Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine was greenlit on Friday by a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration, clearing the last hurdle before a formal authorization expected on Saturday, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans. The nation’s first shipments will go out in the days after that. It will be the third shot made available to the United States in the year since the first surge of coronavirus cases began washing over the country, and it will be the first vaccine to require just one dose instead of two. Johnson & Johnson’s formulation worked well in clinical trials, particularly against severe disease and hospitalizations, even though it did not match the sky-high efficacy rates of the first two vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
One’s Narrative
The narratives we are taught to believe about ourselves and those we term “the other” are the pillars on which we judge who deserves equality and who doesn’t. We have to confront our prejudices and cease adjudicating on who deserves to be denigrated or elevated. We are a God only to ourselves and no one else.

The narratives we are taught to believe about ourselves and those we term “the other” are the pillars on which we judge who deserves equality and who doesn’t. We have to confront our prejudices and cease adjudicating on who deserves to be denigrated or elevated. We are a God only to ourselves and no one else.
© Norma Bobb-Semple
Democrats demand Saudi accountability after Khashoggi report
Talk to the President – get him on board!!!

Democrats are using the release of the U.S. intelligence report that implicated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi to press for accountability for the Saud…
Super-Simple Bok Choy Soup

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/103809347/posts/3203746317
This was the first recipe I shared on Micro of the Macro. It’s quick, easy, healthy, and delicious; what could be better?
According to the Universal Guideline for Human and Planetary Health, (WFPB.ORG), Human and environmental health are dependent on one another. What we consume greatly influences our personal health, the economic health of our countries, and the health of the planet we all share.
In the age of Coronavirus, this idea is more urgent than ever. Boosting immune function by eating more whole plant foods (for example, eating a sweet potato rather than sweet potato chips) and by consistently hydrating, which I believe is just as important as washing your hands, makes you proactive. And being proactive is a much better approach than stressing about when you might get the vaccine. Would you agree?

One cup of bok choy has about 75% of the US RDA of Vitamin C, which has been shown to help people who have contracted the virus. And vegetable soups, with a high water & mineral content, are very hydrating, which can mean the difference between falling ill or staying healthy.
Bok Choy Soup is one of my easiest go-to recipes. It doesn’t require much time in the kitchen, and it’s amazingly delicious. I have shared it with friends, some of whom weren’t previously familiar with the vegetable, and they, too, love it. With the addition of a few chopped Yukon gold or baby red potatoes, it can be made heartier for chilly nights.

A big thanks to www.Vegannie.com for the inspiration.
Let me know what you think if you give it a try!
Yield: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 bunch celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Himalayan salt to taste
15 oz cannellini beans, drained
*3 bouillon cubes
*6 cups water
1 large bunch of bok choy, chopped into 1” pieces (or 4-6 baby bok choys)
(*or sub 6 cups of your favorite broth)
Directions
Sauté the onions and celery in the olive oil over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are becoming translucent. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, for another minute. Add crushed red pepper and sprinkle with salt. Add beans and stir for another minute or two. Break up the bouillon cubes over the beans and add the water. Increase the heat to high. Once it is almost boiling, stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve completely. Add the bok choy and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes, or longer if you prefer the greens softer. Add salt to taste. Enjoy with a chunk of nice crusty bread.
When Your Give-A-Dam Breaks
It’s not that you want to fight. In fact, you hate fighting- intensely. However, if you’re a 5’4”, 120 lb. teenage girl with a target on her back, what do you do? Stand there and let them jump you?
Like most targets, I too hated to fight but there were times I didn’t have a choice. It was either fight or be beaten within an inch of my life. Not only the girls would try to jump me, but the guys would too and most of those redneck brutes had no qualms nor reservations about beating up on a female, even one who was little. Some of the bullies at Oakley High threatened with a knife or a box-cutter and it’s amazing I got out of there alive.

If you are a target of bullying, there are times when you get fed up with people’s crap. Then…BOOM! You snap on some creep who pushed you over your limit. Believe me, I understand and if this has happened with you, I cannot fault you for it. I empathize with you wholeheartedly.
It’s not that you want to fight. In fact, you hate fighting- intensely. However, if you’re a 5’4”, 120 lb. teenage girl with a target on her back, what do you do? Stand there and let them jump you?
Like most targets, I too hated to fight but there were times I didn’t have a choice. It was either fight or be beaten within an inch of my life. Not only the girls would try to jump me, but the guys would too and most of those redneck brutes had no qualms nor reservations about beating up on a female, even one who was little. Some of the bullies at Oakley High threatened with a knife or a box-cutter and it’s amazing I got out of there alive.

But that’s what bullying does to people if they don’t have the proper psychological tools, confidence, or know-how to deal with it. It makes them paranoid, makes them desperate! Puts them in survival mode! In other (and more scientific) words, it awakens their primal instincts. It rewires their brains in preparation for a hostile environment.
A target of bullying must live in constant vigil and adrenaline. They must always be on alert- they must grow eyes in the back of their heads and be prepared for danger every time they turn a corner. That gets both frustrating and exhausting after so long.
I cannot count the times in school I showed my booty to people after having taken all I could take. And there were times I didn’t just let off a little stream, I blew a gasket!
The longer you are bullied, the more it builds- the sense of injustice, the sadness, the rage! It all piles up! We are all human and no one can hold that crap inside forever it doesn’t matter how resilient they are. It’s humanly impossible.

You’re like a bottle of soda that’s been shaken up until it finally spews!
Like a dormant volcano that finally awakens, you erupt when that last (and unfortunate) creep sticks as much as a toe over your boundaries. Some people, you scare half to death, others, you piss off even more and make twice as determined to get you, and few see your tirade as personal entertainment.
I did that a few times back when I was being bullied and abused at school.
There were times I’d yell, curse the bullies out, throw stuff, and slam doors. I would tell people to get the eff away from me and not to come back around. I admit it. I showed the worst sides of myself on a few occasions.
I remember grabbing one girl by the hair and beating the living snot out of her in the library after she’d spent the last month getting in my face and taunting during the last class of the day.

