PS - School Assignment Part 2

(PS added)

So the second (and third) parts of my school assignment are to respond to 2 other posts and to any replies on my own (under our Pharmacology class discussion page).

Of course I'm not posting anyone else's posts or replies, but here is my reply to a reply under my post, which is important, because it actually contains the links/and gives more information on the 2002 Women's Health Initiative Study and the pushback that ensued, leading to further confusion regarding birth control and HRT treatments:

Hey XXX!

Thanks for replying and the backup on this subject, you write like a pro, by the way, very clear and concise - and yes, that was my goal, asking that people learn from my mistakes and not fearing advocating for yourself as women (I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone else, learning when to be assertive and when not to and how to.)

IMO, it just seems like the emphasis (and value) is still too focused on the female ability to have children, and to heck with women of a certain age, despite the fact that what you choose now can affect later, and even what you do during and postmenopause is important. 

It's often finding a balance between symptom relief  and/or contraception VS. possible long-term effects.

On that note, our book mentioned that 2002 WHI study that revealed what we believed previously - throwing a bunch of estrogen at problems and hoping it'd stick, despite lack of evidence either way - was problematic at the very least.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12117397/

And what the book doesn't mention is  that there was pushback, it was controversial, and there was a critique of that study in 2006 and others since.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1630688/

(Nothing against the book, I'm grateful they even mentioned it.)

Essentially, the pushback is with regard to reproductive cancer and estrogen therapy, that it's been misread and misinterpreted that birth control and HRT actually cause breast cancer, when that's not what it said -  it only said there was a correlation between the two and a slightly higher risk.

In other words, "correlation" does not mean "caused."

(I personally never read it that way anyway, but apparently some did.)

After reading both studies, here's what I'm left with, the balance between the two ...

It's complicated - and there is an important balance that needs to be had and that balance may even need to be individualized further for each woman, rather than trying to blanket all of us.

Further, I think at some point, we're going to need more research on what the mechanisms actually are that account for these differences and address those - if we can stop focusing  our research JUST on women of childbearing age (though like I said, what you do now may affect later) -  but for now, everything in moderation, just like everything else.

And you are absolutely correct - smoking is likely THE biggest risk factor for DVT/PE.

(I know you weren't scolding or anything, just following the discussion guidelines, I'm just  also taking it as a personal reminder because I'm going to try to quit again on Spring Break lol)

My smoking is not logical, it's a poor coping skill with anxiety versus taking something that dulls mentation. Thus, I've just received a prescription for bupropion (Wellbutrin) to help with quitting AND anxiety, which I play to try again on Spring Break! (Wish me luck trying again.) :) 

_____________________________________

PS - Interestingly and coincidentally, I'm doing a job for my contract work today about a completely unrelated drug coming to market, completely different medical area (and I can't tell you what and whom), but the economic pharmacologist respondent used this analogy:

"Let's pick something that’s been in the news recently, without (crosstalk) peri/post menopause, what is it, 25 years ago, someone said there was 35% higher chance of them developing breast cancer taking hormone therapy? Well, that turned out to be 4 out of 1,000 versus 5 out of 1,000, and so we scared women out of getting treated with hormones for 35 fricking years, which is criminal, so I’m thinking the same thing here."

He is referring to that 2002 WHI study we are talking about and the pushback controversy over it.

I see his point, and yet still, whether it's 4 out of 1,000 or 5 out of 1,000, we still don't yet understand WHY those 4 or 5 patients developed breast cancer or responded the way they did to hormonal therapy, and that may be important to know before blanket-generalizing treatment for all women.

Is it genetic variant we aren't aware of yet?

Is there some immunology involved? 

Is there some inhibition or overexpression going on?  

Why ARE some women more sensitive to estrogen than others (like me), and what other effects on the body does that have?

Do we really have to choose between bone-bending/bone breaking osteoporosis and heightened risk for breast cancer in such absolute  either/or terms?

The truth is ... we don't know. 

Like I said, taking in both sides of this argument, for me, taking hormones in an individual cocktail like I'm doing, in moderation, perhaps even cyclical treatment with tapering, may be best for now until we know more.

(Like I said *IF* we can get more research focused on women lifelong instead of just childbearing years, though what you take/do then will affect you later, because there is definitely a correlation - arguably percentage-wise - about taking estrogen and reproductive cancers and also prevention of osteoporosis.)

My Post of a Post (School Assignment) ...

So we had an assignment, this week, to write a post on our class discussion forum in Pharmacology that included choices to be made when choosing birth control, side effects, risks, etc.

You were assigned to list 2 of this, 3 of that, etc. (i.e. risks, risk mitigation, symptoms, etc.) that were listed in the book.

Being an older student and no longer needing birth control - and not wanting to regurgitate or plagiarize our textbook - I decided to write this particular post from a more personal perspective to include not just birth control, but HRT for menopausal and post-menopausal women because they are often the same hormones.

(This was discussed in our chapter, but wasn't required as part of the assignment.)

I wrote the following ... and I like it.

Not sure how many points I get, but I like it lol.

Is it the best thing I've ever written?

No, of course not.

