you feel any less anxious. Your therapist should have told you that by now.

*Bonus Lie* In the podcast, released on April 6th, G says that her “brain fog” disappeared immediately after explant surgery. However, in an IG story on April 5th, she had this to say:

Just focus on the lie and don’t think too much about how this privileged princess goes on so many vacations with multiple stops that she forgets the details and since she can afford to be a hypochondriac she thinks it’s some sort of condition. Ok love you, bye.

[eyesaremosaics]

Anyone else feeling really depressed? I haven’t written anything in ages, because I’m on overwhelm, you are on overwhelm, the world is on overwhelm and there is nothing to do except stare blankly as it falls apart. That sounds really negative, but it’s just reality right now. There has been a death recently at my work, a man I admired very much died in such a horrible way. Another person I know is dying of stomach cancer, dealing with having to explain death to children. General heaviness surrounding everything, what with the pandemic rampant again. It’s just tiring. I’m so very tired of it all.

So much death in the last few years. Loved ones and influential celebrities. All the good ones are cycling off it seems. Leaving the rest of us here to suffer lol. That’s what it feels like. Exercise is the only think holding my sanity together. At least my physical health is in a better place. There’s a positive. Acting work has dried up completely in the bay though—I need to go to LA. However, my partner can’t move down there because his business and all his clients are here. So frustrating. True love—the thing I craved my whole life? Or my dreams? Why does it have to be one or the other. I know people say “you can’t have it all”, but fuck that. Why not?

My lessons with San Francisco are coming to an end, or so it feels. Nothing inspires here anymore. The homelessness, the grime on the streets, the boarded up storefronts, struggling businesses, crime rate, decrease in quality of virtually everything, restaurants cutting corners, the prices… I’ve done everything this city has to offer ten times over. I’ve seen it all. There is no more to see. Living in the bay is a beautiful privilege, but it comes at a high price. I just don’t know if I can justify it anymore. I need a change.

I started my new job working as event coordinator for the speakeasy, so that’s also a plus, it’s been exciting learning a new line of work. I’m in a managerial position now—which I think I deserve for all my years of loyalty to this company. I just miss the magic. This place has so many wonderful memories over the years. It’s different somehow though. I wonder if I can get to a place where I can do this job remotely. That would be ideal. What I really want to do is travel more. I want to travel to world and document all my adventures in photographs and writing. So one day I can read through old journals and see through old photos, that I really LIVED. Plus if I could do it remote, then I could travel more to audition down south.

Honestly I have lived a colorful and exciting life so far, and for that I am extremely grateful. I have been awarded many privileges that other people don’t have. I don’t know… it just feels to me that the stars are aligned in a bad sign right now. And if the last few months are any indication, I foresee many challenging times ahead.

At least I know I’m not alone in it. Just that everything feels so stressful. I notice mental illness running unchecked everywhere in public. I feel nervous going for walks in places I always used to feel safe. I see some unstable people staggering out in the streets. Maybe it’s PTSD, maybe it’s common sense. I noticed on next door that the crime rate has gone up significantly. SF is getting pretty dicey, even in nice areas. I just hate the general air of hostility that seems to loom everywhere these days. Anyone else notice this?

The redundancy and everyone else’s hyper awareness of the state of things prevents me from voicing these things. It is very discouraging. All my friends have fallen off, people have changed during the pandemic. Maybe I’ve changed too. I dunno. All I know is my lust for life has gone out the last few weeks. I’ve been fighting a pretty serious depression for a while now. Just haven’t noticed.

Trying to stay positive by prioritizing self care. Eating healthy, exercise, meditation. Even with all those things the depression keeps seeping into my consciousness like an oil spill. I just want this period of our history to be over already. My nervous system is shot.

Trying to stay creative and inspired, but it’s challenging. Perhaps I should delve more deeply into my spirituality. The only thing that made any sense the last few weeks was the tarot readings I was doing for others. A few people contacted me after virtual tarot sessions at the speakeasy. Private readings, an hour long each. I gave a lot of good information, got rave reviews from clients—so that felt good. Spiritual guidance fortifies my soul. That’s what this blog is founded on. Trying to find faith in anything is difficult these days, but that makes it all the more necessary.

[sulevinblade]

DWC Prompt: Ghil/Solas, “Make me”

This didn’t go how I thought it was going to. Not totally happy with the tone of it, set shortly after Ghilanel finishes her specialization training, ~1500 words. For @dadrunkwriting.

“Make me,” and the ice around her ankles creaked in protest as the tension it held increased, tightening the hold.

“I think the decision you made may be dangerously short-sighted and I wish you would have taken more consultation before making it.”

She sighed and leaned forward on the cold stone rail of the balcony, arms folded to support her as she watched the mages’ banner being raised and mounted on the newly refurbished tower. “You think I haven’t sufficiently earned their trust yet.” She’d made them equals, given them a unifying purpose and a safe gathering place, even dedicated a portion of Skyhold exclusively to their use. Was this really such a betrayal? She was only one person.

Solas stepped forward to stand next to her. His presence at her side was normally reassuring but right now there was a distance. “I think you underestimate their fear and their skills of observation. Do you think myself, Dorian, and Vivienne are the only mages sensitive enough to realize what’s changed about you? The mages you’ve gathered are more than familiar with templars. They’ve seen the trainers arrive and they’ve seen them now assimilate into the castle’s regular population so they know whatever choice you made, it’s finished now.”

“If they already know then why do I need to address it?” Even asking the question made her stomach sink; Ghilanel knew the answer, but speaking before the entirety of the Inquisition, or even just of its mages, made her sick to think about. Cullen and Fiona were far more skilled at things like this but she couldn’t expect them to handle something this personal.