Another bully received the business end of a fist after attempting to shove me down a flight of stairs. I remember running back up the stairs, whacking her upside the head with my purse and a textbook, then dragging her down the stairs. She seemed to hit and bounce off every step going down.
Once I got her to the bottom, I beat and kicked her until a teacher and three other students pried me off her. These were only two of the many incidents that occurred during those years.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not something I’m proud of. Each time, I remember feeling terrible about it after it was over, and everything had cooled off. No decent person wants to lose their cool and act a fool, but when you been pushed and pushed, there is an eventual breaking point.

Yes, I got into fist fights. I won some fights but lost a few too.
Sadly, it all seemed to be a cycle. After getting bullied and bullied for several months, I’d snap. Some of the tiredness bled over into my home life. Sadly, when bullies have worn you down, you’re too exhausted to even be there for the people you love when they have problems too. You’re fresh out of patience and energy, and yes, even love.
You can’t pour from an empty cup and as a result, you just don’t give a crap- about anything or anybody. All you want is to be left alone.
I look back now and realize that I didn’t handle the bullying the right way. Understand that if you don’t set healthy boundaries, this is what can happen.
Today, I’m a much calmer and happier person than I used to be. Why? Because I’m more assertive and I set boundaries. If I say no or ask someone to please stop doing something when they violate my boundaries, and if they insist on continuing the behavior, I either tell them to leave right then, or I walk away after telling the person exactly what I think of them. I then cut them out of my life.

I have learned that, although you cannot control another person’s behavior, you do have control over your own and whether to continue having them in your life. And if you refuse to associate with a person, they no longer have easy access to you. Therefore, it’s not nearly as easy for them to get to you and harm you.
So, never allow people to bully you and get out of control with their abuse. Speak out when people violate your boundaries. It’s the only way to keep the pressure from building and reaching a boiling point.
If this has been your experience, feel free to comment.
Myanmar Workers and Unions on the Front Lines in Fight Against Coup

Update: Late Friday evening, February 26 (local time), the Myanmar military declared most of the country’s labor organizations illegal on public television, with the threat of arrests if their activities continue, adding to the urgency of international solidarity activities.
February 26, 2021 / Kevin Lin
ASIA/MYANMAR – Civil disobedience puts government authorities in trouble: Christians pray for a peaceful solution
Yangon – “There is determination but also concern among the people during these hours. The State is in crisis because of the actions of the Civil Disobedience Movement. State offices are closed or not working. Throughout the area, even in the suburbs or in the villages, the population does not accept or recognize the leaders or district authorities appointed by the military. Even ordinary security measures are taken care of by the citizens themselves. We are in a difficult and delicate phase, but the people are convinced that they will move forward in peaceful protest for democracy”, said Joseph Kung Za Hmung, a lay Catholic Burmese, editor of the Burmese Catholic newspaper “Gloria News Journal”, on the social tensions in Myanmar and the demonstrations against the military coup on February 1st.
Yangon – “There is determination but also concern among the people during these hours. The State is in crisis because of the actions of the Civil Disobedience Movement. State offices are closed or not working. Throughout the area, even in the suburbs or in the villages, the population does not accept or recognize the leaders or district authorities appointed by the military. Even ordinary security measures are taken care of by the citizens themselves. We are in a difficult and delicate phase, but the people are convinced that they will move forward in peaceful protest for democracy”, said Joseph Kung Za Hmung, a lay Catholic Burmese, editor of the Burmese Catholic newspaper “Gloria News Journal”, on the social tensions in Myanmar and the demonstrations against the military coup on February 1st.
In the face of this scenario, armed militiamen attacked the demonstrators with sticks, stones and knives, trying to spread fear and terror among the peaceful crowd. People have not stopped protesting for three weeks and more and more citizens are joining the civil disobedience movement across the country.
The presence of provocateurs has led to isolated clashes and increased the number of victims. According to the “Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma” eight people have been killed by security officers or militiamen. Some of them died in military hospitals. Meanwhile, the social network Facebook has removed all accounts linked to Tatmadaw and banned advertisements from military-controlled companies on its platforms.
Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho, at the head of the diocese of Pyay, suffragan of Yangon, explains: “We are living in the time of Lent, in which every Christian is invited to use the weapons of prayer, fasting and charity: this is the path that we will follow as Christians. This is the path that the crucified Christ shows us. Our Catholic communities in Myanmar, which represent just over 1% of the population, pray in every church during the Rosary and the Eucharistic adoration, asking God for a peaceful solution to the crisis the country is experiencing”.
“Young people – observes the Bishop of Pyay – want a free, just and democratic future, and do not accept those who have taken power by force. As Pastors we have asked to set up a negotiating table: resuming the path of dialogue is urgent for the good and prosperity of the country. Myanmar must move away from violence and follow the paths of justice and peace”.
S. 475: A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.
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Introduced: Sponsor: Sen. Edward “Ed” Markey [D-MA]
This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary which will consider it before sending it to the Senate floor for consideration.
11 cosponsors are on that committee.
S.Con.Res. 6: A concurrent resolution urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.
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Introduced: Sponsor: Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]
This resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary which will consider it before sending it to the Senate floor for consideration.
Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ] is a member of the committee.
Myanmar coup: Ethnic minorities, pro-democracy protesters warily united

Myanmar is a diverse country with a history of ethnic tension. Could the coup bring minority groups and mainstream society together under the common cause of opposing the military?
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