Is it something I think all women should read, regardless of age, learning from my experience (especially what NOT to do)?

Absolutely.



Keep in mind, this is a discussion post for class for points, not a true paper, written from a more personal perspective to make it more interesting.

(Other people do that, too, and it's okay, as long as you include the required points requested.)

So without further ado, here it is ...

______________________________




Birth Control (and HRT) – One Size Does NOT Fit All

Just a bit of background first, using personal example of how we’ve come a long way, baby, since my first experience with birth control in the 1980s.

At that time, I was not a smoker and I was put on Ortho-Novum. Within 3 days, I was vomiting profusely, to the degree that I ended up in the emergency room needing an IV in my arm from dehydration. (It was very similar to the severe morning sickness I had with my daughter later.)

When the ER doctor assessed me, he pronounced me with “gastroenteritis,” despite the fact that it didn’t feel like gastroenteritis and no one around me was sick.

I politely asked “Is there any way that it’s the estrogen amount in the pill?”

You would've thought I had asked him if the earth revolved around the sun in the 1500s, rather than vice versa - and he behaved as if I was a heretic for even asking lol.

He literally raised his voice and said “No! God, that’s ignorant, all women have estrogen, it can’t give you side effects.”

Um … my boyfriend and I just looked at each other, blinked twice, said nothing, politely thanked him, and left.

I stopped the pill anyway and lo and behold, the nausea/vomiting stopped along with it.

I went to Planned Parenthood, where a female nurse practitioner pronounced him ignorant for not knowing that although all women have estrogen, the amount tolerated differs for each person, with some women being especially sensitive to estrogen (like me).

I was initially placed on Loestrin. After the birth of my daughter, I was diagnosed with hormone-induced migraines at age 29, plus I had started smoking (I know), putting me now at higher risk for DVT or PE. The Depo-Provera shot had just come out and I was switched to that, but I experienced breakthrough bleeding.

So it was back to Loestrin until the NuvaRing came out, with less estrogen and more progesterone; plus as now a busy mom, there was less worry about missing a pill and doubling up. I still had one migraine a month, but it was less severe, and sometimes just the “aura” with no pain. I continued with the NuvaRing until menopause (but shouldn't have, being a smoker and over age 35, but no one suggested otherwise).

Fast forward to menopause - age 52, still smoking (ashamedly), and now I had abnormal heavy bleeding and fibroids.

Knowing that I was especially sensitive to estrogen and a smoker, my OB/GYN put me on a “mini-pill” called Heather with 0.35 mg of norethindrone (progesterone) to control the bleeding and help shrink the fibroids.

(I cannot tell you what a Godsend this adjustment was for my menopause symptoms, to the degree that even when I was through menopause, I wanted to keep taking them, I felt so much better. I mean, I've never been much of a drinker or drug person, but I also have never in my life felt as good as when on these things! lol)

However, the fibroids were gone and birth control was now inappropriate, considering I was over 35 and smoking and now recently postmenopausal and at risk for osteoporosis.

But as soon as I quit taking them – and they were not tapered, just stopped - I immediately went back to extreme tiredness and PMS symptoms including lower pelvic discomfort and hot flashes, and I was told that estrogen will still spike up to years after menopause is over. Great, the party continues!

I asked if I could be on something, for a little while, but not true HRT.

I was never obese and always active, with normal BP and cholesterol, which mitigates the risk - but 52, postmenopausal, and smoking outweighs all the other risk factors.

Thus, at first, she said she didn’t want to put me on anything at all with my risk factors, and she “didn’t know much about HRT.”

I told her I didn’t want ongoing HRT, just transition cycling rather than abrupt discontinuation like this.

She saw me for a total of 3 minutes at my last 2 visits, which I found odd. She was always super nice (and still was), it's just 3-minute visits now?

I didn’t know how to interpret that, and I'm sure she didn't mean it like that - and God knows healthcare has become like a business now, get 'em in, get 'em out - but it felt to me like now that I was no longer of childbearing age/bleeding, whatever was going on was no longer a “real” concern.

Then her MA called me 2 days later with a prescription for 200 mg of progesterone daily.

Um again – 200 mg of pure progesterone?

That’s like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer, right?

I never picked up the prescription. I wasn’t sure why we swung from being concerned about prescribing anything at all to me over age 35 and a smoker to the other extreme, using a sledgehammer and increasing the risks by using maximum dose.

However, not wanting to be a Karen about it, I simply switched to another OB/GYN quietly.

This time, I found the only practitioner in town that was a certified NAMS (North American Menopause Society) provider.

You may be surprised to learn there was only one in my entire city of Lexington, but as our book says, this society has only been around since 2012, and some people still do not realize the importance of addressing menopause correctly, and how not doing so can lead to breast and endometrial cancers, osteoporosis, and other long-term conditions to contend with.

Thus, I would highly recommend when it’s “that time” for any women reading, look for an NAMS-certified professional.

I’m now on a cycling mix compound of mostly progesterone and a tiny bit of estrogen based on my labs, a few months on and off, and that works for me (and mitigates the risk), which we’ve tapered down as time has gone on (though I still experience some estrogen spikes every now and then).

