Freedom is Knowledge: Kony2012

I know this is a long post, with no pictures, but please take a minute to read this. It means a lot to me and it may make a difference in the way you see things.

     The Kony 2012 campaign hit the Internet this week and like a moth to a flame, young, hipster attention seeking cool kids started blowing up every social network possible. While this is great and I totally support free speech and the right to assemble, I have a few issues with this movement.
     I sat down last night and Jim and I watched the moving video made by Jason Russell of Invisible Children. This video is heart wrenching, filled with images of children walking hours to a school were they could safely sleep. It also included images of Jason's son being born and then him growing into a vibrant toddler that is then told about a bad man in Africa.  What Jason explains is that; the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) is a self made army guided by Joesph Kony that abducts children and forces them to be soldiers. He then talks about friends he's made while in Uganda that have managed to escape Kony's wrath. Jason goes on to talk about his efforts to bring down Kony and how the U.S. government turned a blind eye.  Followed by clips of people protesting across the U.S., all in efforts for our government to see that this issue is big enough to send our troops to Uganda to take down this terrorist. Images of Hitler mixed with sad African children instantly make you want to get up and call congress. With all of this how could the president not see it. Well he did. Obama deployed 100 soldiers to help the Ugandan army take down the LRA. Good work! If interest is lost then the troops will be pulled, because troops only go were the people want them to!?  He explains Invisible Children's plan to take down Kony is to make him famous. He shows a list of Celebrities and Congress who he is hoping will take interest in Kony 2012 and that by having social media involved it will open the eyes to the millions of people that before this week had no idea who Joseph Kony is/was. Keeping Kony's name relevant in tern makes government see that the American masses are aware of this situation and think it's something that needs to be stopped. Jason ends this 30 minute video by showing that you can donate, or buy this all in one protest kit, including fashionable (kabala-esk) bracelets and posters to slather against walls and store fronts.
     Now I will be the first to admit that I did not know who Joseph Kony was prier to this video. I did however know about the children soldiers. But with all the poverty, disease and unfortune in most of Africa, it all gets swept under the rug. This video did open my eyes to a bigger problem, but I think that what Invisible Children is missing is that removing Kony isn't going to solve many of the problems in Africa, or even Uganda. Kony is not the only man revolting against the African government, and while the LRA is the largest, if the LRA is taken down, then it will just be another group stepping in to take their place.
      Lets talk about issues. Yoweri Museveni is the President of Uganda and is going on his 4th term as president, making his ruling more then 25 years. Their idea of democracy is a little (a lot) different then ours. With little social service, corruption is rampat. Do we need to mention genital mutilation for women? Should we even get started talking about the lack of health care and wide spread aids epidemic? What about the Skippy scandal of the 1990's that poisoned many Africans because their only source of food was the super chemical filled peanut butter the  U.S. company supplied for them. These are the things that are not even hinted at in the Kony video. How is taking down the LRA going to effect any of those problems.  
     The main point of this viral video  is get people to talk about it. I feel with that, the video is a success. Where it goes wrong for me is that they are urging people to get active and to call congress and stand up for this campaign, and people are with little knowledge rather then a 30 minute well produced video. I think that using social media is a great idea. We are in the age of facebook, for peets sake, your reading this from my BLOG post. Social media is everywhere and using it to your advantage is what it was made for.  People aren't looking at any of the other facts beside, bad man = must be taken down. Part of the problem is that IC has found it's nitch; sleek modern imagery that appeals to young adults. While that works and has got people's attention, I don't think it goes much farther then that. You have America's attention... what comes next? IC has been criticized by people as "show boaters" or "part of the white man's burden", with lots to say and the ability to swoop in and take credit, but there are many organizations silently working to help Africa with it's many problem including Kony and the LRA. 
     My main point through this whole post is that Kony does need to be taken down, and this is a, smart eye catching, thought provoking, campaign. I'm all for becoming an advocate for this cause, but before you do, make sure that you are educated on the subject. Make sure that Invisible Children is an organization that you want to be affiliated with, there are lots of organizations that have similar goals with less propaganda.  I will provide some links to other charities that have similar agendas and you can make a choice for yourself.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am writing this not as slander against Kony2012, but as a person with objective thoughts. I am not the smartest person, nor do I claim to be, but I feel like this is an  opportunity for young people to make a difference, a smart, educated difference.

