Let's Do More Together
Madeline Swegle breaks 110-year record and becomes the Navy’s first Black female fighter pilot
11.11.20
Anne Owens and Luke Redito / Wikimedia Commons
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When Madeline Swegle was a little girl growing up in Burke, VA, she loved watching the Blue Angels zip through the sky. Her family went to see the display every time it was in town, and it was her parents' encouragement to pursue her dreams that led her to the U.S. Naval Academy in 2017.
Before beginning the intense three-year training required to become a tactical air (TACAIR) pilot, Swegle had never been in an aircraft before; piloting was simply something she was interested in. It turns out she's got a gift for it—and not only is she skilled, she finds the "exhilaration to be unmatched."
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to work harder and fly high performance jet aircraft in the fleet," Swegle said in a statement released by the Navy. "It would've been nice to see someone who looked like me in this role; I never intended to be the first. I hope it's encouraging to other people."
As Swegle's story shows, representation and equality matter. And the responsibility to advance equality for all people - especially Black Americans facing racism - falls on individuals, organizations, businesses, and governmental leadership. This clear need for equality is why P&G established the Take On Race Fund to fight for justice, advance economic opportunity, enable greater access to education and health care, and make our communities more equitable. The funds raised go directly into organizations like NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, YWCA Stand Against Racism and the United Negro College Fund, helping to level the playing field.
<div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAKING HISTORY! <a href="https://t.co/jKJONHvL7S">https://t.co/jKJONHvL7S</a><br>— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1281362500978716673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>According to the <u><a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military" target="_blank">Council on Foreign Relations</a></u>, the U.S. military has taken significant steps over the past decade to build a more diverse and inclusive force that attracts the country's top talent. However, women and racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in parts of the military, particularly at the highest levels of leadership. A<a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44321.pdf" target="_blank">ccording to</a> the Congressional Research Service, in the enlisted realm, 63% of senior enlisted troops are white, while 19% are Black; and only eight out of every 100 senior officers are Black. Women represent 16 percent of the enlisted forces and 19 percent of the officer corps.<br></p><p>Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson, an officer serving in the Navy's Dental Corps, knows how it feels to be a minority in the military.</p><p>"As a fellow Naval Officer of African descent, I am extremely proud of Lt Swegle's accomplishments. I know the standards of excellence required to be a naval fighter pilot are extremely high. In a historically white male dominated sector of the Navy for her to break through the glass ceiling, not only as a female, but as one of African descent is nothing short of phenomenal...her accomplishments have not only made me proud, but have also motivated me to keep pushing forward in pursuit of my own goals."</p><p><strong><u><a href="https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/impact/" target="_blank">Join P&G Good Everyday</a></u> to take simple, everyday actions to help create conversation and meaningful change in support of <u><a href="https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/impact/take-on-race/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Take on Race</a></u>.</strong></p>
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Photo by Karim MANJRA on Unsplash
Forgiveness is hard for most of us, but it's harder for some than others. When we've been harmed in some way—physically, emotionally, or both—we tend to carry the pain around with us. Anger and resentment are natural responses to being hurt, of course, and the longer or more severe the wounding, the more likely we are to feel those feelings long-term.
What we usually want—or think we want—is for the person who did the hurting to acknowledge our pain. We want them to fully understand what we feel, to know the impact of their words or actions. And we want an apology as proof that the person not only get, but also regrets, what they've said or done to us.
Some of us will hold onto our anger and resentment indefinitely, waiting for that all-important apology to come before we even consider the idea of forgiveness. But if we value our own well-being, we may want to rethink that order.
You don't have to wait for an apology—or even an acknowledgement—in order to forgive. And in fact, we shouldn't.