As for mitigating risk factors, because there is a bit of estrogen in the compound and especially because I still smoke, I try to stay active/exercise (though it’s been hard this winter), watch my BP and cholesterol (still controlled with exercise only), stop the car on car trips and walk or get up and walk on planes, and I’m not ready for TED hose compression stockings yet, but those are also an option to mitigate the risk.

So my advice when it comes to birth control today – and the book’s advice – would be to take advantage of the plethora of options we have now and the percentage mixes of estrogen and progesterone or one or the other, balancing that with your age (especially over 35), your medical history, and the side effects.

Yes, these are hormones that all women have – but no 2 women are the same - and your body chemistry evolves over time.

Also, learn from my experience how NOT to do things – meaning report side effects right away and if something isn't right, ask questions and speak up.

Especially if you’re having chest pain and/or shortness of breath, and calf pain or redness, as these can be symptoms of PE or DVT and potentially life-threatening.

If they are dismissive, you can either try to educate them on things they’re outdated on by bringing in reputable studies or peer-reviewed journal articles to show evidence basis, or you can just find someone else who isn’t dismissive and is up to date.



I’m often afraid to speak up for myself when things go wrong, as I don’t want to be perceived as a Karen – but as my new OB/GYN said, “It’s not being a ‘Karen,’ it’s advocating for yourself. No sense in suffering in silence because of someone else’s arrogance.”

And if the symptoms turn out to be musculoskeletal or due to something else, even if the cause of the new symptom isn’t found or is an unusual side effect, that doesn’t mean it’s not real or that you’re nuts or being overdramatic - at least you ruled out the worst, right? No reason to be embarrassed.

Plus if you DO end up acting like a Karen, you have hormones to blame it on!

(Just kidding, NEVER do that – it only perpetuates that dismissive attitude in healthcare that women are being overdramatic or crazy that still exists - sometimes even with other women.)

When it comes to your body and your health, advocate for you – because nobody else is going to!

Make sure to go over your entire health history and lifestyle with your provider and make the choice together that’s right for you, and don’t be afraid to tell the provider it’s not working for you due to side effects (keeping in mind that they subside after that initial 2 weeks, when you should also be using backup birth control). And remember, they do NOT protect against HIV or other STIs.

Stay healthy, stay safe 😊

RIP, Reverend Jesse Jackson ...

One of the very last MLK-era civil rights leaders has left us, Reverend Jesse Jackson ... 😢

In fact, he was literally standing next to Martin Luther King Jr when he was assassinated ...

After MLK's death, Reverend Jackson never stopped pointing out the same inequities that still exist and are on the forefront of American politics today.

These men are irreplaceable - their particular form of civil disobedience moved the needle on civil rights, and IMO, when it comes to protests, we should take a page from their playbook and do more silent sit-ins and singing marches, it'd be harder for this administration to villainize and victim-blame that way. (And IMO, dance protests as an updated form, which I've said before).

He made a few mistakes along the way, which he openly regretted, apologized, and made amends for - but there was no better orator for civil rights except MLK himself.

"America is not like a blanket—one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread. The white, the Hispanic, the black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled make up the American quilt."

 ~ from his famous "Rainbow Coalition Speech" at the Democratic National Convention in 1984.

Those words are just as impactful and true now as they were then, even more important in our current political environment.

RIP, Reverend - you've earned it.  We will miss you 😢

Trump's Truth Social Valentine's Day Flash Mob?

 

I'm not on Truth Social, but apparently after "Pedo Protector Pam" Bondi's wild ride in the congressional hearing - in which Congress revealed some of the perpetrator's names that the DOJ had curiously redacted, but somehow "accidentally" publicly published the victim's names on the DOJ website -  and that in reality, it's estimated that Trump's name actually appeared over a million times before redaction (and they're not even done reviewing yet) -  Trump posted this on social media for Valentine's Day ...

Then someone posted this ... 

And then someone else posted this ... 

And THESE ...

And someone "lovingly" restored this famous photo ... 

To its "original" version? 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

One of those things where you feel bad about laughing, but you can't help it - and if you don't laugh, you'll cry!

(Republican) US Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky VS Pam Bondi

 

Just wanted to highlight US Representative Massie's role in the hearing. 

US Representative Thomas Massie is a Republican representing Northern Kentucky who initially supported Trump, but is now vehemently anti-Trump -  especially over the Epstein situation. 

He was also the representative who initially blew the whistle on the DOJ website initially publically publishing the victims names, but redacting the perpetrators.

I think he did a very good job of laying out the redaction problems and his efforts to pinpoint accountability for such "accidents" (that keep happening), adding further that they only changed the website after he "caught them red-handed."

He also further went on to say the only reason he knows who the names are that were redacted is because he read the victims' testimonies from the FBI, because the DOJ still has not met with the victims despite repeated requests. 

Probably the most powerful thing he said, after Bondi tried to deflect onto Biden - and then tried to say his questioning was "political" and he had "Trump derangement syndrome " (which he ignored) -  was that this goes back 4 presidents and is beyond political party.