“The longer you leave this unspoken, the greater the suspicion will grow, and while the Inquisition is strong, it will not survive the departure of the mages or worse, their mutiny. You cannot allow this to go unremarked upon much longer, Inquisitor. Your people must know who they’re following.”

The title made her cringe but it also proved his point. Ghilanel turned to look at Solas over her shoulder. The sympathy on his face eased her concern a little. “I’ll come up with something. I won’t leave them in the dark, Solas. They’ve followed me this far, they deserve to know.”

It had been several days since then, however, and the well of ideas remained dry. Cullen hadn’t told the troops he was going through lyrium withdrawal. Cassandra and Leliana kept their crises of faith as private as possible; it was only Ghilanel’s position that gave her the privilege of knowing their minds. The line between being a trustworthy leader and being too open with the people who followed her seemed finer all the time and there was no example in the Inquisition for her to use as a guide.

Then, as he had done so many months earlier on a mountain path near Haven, Solas forced her hand.

She gathered her circle at the gates to depart for the Western Approach, with herself, Solas, Blackwall, Cassandra, and Alistair as the forward party. Her mind was elsewhere, on getting answers from the Wardens and what it might mean for two of the men riding with her, when she felt the temperature plummet. That and the thrumming she was now hyperaware of were all the warning Ghilanel had before her boots were encased in ice.

The air among those in the courtyard might as well have frozen too, silent as it was. Every head turned, however, to the source of the spell.

“Solas! What is the meaning of this?” Cassandra’s voice was confused somewhere behind Ghilanel’s left shoulder. At the moment, all she could follow was sound, her vision stuck somewhere in the middle distance as she processed what was happening. Noise spread out from Cassandra after she spoke, the assembly starting to react. The horses were spooked but she could hear Blackwall trying to calm them, calling over a couple of soldiers to help lead the animals away from what was happening. The last thing they needed was a panicked horse further complicating what was already a very precarious situation.

“There is a matter the Inquisitor must resolve before we can leave Skyhold, Seeker.” Solas was far enough that she couldn’t reach him with her sword. Not that she would ever try, but the effect wasn’t lost on her. Her normal methods of conflict resolution would not work here. She twisted her hips, testing the strength of the ice holding her in place. No less than she expected. She wasn’t going anywhere just yet.

“Whatever that matter is, this cannot be the best way to handle it.” The surprise and concern in Cassandra’s tone warmed Ghilanel, not for her own sake but because it meant there was no way Cassandra had anticipated something like this from Solas. Perhaps now he’d see how much Cassandra genuinely trusted him. Not that it mattered right now. Right now she knew all Cassandra saw was Solas pinning her in place with spikes of ice.

“Perhaps not, but it is the most direct and efficient. The Inquisitor knows what she needs to do.” His tone was even, level, not antagonistic in the least, but Ghilanel still heard Cassandra approaching. That was what made her lift her hand and finally focus her vision. Solas had his staff in his hand and his legs bent, clearly prepared to cast again. His face was a mask, unreadable but for the intention in his eyes. Despite herself, Ghilanel couldn’t help but feel she’d disappointed him by not taking action sooner. She’d brought this on herself.

“Solas. This is not the time or the place. Please release me.” She knew his intention, but no one else here did, and the longer she stood with her legs frozen, the larger the crowd gathering to watch grew. It contained both mages and templars, and the implications of the outcome of this for all of them were staggering. She had to handle this flawlessly.

“On the contrary, there is no better place and no more time to lose. I will not release you; you must release yourself. And be warned, should you draw your sword and attempt to use it on the ice, you will only damage your blade.” Naturally Solas would provide supernaturally hard ice for this as well. He never did anything by half. Ghilanel stared at him and shook her head.

“You are doing more harm than good right now. Think about how this looks and let me go.”

“No.” This time Ghilanel had to raise both hands as a murmur swelled from the assembled crowd and she saw several of the templars among them reaching for weapons or beginning to gather their focus. Creators, what a disaster that would be, for the mages she’d worked so hard to incorporate into this effort to see the templars around them converge on someone like Solas. She had no rubric against which to measure things like this but she’d seen Solas in the field, unbowed by half a dozen rogue templars engaging with him at once. If they tried it here, he would only humiliate them in front of the people they were meant to be protecting.

“Solas. Free me.”

“Inquisitor.” His eyes softened a little, imploring her silently, and in the moment she was shocked at her own resentment. “Make me,” and the ice around her ankles creaked in protest as the tension it held increased, tightening the hold.

“No. I will not.” Ghilanel closed her eyes, lowered her arms, and raised her voice. Best to simply get it over with. “I have sought the powers of a templar for one singular purpose, and that is to defeat Corypheus. There are templars enough among you, templars who answer to the Commander and to me. I will not allow their power to exist here unchecked and should every mage in this castle come for my life, I will never turn my powers on you. So release me or not, Solas, the choice is yours, but make it.” She opened her eyes again and settled her gaze on Solas, her speech slow and deliberate. She was done. “We are wasting daylight.”

The pitch of the crowd’s murmurs rose, curiosity outweighing anxiety as they turned their attention to Solas. For his part, he wasted no further time; the ice at her ankles burst into a cloud of snow and was quickly swept away. He slipped his staff into the straps on his back and shifted his posture straight again, moving in a moment from a challenger to the humble apostate most of the Inquisition saw him to be. “Thank you, Inquisitor.”