Caritas Uganda, 

AYINET

Refugee Law Project

All three of this charities are great are are worth taking a look at.

Saturdance

Last night was a blast, but I'm paying for it now! 

This song always reminds me of Sacramento and randome adventures Cora and Amanda shared with me. 

Have a great Saturday everyone. I tried to get some videos last night, but it was to dark. So I'm working on something else... equally as awesome!

United states of Nicole

Did any of you lovelies watch "United States of Tara". Jim and I found it on Netflix and got so engrossed in it that we watched all 3 seasons in two days.  If you haven't seen the show, it's about a woman (Tara) who has multiple personalities and her life with her family and how they deal with her and her "alters". One of the alters is Alice. Alice is this lady who jumps straight out of 1950 and is a "June Cleaver" type. 

I'm saying all of this, because this is my Alice outfit. When I got dressed  I looked at myself in the miror and totally thought that this was my version of "Alice". 

We are 2 days into our vacation. We are headed to our favorite bar tonight and meeting up with some great friends. Sacramento is always so nice to visit. When I was young I alsways talked about moving and not living there anymore and how happy I would be, but when I visit , the place still feels like home and I could totally see our little family being back and totally happy! I miss being able to ride my bike to the grocery store and walking to go get coffee and donuts in the morning. You can't really walk anywere in Sonora.

Ok well Im off. Enjoy your day everyone! See you tomorrow for Saturdance!!!!

 

OOTD-

T-shirt- walmart

Sweater- Torrid

Skirt/dress- Kohl's

Shoes- don't remember :(

Galaxy Nail Tutorial-ish

Ok, Let me start out by saying that I'm not super awesome at doing nails. I'm not sure if it's because I have super short nails or if my skills are just not that developed, but I had a hell of a time with this tecnique. I am saying this because I'm sure that I'm not the only one and I know that not everything turns out perfect all the time. 

I started out by watching a million Youtube videos on how to do this. My first attempt turned out not so great, so I went back and watched more videos to refresh myself. The second time around wasn't any better. Finally I got mad enough to try it one more time. Now this still isn't great, but I wanted to show you the proccess I used so you can try it and maybe it's just me not getting it. 

STUFF YOU WILL NEED

• PRIMER
• TOPCOAT
• BLACK NAIL POLISH
• MAKEUP SPONGE
• ASSORTED COLORS (FOR YOUR NEBULA)
• SMALL GLITTER NAIL POLISH
• OPTIONAL- TWEEZERS

 Prime your nails and then paint them black. let them dry a few minutes. 

I didn't have a makeup sponge so I used a foam roller. Cut a small chunk out of your sponge/roller and if you like use the tweezers to hold your small chunk. 

Sponge on streaks of white to create your nebula 

Next sponge on yellow or your whatever color you have chosen.  After that then take another color (I chose pink) and sponge that on the edges of the yellow.

Also sponge on some dark blue on the edges of the pink to blend it into the black. I didn't do this the first time and I think the blue makes a big difference. 

Take a tooth pick or any small dotting tool and use white to make little dots to represent starts.

Next cover with a fine glitter nail polish, this will add more "stars". This really helps pull the look together. Well it's supposed to. Then finish off with a top coat and you should have Galaxy nails...

This was attempt #1

Attempt #2

These last two are attempt #3

Here is what they are supposed to look like!

Mini Vacation and OOTD!

So as you read this Jim and I have embarked on a small vacation. One of my dearest friends is coming to visit our home town and Jim and I have decided this would be a great time to get away and spend some time with our friends. Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten about my blog! I have a few things lined up and I'll even be bringing my video camera to capture some of our fun stuff. This Sunday's Vlog will be packed with out adventures! 

