Our Times.

 

One of the most valuable actions in the human race is reading. Engaging in reading lifts up the soul. Reading has many intellectual and health benefits like: being a mental workout to build brain connectivity, helps to expand concrete vocabulary, build analytical skills (to decipher themes, metaphors, illusions, and other linguistic concepts), reduce stress, creates better sleep, and grow neural pathways (in the brain's gray matter of the left superior temporal cortex to develop cognitive function). Growth in introducing new words and developing writing plus communication skills are products of consistent reading. People should read any book that they can get their hands on. Reading a book for just 10-15 minutes a day will cause manifold benefits. We will fight back against the stereotypical view that all younger people (especially Zoomers and those in Generation Alpha) can't read, can't write, and can't comprehend stories with a long attention span. Reading (from looking at fiction and non-fiction literature) and writing with passion, with eloquence, and with ingenuity have inspired children and adults for the millennia among human history to perform magnanimous excellence. Edgar Allan Poe, Toni Morrison, and modern-day authors bring a breadth of wisdom and insights that will always be cherished by us. For the record, I oppose book bans as the freedom speech should be honored, and if a person doesn't want to read a certain book, then that person doesn't have to read it (without infringing on other people's right to read that specific book too). At the end of the day, we will grow in the future to see a better world than the past and the present.

Keisha Lance Bottoms recently won the Democratic primary for the Governor's race in the state of Georgia. She has a strong chance to win the gubernatorial race as Georgia is a Southern state in play. Georgia is more conservative than my state of Virginia, but it is much more progressive than the state of Texas. She has all of the qualifications in the world to be the next Governor of Georgia, too. She has been a black American attorney for years. Also, Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected mayor of Atlanta in 2017 and served from 2018 to 2022. Keisha Lance Bottoms was the vice chair of civil engagement and voter protection at the DNC for Biden's term of 2021-2025. Bottoms is a wife, a mother of 4 children, and has a B.A. from Florida A&M and a J.D. from Georgia State University. The 2026 Georgia gubernatorial campaign will not be easy (issues will be debated from voting rights to the economy), but she can be victorious with strong support, determination, and her message. At the end of the day, the vast majority of Americans want lower gas prices, the illegal Iranian war to end, investments to build up America domestically, our environment strengthened, our human rights protected, and voting rights fully available to all American citizens, irrespective of color or background. 

Trump's corruption is easy to witness for people to see. One example is that Trump wants to steal about 1.8 billion dollars of taxpayer dollars to fund his slush fund (or the Anti-Weaponization Act) to possibly aid January 6th terrorists. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not shown any independence from the Trump agenda when any Attorney General should have an allegiance to the U.S. Constitution irrespective of which party is in office. The effective tax rate paid by Jeff Bezos from 2014 to 2018 was 0.98 percent. The Effective federal tax rate paid by Amazon is 1.4 percent (Amazon helped to fuel ICE's deportation machine, donated 1 million dollars to Trumps inauguration, ended plans to display tariff costs after pressure from Trump, gave 75 million dollars for the Melania movie, and donated to Trump's White House ballroom plan). The regular Americans' taxes paid is about 14.5 percent. So, we fully realize that the Trump administration is being dominated by oligarchy not the essence of true democracy.

King David remains one of the many icons of the Bible and religious culture. In history, King David lived in the Levant (or the Middle East). Back millennia ago, the Middle East was filled with numerous civilizations (like Aramean kingdoms in Syria, the Phoenicians, Babylonia, Assyria, Urartu, Elam, etc. Major urban centers in the region were Ur, Hamat, Harran, Sidon, Gaza, Jerusalem, and Aleppo. These cities are found in the Fertile Crescent), and the Middle East regularly traded with Africa (the homeland of the entire human race), Asia, and Europe. King David survived many scandals and conflicts to be the ruler of Israel. He ruled with many decrees and saw Israel grow into a powerful Kingdom with the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel including diverse human beings. At the peak of the Kingdom of Israel (before the great division into the Israel and Judah separate kingdoms), King David saw mighty developments economically, politically, and socially. David survived a civil war too. He saw Jersualem made into the capital of Israel along with the Ark of the Covenant being placed in the city of Jerusalem too. He passed away at an old age, and his son Solomon took over the kingdom. King Solomon, of course, helped to construct the First Temple in Jerusalem. King David was blessed by God in many arenas, and his descendants saw the Lord Jesus Christ walk on planet Earth in a glorious fashion. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died and rose again 3 days later to save the sins of the entire world. So, the story of David reminds us that mistakes in our lives will not have to encompass our entire story. Human beings can use resiliency, faith, and courage to improve our lives as time goes on. 

In our generation, there are always tons of solutions to improve the compositions of geographic landforms. We must establish concrete investments to build more anti-flood zones, levees, and alternative forms of energy, so the environment can improve greatly (and human lives can be improved upon intrepidly). That is why infrastructure development (from building safe reservoirs to growing more parks) is a must in the 21st century with the existence of climate change and other global issues relating to Nature. There has been an increase of electric cars and a push to ban toxic chemicals from our water, soil, and air. That reality entails that we don't desire the precipitous growth of forever chemicals in our environment, we want natural foods to flourish, we seek cleaner air, and we will support programs to eliminate toxins from being consumed by humans and animals. Another solution is habitat rejuvenation projects to put extra sands in struggling beaches, increase the growth of trees in various locations, restore ecosystems, make more walkable neighborhoods that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to allow endangered animal species to flourish in their locations. Progressive environmental groups are paramount in focusing on developing our geographic atmosphere indeed.

By Timothy