Ghilanel drew a deep breath and turned toward where Blackwall held the horses, refusing to acknowledge the dozens of eyes on her, including Cassandra’s and Alistair’s. She had meant her statement about wasting daylight and right now all she wanted was to start putting miles between herself and this courtyard. She gave just a few directions–Alistair to take point, she and Blackwall in the middle, and Cassandra and Solas to ride at the rear–and the party was silent as they departed Skyhold. Any conversations to be had about what just happened, and she knew there would have to be several, would wait until that night’s camp.

[loudlytransparenttrash]

A logical explanation might have been mentioned before, but what's your opinion on why the SJWs are so desperate to prove that their metaphorical hearts are openly accepting and good? What have they got to prove? Political brainwashing and generational coddling aside. :P

Hey :) There’s a big difference between the way the left and right present their points of view and decide their positions. The right believe there’s such a thing as truth, where truth is based on reality and reality is made up of facts. The left believe the truth is a story and depending on the race, sexuality or sex of who is telling the story, it will either be right or wrong. There are exceptions on both sides of course, but this is how it generally seems to work. 

As with every great story, the left has both a good guy and villain. They pretend to be the hero fighting for already existing rights and punching evil Nazis in order to avoid having to deal with inconvenient facts. They know civil conversation and dealing with factual data would crumble them and put them out of business, so they play the role of the superhero, creating their own imaginary enemies and oppression in order to justify their violent and intolerable outbursts and socialist demands. It’s why almost all of Hollywood play along, who better to sell fictional stories to the public? 

The left refuse to accept life as it is, always believing there’s some outside force responsible for all the bad and unequal things in the world so it’s up to the government to create policy after policy to correct what conservatives believe to instead be a product of human nature. For example, why are so many young black males in prison? It’s politically incorrect to say black males commit the most staggering rates of violent crime and homicide, so we’ll have to settle for racism. Why isn’t there more women in engineering fields? It’s politically incorrect to say men and women are biologically different and men are simply more interested in getting greasy and figuring out how machines, engines and structures operate, so we’ll just settle for sexism. 

Political correctness is favored by the left as it’s a helpful tool to manipulate the discussion. They take things that are factually correct and throw them out if they’re “politically incorrect,” creating a vacuum for large amounts of factual information to be sucked from our conversations and all of a sudden we’re only hearing one point of view. The left has gained tremendous power and influence with this tactic. It’s also politically incorrect to talk honestly about illegal migration, gender, feminism, black crime, Islam, socialism etc. I’m sure you’ve noticed posts and tweets all over social media declaring anyone who engages in conflicting dialogue to what the left has approved as socially acceptable are insufferable racists, bigots and fascists before a discussion has even started. 

The left shame and smear conservatives with accusations of racism and sexism. The right’s game plan is usually to just let facts and stats prove their opposition wrong. This hasn’t always been a winning tactic for the right, it’s typically easier to get on board with an idea if it’s based on emotion and feeling rather than statistics and facts. The cries of racism and every other ism had paved the way for the left to crown themselves with moral superiority and unchecked social influence. It’s by no surprise those “with hearts,” and “on the right side of history” were then able to overtake the media, our schools and Hollywood and further push their hero vs villain storytelling. 

It is now nearly impossible for a person to go a day without being sent the message that to adhere to the ideology of the left is “the right thing” and “what good people do.” Only bad, deplorable people would dare to oppose it. For the left, the validity of your point is solely dependent on your identity and where your assigned identity group sit on the oppression rankings. If you don’t agree with the black Muslim or the gay disabled woman when she tells you that you’re a privileged, toxic, dangerous predator, then you’re also a racist, Islamophobic, homophobic, ableist misogynist.

Thankfully the standards of truth seeking are quickly rising and we are once again expecting factual information to be the center of debate. Nobody should be physically attacked, fired and shut down for being “politically incorrect.” The moment the truth stops being offensive, you know it’s probably no longer the truth. Which kinda says a lot when the left is outlawing anything offensive… xx 

[paulsebert]

If Trump’s election was the product of a “whitelash,” as Van Jones accurately put it, I assure you that same whitelash has been out in full force online. There’s a lot of money to be had in pretending that the internet is the same place it was back in 2006, or raging against the way it isn’t. Back then, white guys could run amok online. The disconnect between the freedom some of those guys had in real life versus online was staggering. Addicting. And so these same guys get VERY ornery when that online freedom is challenged in any way by valid criticism about racism, injustice, sexism, and privilege. They’re plunging even deeper into the online abyss now, such is their lust to operate unchecked. All that defensive shit I pulled back in the day? That’s an industry now. That’s a presidency now. It’s a bunch of obese Homer Simpsons complaining they can’t watch Honk If You’re Horny in peace. The punch in the frat house has curdled.

“The Reckoning Always Comes”, Drew Magary

[itsyokythings-blog]

My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. - Travel. Adventure. Yoga.

Is just a buzzword or the way we’ll all be travelling in the near future? In this post we share the many benefits of , to you and the places you go, plus we take a look at some of the negative impacts of . Read on if you want your travel to be greener.

What’s in our guide to the benefits of ?

1. 3. 5. 7. 9. Also don’t miss these posts:

Our guide to slow travel and how to do it → 11 tips to be a green tourist → Best Game of Thrones destinations → World’s best eco retreats →

Does really have a positive impact?

Though has grown in popularity during that last decade or so, it is still often just a marketing buzzword.

Ecotourism and are the best friends of concepts like responsible travel, sustainable travel, nature travel, mindful travel, and slow travel — though I would argue that these all have slightly different meanings.

Let’s start off by defining what we mean by (or ) versus how the world at large understands it.

“Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.”