Bravo, Representative Massie - you said what needed to be said -  that the perpetrators and enablers are on BOTH sides of politics and this goes back 4 presidents and DOJs ...

... but it is the current administration and DOJ who are desperately trying to put that cat back in the bag, for what reason we don't know. 

Thank you for putting doing the right thing above political party.

Other than our governor, Andy Beshear, this would literally make only the second time in 3 decades that I am proud of a politician from my state of Kentucky ...  😊

IMO, Most Overlooked Important Moment from the Pam Bondi Testimony ...

 

As we know, Pam Bondi refused to answer questions, preferring to distract, ask her own questions, and insult Congress members asking questions as being "washed up losers,"   then devolved into snark and screaming by the end.

But before we go to the most important overlooked moment, IMO, can I just say - it was the women members of Congress who handled her best?

The men mostly either started yelling right back at her or just kind of threw up their hands and gave up.  😂

The women stayed calm and were were like "Oh, no, girl - not today, not on my watch - you're not gonna weasel out of my question by asking a question."

The one exception being Rep. Becca Balint, who came at her hard and yelled, but understandably could no longer continue, after Pam Bondi insinuated she was antisemitic for not voting on a bill, despite the fact that Balint is Jewish and her own grandfather died in the holocaust!

Now - IMO, Senator Jayapal had the most important moment, which I've already mentioned in the post below. 

But another important moment that's actually being overshadowed in favor of all the theatrics is Representative Deborah Ross from North Carolina, who informed us of what most of us didn't know.

The fact that Ghislaine Maxwell was quietly transferred from a maximum security facility to a minimum security prison months ago, and receives special individual workouts/private trainers, "puppy time," and a host of other luxury benefits other prisoners do not receive.

Ross asked Bondi if she agreed with pedophiles and their enablers to be in minimum security luxury prisons, to which Bondi replied "No," 

Then Ross further asked "Who signed the order?"


*Crickets*

Which, of course, Bondi refused to answer and tried to distract again with questions.

This is a bombshell to those of us who didn't know.

Why WAS Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a minimum security prison and who signed that order?

Otherwise, there is a protocol for these proceedings.

It's just like a courtroom, perhaps one of the most important courtroom proceedings there are next to the SCOTUS.

You ARE under oath, you must at least attempt to answer questions (not answer with your own questions), and you may not personally insult the question askers, lest ye be held in contempt if the chair so decides (who unfortunately is Chief Trump Ass Kiss, Jim Jordan). 

Nobody explains that better that Representative Jasmine Crockett. 

You wanna act sassy, snarky, disrespectful, throw shade, and yell?

Crockett's gonna throw it right back at you, only she's better at it - and you might actually learn something in the process, too. 😂

Keep in mind, this was after Bondi had insulted several lawyers in Congress already, and that Jasmine Crockett is an attorney.

Highlights?

"Our witness, who somehow is a lawyer, but does not understand how it works with witnesses. I'm not really sure what law school she went to, and what all kinda cases she tried, but typically, when you come into a space and somebody's a witness, then they sit there and they answer questions instead of asking questions ..."

"... but nevertheless, let me address the survivors - because that's exactly who they are, they are NOT victims, they are survivors.  Let me say thank you for having more courage and more clarity in your pinky fingers than the entire Department of Justice ..."   

"The fact of the matter is that you will be remembered as one of the worst Attorney Generals in history; an Attorney General who has prioritized obstruction over justice, corruption over the law, fealty to the president over loyalty to the constitution, and Mr. Chairman, I yield my time."

(Mic drop)

Wooooo! 

Amen. Preach, Jasmine, preach! 

Bondi is correct, Crockett didn't actually ask her a question, because as she stated at the beginning of her time, she wasn't going to get an answer anyway.  😂

Then Bondi proceeds to try to talk about a particular crime in Crockett's state of Texas - despite the fact that Crockett has nothing to do with the justice system in Texas, but Bondi IS in charge of the federal justice system at the DOJ!

Yet Bondi imagines she's on a distraction roll anyway, ending it with "they wanna talk about Epstein instead of crime within their own states."

Record scratch.

Um ... yeah?

Because this is at a national level and even your own constituents want to know about how deep this Epstein thing goes and billionaire involvement!

Something you AND Trump initially promised to do but have done everything you could to prevent for over a year!

First you say the client files are on your desk, then you say there's no client files, then you drag your feet for over a year, redacte perpetrators names but not the victims, and try to distract us with immigrant BS and waste taxpayer money going after Trump's enemies, cases which the judges are throwing out anyway!

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to realize something really is amiss, here.

Watching a Brat (And Not the Good Kind) - Pam Bondi's Testimony ...

 

Edited: Apologies, I meant to post this montage of some of her most entitled teenage-brat snark moments. There were actually worse moments than these - the screeching and screaming that came later -  but I couldn't find just one video that showed them all, there were so many   😂

Show of hands - how many members of Congress (both Democrats and most Republicans) - and moms in America - wanted to send falsely entitled, bratty Pam Bondi to her room without her cell phone until she calmed down and stopped verbally abusing everybody around her? 😂

✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋

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(There are more, but I'll stop there.)