<p>To fully understand why that is, we need to understand what forgiveness actually is. And in order to understand what forgiveness <em>is</em>, it's helpful to clarify what it <em>isn't</em>. Forgiving someone is not the same as making up with them. Forgiveness is not reconciliation. Forgiveness doesn't require justice to be done or apologies to be offered.</p><p>Forgiveness isn't an external action, but rather an internal state of letting go of anger and resentment. It's saying, "I'm no longer going to allow you and the hurt you've caused me keep me in a state of unhappiness." It's something you do for yourself, not for the person who hurt you.</p><p>Think about it. Who is that anger and resentment hurting the most? Who is having their life disrupted by it? Who is having to deal with it day in and day out? You, right? Not the person who hurt you. You. </p><p>And there are real physical effects of holding onto those emotions. "There is an enormous physical burden to being hurt and disappointed," <a href="https://bit.ly/3lsHGxZ" target="_blank">says </a><a href="https://bit.ly/3lsHGxZ">Karen Swartz, M.D.</a>, director of the Mood Disorders Adult Consultation Clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Chronic anger impacts your heart rate, blood pressure, and immune system, which increases your risk of chronic disease. Forgiveness has the opposite effect.</p><p>And it doesn't mean just saying that you forgive the person. Again, forgiveness is an <em>internal</em> act of releasing anger, frustration, disappointment, and resentment. "It is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not," Swartz says. </p><p>That's why an apology isn't necessary in order to practice forgiveness. We have to let go of the idea that forgiveness means telling someone what they did is okay or that they are somehow being let off the hook. It doesn't. It means telling yourself that whatever the person did to you isn't going to keep you in a state of bitterness. It's making the choice to stop allowing your own anger to keep hurting you.</p><p>Sometimes forgiveness can lead to empathy and compassion for the person who hurt you, but it doesn't have to. Some kinds of harm are impossible to empathize with, but that doesn't mean they make forgiveness impossible. There are some incredible stories of people forgiving perpetrators of terrible atrocities, like <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2019/04/25-years-after-rwanda-genocide-survivors-forgive-killers/" target="_blank">the genocide in Rwanda</a>, not because those things were forgotten or justified but because holding onto resentment and anger only punishes the victim of harm, not the perpetrator.</p><p>So if you've been waiting on an apology, try forgiveness first. While it's easier said than done, letting go can be incredibly freeing, and good for both your mental and physical health.</p>
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Delivering Smiles
After facing food insecurity as a child, Shawn now ensures families in his community have enough to eat
11.13.20
True
This year more than ever, many families are anticipating an empty dinner table. Shawn Kaplan lived this experience when his father passed away, leaving his mother who struggled to provide food for her two children. Shawn is now a dedicated volunteer and donor with Second Harvest Food Bank in Middle Tennessee and encourages everyone to give back this holiday season with Amazon.
Watch the full story:
Over one million people in Tennessee are at risk of hunger every day. And since the outbreak of COVID-19, Second Harvest has seen a 50% increase in need for their services. That's why Amazon is Delivering Smiles and giving back this holiday season by fulfilling hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists, donating essential pantry and food items to help organizations like Second Harvest to feed those hit the hardest this year.
Visit AmazonSmile Charity Lists to donate directly to a local food bank or charity in your community, or simply shop smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to your selected charity.
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Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash
Many Americans had been hoping for an overwhelming Biden landslide win in this election. Not just the clear majority victory that it turned out to be, but a full-on tsunami that would thoroughly wash away the stain of Trumpism from America forever.
That didn't happen. And we really shouldn't be surprised by that.
As in 2016, there's a push in the social discourse to try to understand why 71 million Americans thought Donald Trump was a better choice than Joe BIden. (Cue the thousandth media interview with a rural, small-town American.) But Trumpism isn't that hard to understand. It's multi-faceted and multi-layered, but it's not complicated. In fact, simplicity is one of its key features, which I'll explain in a minute.
I am going to speak frankly and somewhat forcefully about my fellow Americans here, but first I want to be clear about my perspective. I am a political independent who would best be described as "leaning left," though I hate those kinds of labels. I have always voted for both Democrats and Republicans, including on my own state's ballot in this election. The only real passion I have for politics is my disgust with our two-party system, so don't take my words here as toeing some partisan or ideological line.