The International EcoTourism Society

Let’s break that definition down into its four key elements.

Ecotourism:

is responsible travel to natural areas.

conserves the environment.

sustains the well-being of local people.

involves interpretation and education.

Ecotourism, in industry terms, is not just about leaving no footprints but rather creating a positive change and learning more about the places you visit.

What is my goal as an ler?

I’d like to expand that definition a little further.

To me, should not be restricted to natural areas. Instead, should apply to all travel, whether you’re partying in the heart of Bangkok or trekking the Sahara.

All travel can create a positive impact on the places you visit and the people who live there.

Ecotourism doesn’t have to just take place in nature.

My goal as an ecotourist, and as a human being, is to minimize my negative impact on the environment, while finding ways to increase my positive impact.

more than 1.4 billion

!

With that many people travelling each year, isn’t important — it’s essential.

Tourism can be incredibly damaging to the places you travel and to the planet as a whole. But, it can also be incredibly beneficial.

Imagine the difference between 1.4 billion people causing harm vs 1.4 billion people making incremental improvements. As the tourism industry continues to grow, needs to grow more quickly, to slow down the damage mass tourism is causing around the world.

Saves you money

While some experiences can be more expensive than their environmentally damaging counterparts, on the whole, one of the main personal advantages of is that it can save you money.

For example, we encourage people to take public overland transport, rather than flying from place to place. This simple change reduces the carbon emissions of your trip, increases your cultural immersion, and costs so much less!

We use overland travel by public transport whenever we can.

We also advocate for small, independent hotels, instead of large multi-national conglomerates. Almost always, these privately owned hotels are more conservative in their resource use and have smaller carbon footprints. They are also much more likely to listen to guests’ suggestions for eco-improvement.

And, bonus, they almost always cost much less!

Travel with less guilt

Seeing your travel money have a positive impact is a great way to alleviate “traveller’s guilt” which we all suffer from time to time. Especially when we visit countries with a lower standard of living than our own, it can be easy to feel awful about our staggering wealth and privilege, as compared to the people we are visiting.

By focussing on eco and responsible travel, more of your travel budget helps raise the standard of living for the people most in need.

We also encourage you to commit part of your travel budget to funding local charities when you travel!

Improve your health and happiness

Being in nature can have “significant and wide-ranging health benefits” according to one recent study.

According to a BBC article:

There is already research evidence that exposure to nature can reduce hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure), respiratory tract and cardiovascular illnesses; improve vitality and mood; benefit issues of mental wellbeing such as anxiety; and restore attention capacity and mental fatigue. But more than that, feeling a part of nature has been shown to significantly correlate with life satisfaction, vitality, meaningfulness, happiness, mindfulness, and lower cognitive anxiety.

How nature is good for our health and our happiness, BBC.com

Other studies have concluded the same thing — being in nature increases our feelings of health, well-being, and happiness. Isn’t that really why we want to travel in the first place?

Makes you more eco-aware back home

It’s a natural tendency for humans to notice problems in other countries, states, or regions while ignoring similar problems at home.

For example, Westerners constantly complain about how dirty and polluted it is in Asia.

What they don’t think about is that their own lifestyle — big air-conditioned house, two cars, unlimited international travel — is more damaging to the environment than the lifestyle of most people living in Asia. Not to mention the fact that we outsource a lot of our pollution to the very countries we criticize for being polluted.

The truth is, there are environmental problems everywhere — it’s just that some countries are better at hiding them than others.

Eco travel can motivate you to reduce your carbon footprint once you’re back home. You might look differently at the plastic water bottles you use each day, realize you don’t need to blast the AC quite so high, or start to wonder if driving to work is the best way to get there.

Ecotourism helps open our eyes to the damage we all do to nature on a daily basis and motivates us to consider ways that we can reduce our impact.

Disconnects you from the world of stress

Some eco travel can take you so far from your day-to-day life that you are completely disconnected — in a very good way. If you are dealing with mounds of stress, and the very sight of your email inbox causes your heart to stop, choose an adventure where you won’t be reachable by any mechanism for a while.

Ecotravel can take you far away from the stresses of everyday life.

There are still lots of places where WiFi doesn’t reach (though these are disappearing rapidly). Choose one of those for your escape, or just go CRAZY and leave your device at home.

Some of us still remember a time when going away meant that nobody could contact you unless there was a major emergency. We survived quite nicely then and a digital holiday can be absolutely rejuvenating.

Reconnects you to your most primal self

While you’re spending time wired into nature — and far away from instant news notifications, social media, and WhatsApp messages — something amazing happens.

You start to hear your own thoughts again.

You might even tap into a part of you that has been drowned out for years.

Yup, we’re talking about your most primal self, the thing that makes you you. This part of your heart becomes buried over time with societal expectations, post-trauma armour, and other layers of self-protection.

Ecotourism can be the catalyst that reconnects you to your True Self.

It might sound dramatic (it is!), it might sound cheesy, or even ridiculous — but it’s also true. We can personally vouch for that!

preserving, or even reviving, nature. This is essential, especially in places where locals rely on natural resources, like fish or jungle habitats, to provide for their families.

Helps communities create a sustainable income

In many communities, there is little opportunity for work or income.

Ecotourism can provide a sustainable source of income for locals who were unable to earn a living before. Even if a small percentage of people are employed in the tourism industry, this financial benefit spreads to other people in the community, as those with new tourism-based jobs spend their money locally.

In the Chi Phat eco-village, local kids learned about litter and conservation.

We loved our experience in Chi Phat, Cambodia, where locals who used to earn a living poaching wildlife and illegally logging are now able to thrive with .