Dang, I wanted to send flowers later to her poor mom, all her exhusbands, and her stepchildren for having to contend with that 😂

The woman is 60 years old, being asked in a Congressional hearing why she published the victims' names from the Epstein files, but redacted the names of the rich/powerful -  but you'd think she was  a 14-year-old being asked by a parent where she'd been, throwing snarky insults around for daring to ask! 😂

Speaking of hand-raising, the saddest part?

Senator Jamila Jayapal asking for the Epstein victims in the courtroom to stand, and then asking them to raise their hands if they had still not been able to meet with this Department of Justice yet ...

... - and every single one of them raised their hands. 😢

Senator Jayapal then asked for Pam Bondi to apologize to them for releasing their names and information in the files, but she refused to do so.

In fact, she tried to distract from the question by deflecting onto former AG, Merrick Garland, who was nowhere around when Bondi's DOJ released victim names.

Senator Jayapal reminded her that Merrick Garland was not responsible for the release of victim names and information - she was. 

Republican Jim Jordan - House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and Chief US Rep Trump Brown-Noser - tried to protect  (help cover up) Bondi's actions by telling Jayapal that Bondi could answer the question any way she wanted to.

Jayapal repeated that she's not answering the question she asked her  - taking responsibility for HER actions while in office, not her predecessor's - releasing the victim names and info along with the files. 

Bondi refused, further saying that she's "not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics."

Hahaha! 😂😂😂

Oh, she was serious.

Gurrrrlll, were you looking in a mirror when you said that?

Well, I guess you'd know about theatrics, now, wouldn't ya? 

Bitch, you're a lawyer for Trump - you LIVE in the gutter, you chose it and you love it!🤣

Um ... Senator Jayapal was likely the calmest person in the room! 😂

In fact, even Jim Jordan had to tell Bondi to stop yelling/tone it down, at one point.

One of the most frustrating characteristic behaviors of MAGA to deal with is their tendency to project all of their own behavior onto others in deflection when asked a direct question and personally insulting you for even asking.

And the most surprising thing is how many MAGA fall for it or cheer it on, either without realizing this pattern of being distracted or because they just like it when white people act like a-hole bullies.

And on our side, stop letting ourselves get railroaded and distracted  by letting the personal insults and false accusations deter us.

Congress, you don't help by not keeping your questions pointed and short - dispense with the rhetoric.

Now - having said that, I couldn't be a Congresswoman OR a reporter because I have thin skin, but they are where they are because they don't, right?

So they should be prepared for personal insults by this administration who hath no personal boundaries and lives in the gutter - be prepared for anything to come back at you. 

You don't have to get down in the gutter with them, but you can throw right back what they just threw at you instead of letting it stick and stewing over it, right?

So how about when Trumps says stuff like "You're ugly" or "You're nasty" to reporters asking pertinent questions, ...

Just quipping back:  "Awwm thanks, you too -  now why are you redacting the billionaires names from the Epstein files but publicly revealing the victims, and why won't you meet with the victims?"😎

Or when Bondi says "You're not even a lawyer" to Congress ...

Saying "Neither is most of your GOP Congress nor Trump himself, your point? . Please stop redacting billionaire names and publishing victims names and meet with the victims."

Whatever the case, I will say this to Bratty Karen - erm, I mean Pam - Bondi ... 

All right, Missy, I think you need a time out. 😂

Because there's sassy and then there's being a verbally abusive Karen, too big for your breeches. 

You're speaking to the House Judiciary Committee, not one of your ex-husbands 🤣

Please go to your room until you can discuss things calmly and answer questions without verbally abusive deflection.

PS - How Did I Miss My Pedro?

 ... during the Bad Bunny halftime show?

I saw Cardi B and Jessica Alba, but I didn't see my Pedro Pascal.

Maybe because he was standing all cool in the background like this ...

He apparently was only panned by with the camera for a second, but there are some clips from the crowd of him dancing on their cell phones (that are too short to share) but nevertheless awesome.

Ye-es-es, now my week is complete 😊

Bad Bunny's Halftime Show!

 

And so, after taking my midterm and getting an A (Pharmacology, University of Cincinnati) -  I was ready to watch me some Bad Bunny at the Superbowl!

If you missed it, you missed out - and you didn't have to know Spanish to get the imagery - it was a brilliant, peaceful form of protest.

Did we need to know Spanish to colonize and enslave them, take their land, (exploit) their resources, or appropriate their food and music and call it our own? 😉

'Bout time they had a say in their own language, then, isn't it?

And despite much anticipation of what he might say after his anti-ICE Grammy's speech and ICE threats  - of the crowd, because Bad Bunny himself is from the US territory of Puerto Rico and therefore automatically a legal citizen -  he kept it about his music, and more importantly, the imagery said what he didn't - the importance of, and dependence on, Latino culture in America. 

He celebrated the rich diversity and tapestry of Latin Americans from all countries, no two Latino countries or culture exactly alike, who have contributed so much to our own culture.