<p>I also believe there is a distinct disconnect between why Trump supporters <em>think</em> they support him and why they <em>actually</em> do. I've spent four years listening to their reasoning. I've tried to make it make sense. And though entire books can and will be written about this, I've landed on what I see driving Trumpism the most. </p><p>Though partisanship certainly plays a role in his number of supporters, the support for Donald Trump isn't about political parties. Yes, there are people who will vote Republican even if they have to hold their nose or sell their soul to do so (same with some Democrats, I would assume). For some people, elections are all about one issue—usually abortion or taxes—so they vote Republican, but Trump hardly represents the traditional party identity. </p><p>I mean, let's be real here. Anyone who thinks a serial-adultering, <a href="https://www.upworthy.com/rudy-giuliani-s-smear-against-sex-workers-is-more-common-than-you-think-let-s-fix-that" target="_self">porn star banging</a>, <a href="https://www.upworthy.com/donald-trumps-leaked-audio-isnt-just-horrifying-because-hes-running-for-president" target="_self">pussy grabbing</a>, <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/donald-j-trump-pays-court-ordered-2-million-illegally-using-trump-foundation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">charity stealing</a>, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-finalizes-25-million-settlement-victims-donald-trumps/story?id=54347237" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">student defrauding</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/02/14/trump-mocks-faith-others-his-own-religious-practices-remain-opaque/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">non-church-going, faith-mocking</a>, unrepenting man like Trump is a reflection of true conservative values is as delusional as he is. And anyone who thinks that a <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6188145578001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">military-bashing</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/28/federal-deficit-one-trillion-trump-107901" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deficit-building</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2020/09/27/trump-will-create-more-debt-than-obama/?sh=208276bf12f1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debt-ballooning</a> grifter is a true Republican is fooling themselves. There's a reason why many lifelong Republicans rejected Trump from the beginning. </p><p>Despite appearances, Trumpism isn't about Republicans vs. Democrats. Political parties are merely weapons Trump wields in his battle for personal glory. After all, this is a man who changed his political party four times in less than three decades. He's not now and has never been about party.</p><p>No, Trump is about Trump. It's what he's always been about and will always be about. He is <a data-linked-post="2648571561" href="https://www.upworthy.com/psychologist-explains-trumps-lack-of-conscience-and-why-his-base-loves-it" target="_blank">a textbook malignant narcissist</a>, always and forever obsessed with what will serve his personal need for power, glory, and adulation.</p><p>The question then is, how did Trump get 70+ million voters to believe he's all about America or all about them? He did it the same way every demagogue with authoritarian tendencies throughout history has done it—by keeping the message painfully simple, appealing to people's basest human instincts, lying egregiously and relentlessly, and undermining people's faith in the real-world journalism and fact-checking that keep them from being sucked into his unreality.</p><p>Let's start with the messaging. Trump's gist is this: "The government is broken. I'm an outsider, but clearly a powerful one because I have money and fame. I alone can fix what's wrong. The problems are simple and are caused by [<em>insert 'other' group—undocumented immigrants, Muslims, Democrats, long-time public servants, etc.</em>] and the solutions are simple too [<em>build the wall, ban them from the country, vote for me—I'll drain the swamp</em>]. Yay, America!" </p><p>No matter how ridiculous that all sounds to many of us, there's a significant portion of the country who relish in such simplicity. We don't want to have to think about complicated problems or work through unclear solutions. Making things black and white, removing all the gray area and nuance and complexity from the issues, feels refreshing to a lot of people. It doesn't matter if it's based on falsehoods instead of facts. Keeping problems simple and making it seem like solutions are cut and dry makes people feel safe. </p><p>The problem is, in order to reach that simple, safe world, you have to appeal to people's prejudices and fears. People of every persuasion are easy prey for fear-mongering. Prejudices are common, fear is an easy instinct to manipulate, and Trump is shameless about combining the two. Scary caravans of immigrants. Scary Muslims coming in from scary Muslim countries. Scary gang members moving in next door. Scary poor people coming to live in your suburban neighborhood. Scary rioters. Scary ANTIFA.