Funds social programs

The best providers use some of their income to support local communities and fund social programs. Many providers, both large and small, run schools, provide medical care for locals, educate small business owners, and work for human rights and gender equality.

For example, one of our favourite travel companies, Intrepid Travel, puts resources into social and environmental programs through the Intrepid Foundation.

rescuing wild animals, fighting poaching in a small village, or cleaning up a natural area, the only reason they can afford to do it is because tourists pay to visit.

Ecotourism is an opportunity to learn more about nature and how to protect it.

When you’re booking an activity, remember to ask what the money will be spent on!

Provides funding for scientific research

Studying environmental impacts is vital for improving our understanding of ecosystems and solving problems. Many studies are funded by the dollars that come from eco tourism projects.

Fosters global understanding and world peace

This might be a huge claim, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

When is at its best, there is a global exchange of information and understanding.

The more people I meet from around the world, the more I understand that, though we might live very differently, at heart we are all the same. The more we can make cultural exchanges, the less suspicion, fear, and hatred we feel towards each other.

Mount Rinjani in Lombok, or the massive beach erosion we’ve seen in Vietnam, it’s obvious that governments exploit the buzzword but never follow through on their promises.

I worry that, eventually, all of the fragile and beautiful places of the world will be destroyed. Is it better to see them now, before they are gone, or leave them alone in the hopes that they will survive a little longer without me?

Displacement of local people and destruction of indigenous cultures

In the worst examples of gone wrong, entire communities of local people have been moved from their land in order to create opportunities for lers. In these cases, it’s rare for the displaced people to see any economic benefit from tourists.

It’s important to be aware of these issues so you can avoid funding similar projects with your tourism dollars.

Harm to animals

Animal tourism means big money in many popular destinations. People pay to get close to elephants, tigers, primates, whales, dolphins and more. The problem is, it’s often hard to discern between the companies who have the animals’ best interests at heart and those who are just in it for the money.

Ecotourism can help nature while fake can harm wildlife.

Animals are abused every day in the name of tourism (and sometimes ). If you’re not sure about an attraction or company, despite your best efforts at research, the best policy is to stay away.

Bandwagon jumpers with no credibility

As eco travel and booms, the numbers of companies who say all the right things and do nothing also grows. As a tourist, it’s up to you to do your research. Only travel with proven providers or those who are fully credible. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Environmental damage caused by travel

Every time you get on a plane, you cause irreversible harm to the environment. Since destinations are often in exotic far-off places, getting there is half the problem.

The other half is the damage caused by introducing people into fragile environments. Even if groups are small and nobody litters or smuggles out wildlife, sustaining more people uses more resources. Tourists have to be fed, kept warm or cool, provided with clean water and plumbing. All these things degrade the place you’re going to see.

It’s important to weigh these considerations when you decide to travel. Can your positive impact truly outweigh the negative one? If not, can you change your plans to tip the scales?

tips on being a green tourist.

The short version is this:

Just think!

From choosing your destination to booking your flights and hotels to choosing which tour companies to use, always consider what impact your decisions will have.

Being thoughtful and mindful about your travel is the first huge step to improving your ecotourist profile.

Happy mindful adventures, Jane & Stephen

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[jennyschectersghost]

i just hope all my non-jewish followers understand why i'm getting so worked up about what happened at the chicago d*ke march. but in case it isn't glaringly obvious, it is very much because of my own experiences as a bi, mostly woman-aligned nb, leftist jew. i have literally never felt safe and supported as a jew in leftist/radical/queer spaces and settings, unless the space or setting was also explicitly jewish.

like to the point where even if i wasn't already overwhelmed w/ parenting two small children (and i definitely am), i don't think i would necessarily want to be a part of those kinds of spaces at this point in my life...IN LARGE PART b/c of how depressingly common the rampant, unchecked antisemitism is. i'd internalized so much of it.

it might not normally make headlines, but shit like this literally happens all the time. this isn't an isolated incident. i mean, it's particularly disturbing becaused they were actually asked to *leave* an intersectional pride-like event (i know it wasn't actually pride) for being *proud* of who they are specifically as lgbt jews and/or queer jews (not sure how these ppl identify).

but this definitely didn't happen in a vacuum, and it didn't only happen b/c those organizers suck! it exemplifies a larger, long-standing pattern of non-palestinian "anti-zionist" gentiles mistrusting and interrogating jews wrt zionism (which they often can't quite define), solely on the basis of their (our) jewishness.

and sometimes they are trying to ask: do you think a contemporary israel should exist in any form? and sometimes they are trying to ask: do you support the oppression of palestinian ppl? are you *in favor* of violence against palestinians? and of course the implication is *always* that we are all somehow inherently, personally complicit in the fucking government/military actions of a country in which we don't even live.

why and how does this bigoted "collective punishment" line of thinking magically become acceptable amongst leftists when it's applied to jews (and jews only)? i mean, i have actually heard ppl try to frame it as if they're like, checking our privilege or something (?!). but uh, diasporic jews do not really benefit from anything israel does. in fact, a quick google search can probably show you just how often literal hate crimes are carried out against non-israeli, diasporic jews b/c the perpetrators "hate israel," regardless of how those specific jewish ppl may or may not feel about it.

and you might be thinking: yeah, ok, but these are just individual interactions, right? wrong. these are aggressions that are pretty directly steeped in old, systemic, dangerous antisemitic tropes about how naturally untrustworthy and conniving all The Powerful Evil Jews are, and how The Powerful Evil Jews can never ~fully~ be citizens of whatever country they're living in b/c ~clearly~ they can only ~truly~ be loyal to The Powerful Evil Jew Club. and this idea is, like, significantly older than the contemporary state of israel.

and i think in general, there is just a staggering lack of education amongst leftists about the history of antisemitism, about all the ways in which antisemitism traditionally manifests itself. and it's difficult. and it's different. but i encourage you all to learn more about it, so maybe you can do better. please do better. please.