This is the outfit I wore yesterday to go run some errands to get ready for our trip. It was a little gloomy outside, but that didn't stop me from wearing this awesome spring dress. I have to admit that I'm self cousious about my bare legs. If I have leggings or tights on, for some reason I don't worry about them at all. Thanks to amy and her awesome self love chalange, I am trying to step outside my comfort zone and accept me and all of my body worries. I'm not perfect, but I'm me and I wanted to wear this dress sans tights.... SO I DID!!!!

A big thanks to Amy over at A is for Ampersand. Her journey and willingness to share her triumphs and struggles with body issues is oober inspiring and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that feels that way. I hope you get a chance to check her out.

Well I'm off. I still have to pack and get a few things done. Everyone have a great week and be safe. See ya' soon!

OOTD_

Dress- F21+

Sweater- Target

Flats- Payless

 P.S. I don't have any shoes that match this dress, what do you think would go with it? I was a little stumped on this one!

Homemade Apple Turnovers!

Jim requested that I make these and to be honest I was a little intimidated when he told me what he wanted. Apple turnovers sound hard and time consuming. I hoped on the Internet and started to do some research. After looking at a few recipes I started to realize that these wouldn't be hard at all. The key is the puff pastry, now you can make you own but the dough is super temperamental and is hard to work with so I opted to buy the pre-made kind.  Here's what else you'll need....

INGREDIENTS

• ONE PACKAGE OF FROZEN FILO DOUGH
• 4 APPLES OF YOUR CHOICE (I LIKE GRANNY SMITH)
• 1C BROWN SUGAR
• CINNAMON TO YOUR LIKING
• 1 TBSP CORN STARCH
• 1 TBSP WATER
• 1 EGG
• 2 TBSP BUTTER
• SUGAR IN THE RAW (OR ANY KIND OF LARGER GRANULATED SUGAR)

Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees

 Start off by peeling your apples and slicing them into small cubes. As you slice them you can put them in a bowl of cool water with a little lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Once all four of your apples are cut, grab a skillet and put on Medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan and add the apples (make sure apples are not super wet if you did the water bath), add your Cinnamon to your liking and let cook for 2 minutes.

Next add in your brown sugar. In a small bowl mix the corn starch and water together. Add the cornstarch mixture to your apples and mix well. This will make the liquid in the pan thicker and more of a sauce. Cook this mixture for another 2 minutes and then set aside.

Grab your Filo dough and take out one of the sheets, lay it out flat and cut into 4 equal squares. I strongly recommend that you keep the other sheet of filo in the fridge until you are ready to use. If it sits out and warms up, it becomes this sticky, gooey mess and it's super hard to work with. 

Now your ready for apples! Grab a spoon with slats in it, so the liquid can drain out. Spoon in the apples to the middle of each square of dough. Fold the dough over itself on the diagonal to create a triangle. Make sure that you seal the ends by pressing down on the edges with your fingers or a fork. (I did both to make sure that I sealed them all the way). Take out your other sheet of dough and repeat these steps. You will have 8 turnovers all together.

In a small bowl or cup crack your egg, but only put the white of the egg in bowl. add a small amount of water to your egg whites and mix. You just made an egg wash! Brush the egg mixtures onto the tops of your turnovers. Finally Generously sprinkle your raw sugar on top of the pastries. 

Bake at 400f degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy. 

 Let me tell you, these bad boys are impressive. Our friends couldn't believe that I had made these.  I am still getting compliments on how good they were. If you can spare a half hour of your day to making these, you will be the talk of the town! I also made a batch for Jim and I and stuck them in the freezer and we just grab 2 in the morning and put them in the toaster oven for a minutes and they are super good!

Have a great day! See you tomorrow!

The Newlyweds Game- Vlog Sunday

Jim and I sat down and found out how well really know each other!