Because people have apparently forgotten that American culture was - and always has been - a "melting pot" of other cultures since its inception  - and that there would BE no world-coveted "cool" American culture without our especially non-white immigrants.

(NFL and Apple are blocking these quickly, so if you can't see it here, go directly to their link on YouTube here to see it.)

I defy you NOT to move!

And as I've said before on here, I really think dance should be our modern take on protests?

Forget shouting in people's faces, blowing whistles, etc - get back to MLK's idea of peaceful civil disobedience, with an updated twist and just ...  dance!

Salsa, meringue, cha cha, samba, Paso doble, tango, cueca flamenco ...

Most of the couples dancing/ballroom dancing still done today, we can thank mostly Latin Americans for (and Spain).

And if you'll notice, everyone involved in the halftime show was Latino - except for Lady Gaga, who seemed an odd choice and stuck out awkwardly like a sore thumb.

Some were black, some were brown, and some were white, but all Latino - because races were mixed long ago in Latin America by European conquistadores and colonizers!

(In fact, my friend's mom from Puerto Rico, who speaks only Spanish, has blond hair and blue eyes because she is one-quarter French!)

Speaking of Puerto Rico, he of course also displayed Puerto Rico pride most of all, drawing attention to the infrastructure and political problems that exist there independently of our own here in America, though everything we do here politically and governmentally ricochets onto them 10 fold.

That's the thing about Bad Bunny - Bad Bunny is one of those rappers who is unafraid to rap about socioeconomic struggle and politics, especially bringing attention to the exploitation and neglect of PR as a U.S. territory -  and we love him for it! 

For example, in case you didn't get the utility pole sequence during his song "El Apagon" ("The Blackout)," Puerto Rico has a very fragile power grid that is only intermittently functional, and has only gotten worse since it was privatized to a U.S.-Canadian company.

On average, despite paying high utility bills, PR loses power 27 days a year, and that's on a good year without a hurricane, which can take months to restore.

Also, as my friends from PR explained, almost any natural resource they have to sell is now US-corporate owned with mostly U.S. corporate labor.

So though the fruits and vegetables are sometimes literally growing just down the street, they literally have to buy them back from these U.S. companies at quadruple the wholesale price.

And this, despite the fact that there are few local jobs there now, and the jobs that do exist are low pay (beneath minimum wage in mainland America).

Speaking of those friends, as I've mentioned before, my very good friends are from Puerto Rico, moving here after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

There have been a few times where people here have made asses of themselves by assuming they weren't legal -  and even after explaining to them that they were Puerto Rican -  the ignorants here don't understand that Puerto Rico IS a U.S. Territory - meaning they are automatically legal American citizens.

(Puerto Ricans can even vote for U.S. President - IF - they are residing on the mainland U.S.)

But back to Bad Bunny, their adorable little 6-year-old son can rap Bad Bunny like he IS Bad Bunny! 😂

When the segment came of the little boy watching Bad Bunny get his Grammy on an old TV and Bad Bunny then handed his Grammy to him, I couldn't help but think of Mateo (he actually resembles him) - that could be him, someday!

(Though I am hoping with his intelligence and good heart, he will one day be the first Puerto Rican POTUS, but that's just me. 😂 )

Also, though I didn't get to see him on Superbowl day this year, he is a proud Seahawks fans, wearing his little mini-Seahawks jersey last year. 😊

Lastly, I would just like to point out the difference between rappers like Bad Bunny, who speak out against the face of pending dictatorship and corrupt government, versus rappers like Nicki Minaj, who sold out and fell in line, betraying most of her fans in doing so.

My theory as to why Nicki Minaj did that and is kissing Trump ass now?

Well, she pretty much posted why ... 

Nicki posted a pic of her $1 million Trump Gold Immigration Visa card, Trump's "fast track" program to citizenship.

Because Nicki was born in Trinidad. 

Thus, since she bought this card, it's highly likely that she wasn't a legal immigrant, and being a high-profile rapper, she likely bought the golden ticket to avoid herself and her family from being targeted and deported by ICE.

What a selfish sellout - sickening for all the undocumented non-celebrities who will never make $1 million in their lifetime, and yet American businesses are dependent on their labor anyway.

Worse, her new pro-ICE messaging is the ultimate hypocrisy -because if it weren't for that $1 million Trump Visa card she bought, she'd be in the same target boat as the people she's condemning!

Methinks she's gonna want her both that $1 million and her soul back real soon, because nobody's buying her stuff anymore, as IF she'd released anything recently anyway.  😂 

PS - I'm pretty sure the Statue of Liberty does NOT say "Give me your multimillionaire celebrities who can pay their way in immediately,"

No, she says "Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor ... your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ... the 'wretched refuse' of your teeming shore."."

If we don't mean that anymore, then tear her down ... or at least make citizenship a quicker, easier process without bias or pay-to-play!

Lexington Roads Still Not Clear/School Still Out ...

 So this is New Circle Road yesterday, the major artery connecting the city - so you can imagine what our lesser roads look like!

Let me explain what that means.

So because we are one of handful of the few cities in America not built around bodies of water, Lexington's roads instead connect much like a wagon wheel, with Lexington in the center. 