[bountyofbeads]

New revelations deepen scandal over Trump whistleblower complaint

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/20/politics/donald-trump-whistleblower/index.html

New Revelations Deepen Scandal Over Trump Whistleblower Complaint (Republicans are twisting themselves into a pretzel defending Trump's quid- pro- quo. If Obama had done anything close to this, the Republicans would be holding impeachment hearings now.)

Analysis by Stephen Collins | Updated Sep 20, 2019 10:00 AM ET | CNN | Posted September 20, 2019 11:00 AM

(CNN) - Washington's newest scandal, over a whistleblower's complaint about President Donald Trump, intensified Thursday amid revelations that the White House and Justice Department tried to keep it quiet.

The affair, centering on Trump's contacts with a leader of a mystery foreign nation -- identified in two reports as Ukraine -- has also injected a toxic element into relations among the President, the intelligence community and Congress.

It is hard to see how any of this ends well.

Six months after special counsel Robert Mueller shut up shop, the White House again faces suspicion over Trump's dealings with a foreign power and seems to be taking steps to stop the full story from coming out.

Democrats are rummaging for new skeletons in Trump's closet and yet another showdown is developing between the executive and Congress that appears almost certain to play out in the courts.

The details of the controversy unleashed when a whistleblower sounded the alarm about the President are complex, disputed according to political allegiance and largely not public.

The Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the contacts at issue between Trump and the foreign leader involve Ukraine. In the past, some of Trump's supporters, including his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have urged the Kiev government to open investigations that the President could use to raise suspicions about his political rivals, including Joe Biden. In a heated exchange with CNN's Chris Cuomo on Thursday night, Giuliani denied asking Ukraine to investigate the former vice president, before admitting he had done just that.

The US and Ukraine were in discussions about $250 million in military aid to Kiev this summer that had been delayed by the White House. Giuliani said he didn't know anything about the package, but that if Trump had used it as leverage to benefit himself politically in any way he would not have done anything wrong.

"The reality is that the President of the United States, whoever he is, has every right to tell the president of another country you better straighten out the corruption in your country if you want me to give you a lot of money. If you're so damn corrupt that you can't investigate allegations -- our money is going to get squandered," Giuliani said.

Trump attempted to discredit the whistleblower as "highly partisan" in a series of tweets Friday morning, echoing remarks made by Giuliani on Thursday night. The President said his comments to "a certain foreign leader" were "pitch perfect."

Trump tweeted: "Strange that with so many other people hearing or knowing of the perfectly fine and respectful conversation, that they would not have also come forward. Do you know the reason why they did not? Because there was nothing said wrong, it was pitch perfect!"

Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25. There is so far no public evidence that the whistleblower's complaint pertains to this conversation or that there was any abuse of power by Trump. The White House later lifted the hold on aid.

But the potential ramifications of this new storm are already becoming clear and the risks facing the President, the intelligence community and Democrats in Congress are climbing by the day.

Disturbing Possibilities

There must at least be a possibility that Trump abused his power or committed a grievous ethical lapse in dealing with the foreign leader.

His defense was not exactly reassuring, considering some of the wild comments the President has made in the company of rogue counterparts such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

"Is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially 'heavily populated' call?" Trump tweeted on Thursday.

CNN reported Thursday that the intelligence community inspector general suggested to the House Intelligence Committee that the complaint raised concerns about multiple actions.

He would not say whether those instances involved Trump, sources familiar with the closed-door briefing told CNN.

The inspector general, Michael Atkinson, was legally unable to discuss the complaint itself, since Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has declined to hand it over.

Democrats say he is compelled to provide the complaint under whistleblower legislation, and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said his committee may take legal action if it isn't turned over.

The Washington Post on Wednesday said the complaint referenced a "promise" Trump allegedly made to the unidentified leader. CNN has not confirmed that aspect of the controversy.

The whistleblower didn't have direct knowledge of the communications, an official briefed on the matter told CNN. Instead, the whistleblower's concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration's determination that the complaint didn't fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.

It is hard to know the potential exposure faced by the President.

But given the sensitivity of the issue, the complaint is likely to have come from an official familiar with the scope of presidential power. And it was signed off as "urgent and credible" by the inspector general -- a Trump appointee -- who thought Congress should know in line with whistleblowing laws.

The implication of such a fact pattern is staggering and opens up the potential of serious misconduct inside the White House -- despite Trump's denials of any wrongdoing.

A President maligned?

If, on the other hand, the alleged behavior by the President does not reach such a bar, the political fallout will be considerable. Trump, acting within his wide Article Two constitutional powers, may have been maligned and there will be accusations that the whistleblower -- though moving within the scope of the law -- will have overreached.

The President's suspicion of the intelligence community, which he sees as a "Deep State" bent on overthrowing him, will grow.

If a president cannot trust his own spies, and thinks they are working against him and not the country's enemies, then America's national security will be harmed.

The President's allies are already arguing that the controversy is simply another ruse by House Democrats to damage Trump.

"He has very wide authority, really unchecked authority, to talk to world leaders about anything he deems appropriate as he is representing the United States of America," said Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union."If this were able to go forward, any staffer in an agency could constantly hobble a Democratic President, duly elected."

"This is an unconstitutional argument," Schlapp said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

Of course, the White House could clear all this up by explaining the contents of the alleged contacts between the President and the foreign leader. But it is taking the opposite tack.

According to three CNN sources, the White House and the Justice Department advised the director of national intelligence that the complaint isn't governed by laws covering intelligence whistleblowers.

The revelation is the first known evidence of the White House's involvement in the standoff. There may be an argument that the content of the President's communications or an official's impressions of them sent to Congress are subject to executive privilege.

But the administration's resistance to scrutiny is already fueling suspicions of a cover-up.

And it throws new light on the role of Attorney General William Barr -- who has been accused by critics of shaping special counsel Robert Mueller's damning revelations to the President's advantage.

Barr, who served in the same role for President George H.W. Bush, advocates a theory of expansive presidential power, one reason why he has become perhaps Trump's favorite Cabinet member.

Whistleblowers Exposed

House Democrats argue that the White House is yet again adopting a model of presidential power that threatens to tear the checks and balances of the US system to shreds.

Schiff effectively argued that the approach taken by the administration could lead to the quashing of whistleblower claims in the government.

That could lead down a road of power without accountability and in theory impunity for any presidential wrongdoing.

"The impact of this opinion is that if the Department of Justice decides that any employee of the intelligence committee comes forward, follows the law, follows the process, is nonetheless outside the process, they're not protected," the California Democrat said.

"Which not only means this whistleblower is not protected, it means no whistleblower is protected. That is the danger of the DOJ's misinterpretation of the law."

The fresh confrontation between the White House and the Congress is certain to fuel the frustration of Democrats at the White House's efforts to evade scrutiny.

And it will add momentum to claims of many grass roots liberals and a growing corps of House Democrats who do not share House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's reluctance to proceed with impeachment.

What is Trump hiding?

By Frida Ghitis, Opinion Writer | Published Sep 19, 2019 | CNN | Posted September 20, 2019 11:00 AM ET |

(CNN) - What exactly could President Donald Trump have done that, according to a Washington Post report later confirmed by CNN, drove a US intelligence official to file a formal whistleblower complaint over communications between Trump and an unidentified foreign leader, triggering a high-stakes face-off between the House Intelligence Committee and the acting Director of National Intelligence?

The details remain secret, but the information we have already suggests that this situation is even more appalling than what we have seen until now from the Trump administration.

Here's how we know that this is not a run-of-the-mill Trump outrage.

First, since he took office, the President has routinely acted in shocking ways. But this is the first time his actions have prompted high-level figures in the intelligence community, including a Trump appointee, to take unprecedented action.

The intelligence official who filed the whistleblower complaint has witnessed Trump's behavior before. This time, the official decided it was so far beyond the pale that it was time to take action.

The official went through the exceedingly rare whistleblower process and on August 12 handed to Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson a formal complaint. Atkinson, who was appointed by Trump, reviewed the complaint and found that it met the legal threshold to call it an "urgent concern," an even more uncommon occurrence.

By law, that can mean, among other things, "a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, violation of law ... but does not include differences of opinions concerning public policy matters." So "urgent concern" is not about bad policy or politics, it's potentially about a violation of the law. Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, the "urgent" designation requires that the complaint be provided to Congress. But that's not what happened.

Instead, after IG Atkinson informed the acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, Maguire discussed the matter with the Justice Department but kept it from Congress. CNN has now found that the White House was also involved in advising the DNI not to report the complaint to Congress.

The lack of action was so alarming to Atkinson -- again, a Trump appointee -- that he contacted the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, according to the Washington Post and to Democratic Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Schiff then demanded that acting director Maguire follow the law and send the information to Congress. Maguire refused. That's when the conflict exploded into public view.

The first we heard of this was last Friday, when Schiff issued a subpoena demanding that Maguire hand over the material. In the announcement, Schiff disclosed that the whistleblower complaint involves "an area of active investigation by the Committee." The complaint was found by the Inspector General to be "urgent and credible," he said, and all but accused Maguire, the White House, and the Justice Department of engaging in a cover-up to protect the President.

Schiff also accused Maguire of potentially breaking the law on two points. Not only did he not refer the complaint to Congress, in violation of "an unambiguous statutory command," but he consulted with the Justice Department, a part of the executive branch, which Schiff assumed was the subject of the complaint.

Maguire refused to comply with the subpoena, claiming, in a letter, that the issue does not qualify for "urgent concern" because it involves individuals in the executive branch (that is, the presidency) and not the intelligence community.

In a letter to the Intelligence Committee, IG Atkinson vehemently disagreed, saying the complaint "relates to one of the most significant and important of the DNI's responsibilities to the American people."

Despite declining the subpoena, Maguire's letter also said, "Notwithstanding that conclusion ... ODNI remains committed to working with the Committee to reach an acceptable accommodation" but said it would not be possible to comply with the short deadline. Inspector General Atkinson is testifying in Congress behind closed doors on Thursday, but CNN has been told the hearings focus on the handling, not the content, of the complaint. Acting national intelligence director Maguire, according to Schiff's office, has agreed to appear next week.

So, let's review: Trump did something that was deemed so scandalous, so alarming, that an intelligence official felt he had to act. When he told Intelligence Community Inspector General Atkinson, a Trump appointee, Atkinson reviewed and concluded that it was troubling and credible enough to alert Maguire and Congress. Maguire, instead of doing what the law dictates and handing the material to Congress, took it to the Justice Department, headed by Attorney General William Barr (the man who gave Americans a misleading summary of the Mueller Report), apparently flouting the Whistleblower Act and endangering the Constitutional separation of powers. What could provoke such a chain of events?