The major spokes of the wheel are Nicholasville Road, Harrodsburg Road/Broadway, Richmond Road/Main, Winchester Road, Tates Creek Road, Versailles Road, Leestown Road, and Newtown Road.

Connecting all of these spikes are 2 circle roads (or half circles) , located a few miles from the city center and then on the outskirts of the city- New Circle Road (inner circle) and Man O'War (outer half-circle).

(Man O'War isn't a full circle, it ends at Winchester Road in the Northeast and Versailles Road in the Southwest. It was meant to be one day be a circle, but you'd have to remove horse farms like Calumet to do so, and no one wants to do that, understandably.)

The latter two operate like highways, and in other words, New Circle Road is a major lifeline for the city and it still looks like that, 2 weeks later.

(And as I said, as for the other streets, fuhgettabout it. Our street is still nearly covered in ice.)

For example, this is a picture of Bay Colony Lane, a newer residential suburban street about 2 miles west of Lexington's city center, that someone took yesterday ... 

Sorry, Mayor Linda Gorton - but I gotta say in living here 38 years, I have seen way worse storms that took less time to clean the streets.

I mean, we're always behind Northern states with cleanup, but this was only 6 inches of snow and the worst was ice, but still, never seen a worse cleanup job - kids out of school for 2 weeks and there's still giant strips of ice on Richmond Road?

Nope - not acceptable. 

Governor Beshear agrees, literally using the term" unacceptable" -  because not only have the interstates been cleared for over a week, but Louisville city streets have been clear for over a week as well.

In fact, he says he offered help a week ago, but Mayor Linda Gorton - a Republican - declined help from our Democrat Governor. 

(She has just now accepted his help.)

Also, the city has no idea what streets have been cleaned and what haven't - because they didn't keep track.

I will also say I didn't see much pretreatment and a rare truck during or just after the storm.

Usually, we see trucks pretreating the day before and during, just about every 2 hours - not this time!

It's like they gave up before it even started. 😂

Welp, there goes her re-election (though I don't think she's eligible anyway after 2 terms.)

She's a moderate Republican, so we'd still best be careful what we wish for, because we could always get worse - like a MAGA Republican. 

I hope not - because we're one of 2 (light) blue counties in the state (Fayette - Lexington, Jefferson - Louisville), but ya never know.

Turpin Children: House of Horrors 2 - Diane Sawyer Exclusive on ABC/Hulu

You may recall the worst case of child abuse in recent history in America, the Turpin children - 13 children starved, chained, beaten, living in their own feces - only rescued because 17-year-old sister, Jordan, escaped the house and dialed 911.

Thus, it may shock you that they were abused again in foster care - the Olguine family -  who took in 5 of the youngest children (who received $15,000 a month for doing so) - despite a claim of sexual abuse by a prior foster child in their care.

And yes, this time, 2 of the girls were sexually abused by the foster father.

How could this happen, especially to such a high profile case?

Because press, CPS, and everyone so enthralled with them simply wanted to believe it was happily ever after for them without ensuring it, thus abandoning them - that's how.

Their new foster family took the $15K a month and got drunk on a nightly basis, verbally and physically abusing them, telling them no one would ever love them, they were less than worthless, and that their parents were right about them, they deserved abuse, and imprisoned in the home again - with the father  trying to make them believe that being wanted sexually (as children) was the closest they'd ever come to being loved.

Confused about what love was and what was normal and what wasn't, scared no one would believe lightning struck twice, at first, they told no one except each other. 

However, they'd had just enough counseling when first rescued that therapy had sunk in enough for them to at least try to tell someone.

When they did try to tell their CPS workers, they weren't believed - blamed on trauma flashbacks instead of reality. 

That is until older sister, Jordan - not housed with the foster family -  rescued them once again by appealing to a child advocate she'd met during the original process, who launched another investigation - and proof of abuse was found.

The Olguines were arrested - father, mother, and adult daughter  living with them - and plead guilty to various child abuse crimes, with the father in  pleading guilty to 7 counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a minor child.

I am beyond disgusted that this can go on even with high-profile cases like theirs, whom they should've ensured went to a fully vetted family with no prior complaints filed. 

I am beyond disgusted with the press who dropped them like hotcakes and didn't follow up.

And worse, with the social workers of CPS, trained to know better, how to recognize the signs - who dismissed and gaslighted them - all to find out it was actually true - again.

Even sadder, two of the children considered suicide as the only way out, beginning to believe their abusers, that they deserved the abuse and there was no hope for them.

These children are full of wonder at the world and grateful - so if they ever speak about anything ever again, listen - because you can bet it's real.

Because though PTSD/trauma triggers are real- like a war veteran running for cover with a car backfiring - more often than not, it's actually their PTSD hypervigilance that kicks in, setting off alarm bells - usually for good reason. 

And if nothing else good can come from their story, I hope it's this ... 

We need to stop believing the following myths, which keep people trapped in abuse cycles:

    

1) Good things only happen to/God blesses good people and bad things only happen to/God doesn't bless bad people. 

(Catholics might take issue with that  - they make saints  out of those who suffered most in life.)  