On Thursday night, The New York Times and Washington Post reported that the whistleblower's complaint deals, at least in part, with Ukraine.

Government officials have revealed little of the substance, but journalists have uncovered troubling details of what prompted all this. The Washington Post first reported that, according to two sources, Trump made a "promise" to a foreign leader. CNN has not confirmed the report of a promise, but confirms that the incident concerned a "communication" between Trump and a foreign leader. NBC corroborated that it was a phone call. Atkinson's congressional testimony suggested that the complaint refers to "a sequence of events," rather than a single communication, one source told CNN. A different source disputed the claim that Atkinson shared substantive detail.

We know of at least five leaders Trump communicated with in the weeks before the August 12 complaint, according to the Washington Post. Yes, they include Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump also engaged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by letter and met with the prime ministers of Pakistan and the Netherlands, and the Emir of Qatar.

This new scandal dovetails with the news last week that earlier this year the intelligence community decided to extract one of its most valuable agents from the Kremlin, and did it just after Trump revealed classified intelligence to the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador -- known as a spy master to US intelligence --- during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Trump's track record of mishandling classified secrets is well established. But that in itself is not a violation of the law. As President, he has wide latitude to carry out foreign policy. That includes declassifying information simply by talking about it. It also includes having conversations with foreign leaders and implementing policies that may seem unwise or objectionable.

An "urgent concern" by the intelligence community inspector general is another matter entirely.

Once again, we have encountered another secret in a presidency that has been defined by obfuscation and falsehoods. We cannot afford to treat this one as just another of Trump's litany of outrages. The overarching question about this administration remains, what is Trump hiding?

Editor's Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Follow her on Twitter @fridaghitis.

[bienready2122]

Cost of Medical Treatment, Medicines and Pharmaceutical Industry - Secret Search

My old far off uncle, who moved to the conditions of Ohio two decades back, came to India for heart medical procedure. On addressing, he educated that the foundation regarding the medical clinic with the best in the United States. Be that as it may, the quantity of patients in heart medical procedure, dental medical procedure, bosom medical procedure, restorative medical procedure is expanding at the pace of expansion, numerous patients are pausing. There is no hanging tight rundown of patients for treatment and medical procedure in India in the worldwide emergency clinics like resources accessible in India with expense of therapeutic by about 20%.

The U.S. spends more on medications and meds that India burns through 1.16 billion individuals and relative expense of medicinal services keeps on rising. Audit of records demonstrates a medicinal treatment that the United States spends in excess of two billion dollars is a noteworthy percent of total national output buy armodafinil online

In India, medicinal protection has not yet created. Government has its medical clinic for treatment at an ostensible expense of every one of its occupants. Different therapeutic medications and basic prescriptions are broadly accessible and at an ostensible value contrasted with the United States. Medicinal strategy utilized in the United States isn't relevant in India. Numerous individuals don't counsel specialists and purchase medications known to prescription stores. Numerous individuals in provincial India keep on having faith in the therapeutic treatment framework with home grown prescriptions, yoga, reflection and numerous others that are more affordable. There is no issue for therapeutic consideration for some seniors since they are upheld by the joint family framework. Medicinal practice isn't extraordinary calling in India. Individuals who look for cash in the medicinal calling and the pharmaceutical business keep on moving to created nations, including the United States.

Action of restorative and pharmaceutical industry legitimately influences families States and income from citizens. A great many people of U.S get their medical coverage from their manager. Not every person, be that as it may. Real exchanging houses give medicinal treatment. In any case, most Americans have health care coverage to their level or stay without restorative protection.

The primary explanation behind the staggering expense of therapeutic and pharmaceutical industry in the United States is the most restorative administrations, foundation, innovation and medication is more costly than in India. The bulky methodology for medicinal treatment, for example, scanners, MRI for basic diseases give more increase for the pharmaceutical business to the detriment of his kin.

Some state that U.S industry spends more on therapeutic treatment and meds for its representatives and the showcasing of its items that use on the creation of its item. The degree of media action in the medicinal business keeps on impacting the brains of average citizens and conceal the truth of net revenues swelled by the press, media and promoting on TV..

Here is the fundamental reason - that the individuals of the United States to visit India for medicinal treatment, especially grandiose and plastic medical procedure for a similar quality accessible in India at an a lot less expensive cost.

1. A similar therapeutic treatment, meds and administrations that are accessible in India for similar medical procedures and medicinal medications for different sicknesses is higher in the United States.

2. The foundation expenses of therapeutic protection frameworks of the United States, which adds to the expense of restorative treatment, meds and administrations.

3. Predominant gear of high innovation and methodology for basic sicknesses that adds to the expense of restorative treatment, medicine and medical procedure accessible in India;

4 In India, restorative treatment, prescriptions and therapeutic industry is viewed as basic and social administrations that are relied upon to pursue the different controls and the ethical bit of leeway. In the United States., The restorative and pharmaceutical industry is viewed as an organization and its net revenues are unchecked.

5. In India, numerous meds are usually utilized which are multiple times less expensive than similar medications sold in the names of houses patent huge pharmaceutical and therapeutic hardware who have faith in religion of riches and that's it.

Individuals of the United States are casualties of swelled edges of its own products and expanded therapeutic protection industry and no challenge in India. Pharmaceutical industry in India faces review expenses and expenses of master control room, why it can not be connected to the pharmaceutical business in the U.S.

US are currently gatherings to the arrangements of human rights which manages rights identified with wellbeing. This incorporates the privilege to wellbeing and different rights concerning the conditions essential for wellbeing. American individuals should raise voice against strangely high edges of its pharmaceutical industry and restorative offices in medical clinics.