 

2) People always bring bad things on themselves.

Though it's true bad choices lead to bad consequences, sometimes bad things just happen, and sometimes people prey upon them  - and they actually happen more to powerless people than others - not because they're bad people, but bad people choose them specifically because they won't be believed. 

Consider the young girls Epstein chose purposefully  - from broken, abusive and/or poor families or foster care, little social support, won't be believed - same thing.  

 

3) They're the common denominator of both situations, so  they're the problem.   

Erm - not always. Though there are genuinely people who chronically have trouble everywhere they go, here's what's also true  ...   

We also live in a power-abusing society, especially currently, and power-abusing people love to  "punch down,"  taking their stress out on others - or sometimes even prey on -  the most vulnerable, powerless, naive people they can find, considering them weaker, knowing no one will believe them.    

And once again, consider the girls Epstein chose - girls from  broken, poor, abusive families and foster families with no support, purposefully, knowing they wouldn't be believed.

 So though they might be the common denominator, it might not be for the reasons that you think - and it's not because they're cursed or chronically unlucky, either. 

Their only responsibility in the situation could just be low self-esteem, they don't believe they deserve better or even know there's better, so they take it for far too long.

Or  because others consider them weak/vulnerable or powerless,  which rings like a dinner bell to power-abusers and predatory people.

What can they do about that?

Well, you can't do much about power if you're genuinely powerless.

But you can learn to be less naive, less open, less trusting, learn better boundaries and how to say "no" from the get-go rather than waiting, and learn how to either actually be, or at least appear, stronger and more confident than the vibes you're giving off - and above all, start believing you DO deserve better!

How to tell the difference between troublemakers versus chronically "vulnerable" or people with low self-esteem or naive/vulnerable people?

Who they blame. 

If they ever blame themselves - sincerely - even momentarily (before their therapy kicks in and balances their responsibility versus others lol)  - you're likely dealing the low-self-esteem or vulnerable types who get picked on a lot instead of true troublemakers.  

 

On a positive note - upon watching the new Diane Sawyer series on Hulu (whom I don't mind saying I'm a little pissed at for her lack of follow-up after the first interview 4 years ago)  I said this to my husband ... 

"I know it sounds weird, but ... those children glow, they radiate. It's not just great skin now, but there's a little light with all of them - it's like the light of innocence and finding joy despite sorrow, it's remarkable."

Hold onto that light, joy, and wonder at the world still, Babies ... 

There might be many drawn to it who want to exploit it, benefit from it, or even smash that light and joy, just because they can and they perceive you as weaker/vulnerable - don't let anyone steal  your joy and light.  

Throw away the tapes playing in your head about deserving this treatment where they belong, in the trash.

Because they are all lies - and it doesn't matter how many adults picked up and sang that song to justify their abuse, that doesn't make lies true.

Also, you have learned everything there is about what ISN'T normal - so now continue counseling so you can learn what IS normal.

Praying for you, if God listens xo

 

Genesis 50:20 "What was done to me was done for evil, but God, in turn, intended for good for the saving of many lives."

 

When Gaslighting Stops Working: White House Admits to Digitally Manipulating Photo of Protester Using AI ...

Apparently, when gaslighting us for what we can see with our own eyes is no longer working, the White House and crossed the line and is now resorting to digitally altering  images.

Case in point - this is Nekima Levy Armstrong. She is a civil rights attorney and ordained minister. 

She was part of a Minnesota protest during church services, protesting ICE removing people from church services. 

As stupid as that idea was - protesting ICE removing people from church by interrupting the church service yourselves (they should've known that would get twisted) - what happened next is worse.

Kristi Noem posted her originally picture on the DHS site - then the White House took her arrest photo and digitally altered it and Karoline Leavitt (WH press secretary) posted it to X ....

 ... adding the tagline ...

As you can see between the original DHS photo and the WH photo, there's a drastic difference  - darkening her skin and making her look anguished and crying like a Karen, instead of calm and resolute. 

Also, she isn't far left - she's a civil rights attorney and ordained pastor herself.

This isn't just racism, sexism, and fabricating propaganda  - it's pure evil.

When the NYT, The Guardian, and several other press confirmed the photo had been manipulated, they reached out to Karoline Leavitt, who referred them to Kaelan Dorr, the WH Deputy Communications Director, who responded:

“YET AGAIN to the people who feel the need to reflexively defend perpetrators of heinous crimes in our country I share with you this message: Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter,”

Okay, Kaelan - if interrupting church services to protest is a heinous crime, then what is ICE snatching  undocumented immigrants out of church pews?

Regardless, Ms. Levy Armstrong IS an attorney - and she got her own attorney and is suing the White House.

Considering there is no precedent set yet on AI, not sure how that's gonna go, but if it's defamation of character with loss of reputation (usually only if you can prove financial loss), there's a better chance, but it's still iffy.

But whatever, ya bunch of Nazis. 

Desperate much, after Alex Pretti?

Sorry you have to cheat to win, because you can't win otherwise. 

All of this has to end someday, you know - I hope sooner rather than later - and I pray for justice for all of YOUR heinous crimes.