</p><p>I know there's some debate about exactly how racist Trump is, but we don't even have to quantify that. It's very clear that he utilizes and allows for racism when it suits his needs. Same with xenophobia. Same with partisan tribalism. Again, Trump is all about Trump. And pushing people's prejudice buttons, indicating when they should feel fear or enmity and then convincing them he'll keep them safe with his simple solution is a strategy that works.</p><p>One of the weirdest things for those of us outside of Trumpland, of course, is that it doesn't matter whether anything he says is true at all. His followers don't seem to care that he lies constantly and egregiously. I've heard some try to brush it off as "Oh, all politicians lie," but no, all politicians don't lie like Trump. Trump doesn't just stretch the truth or mislead by creative wording or omission like most politicians. Trump does the Big Lie thing, where if you say untrue things enough times and with enough conviction, people will believe you, even when what you say is verifiably false. </p><p>This part of Trumpism gets tricky, because in order for it to work, you have to also successfully discredit the people who hold politicians accountable and fact check them. Hence the outright dismissal of mainstream media. Hence the constant "Fake News!" drumbeat. Hence <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-anti-fox-news-twitter-flurry/" target="_blank">today's Twitter rampage </a>against Fox News for actually reporting facts instead of constantly praising him. Hence the proliferation of right-wing news outlets that keep going further and further into conspiracy theory land. </p><p>Misinformation is Trump's engine and praise and flattery are Trump's fuel. The more he gets, the more he pushes the simple messaging and <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2016/10/neuroscience-of-fearmongering-is-a-powerful-political-tool.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fear-mongering</a> that give people the brain chemical releases they crave. (If you think people don't like having their fears triggered, there's an entire horror movie industry that disagrees with you.) And the more he gives people what they want, the more they give him what he wants—big crowds and rabid fandom and heaps and heaps of adulation. And so the cycle goes on, with Trump seeing himself in the thousands of faces in the crowd, which serve as narcissistic mirrors in which he sees his power and glory. </p><p>Which he then turns around and claims is all for them. And they believe him because at this point, his reality is their reality and real reality doesn't exist anymore.</p><p>Of course, not everyone has full-on fallen into the Trump cult. We can't discount the role that good old-fashioned self-interest plays in some people's decision. There are a whole lot of people who simply don't want to pay taxes, don't care who Trump's policies hurt, and think destroying the dignity of the office of the presidency is a small price to pay for filling their own pocketbook. There are also those who will put up with anything if they think it'll "own the libs." </p><p>So yeah. Trump's support is not hard to understand. Between playing on people's loyalties, prejudices and fears, and manipulating people with misinformation, Trump's demagoguery works the way it has always worked in other cultured countries throughout history. Americans are not immune to the psychological pull of a "Dear Leader" type—we're just incredibly lucky that this particular demagogue also happens to be an incompetent fool. </p><p>I know that Trump supporters will fall all over themselves trying to claim that I've gotten them all wrong here, but here's what they'll miss. If they genuinely believe that a known conman who has embarrassed the country on the world stage and whose pandemic oversight has caused countless American deaths is a truly a better choice than a man with more than four decades in government and who is personally well-liked on both sides of the aisle, then whatever they believe about either Biden or the Democrats is almost assuredly based on misinformation pushed in Trump's unreality. </p><p>At this point, you can't support Trump and be living in the same objective reality as the rest of humanity. You really can't. And if you are living in objective reality and chose him anyway? Sorry, but you need to search your soul to figure out what made you such an ass. </p><p>There's nothing more to be understood at this point. <br></p>
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Man buys the bank building where he was refused a loan when he had no money 18 years ago
11.17.20
Adam Deering made a big bet on himself back in 2002 and it paid off. The trouble was that, at the time, the people he needed help to make it happen — Royal Bank of Scotland in Urmston, Greater Manchester — didn't have the same faith in him.
His story is a great tale about the power of believing in yourself topped by the oh-so-satisfying cherry of sweet revenge.
"I quit my job as a salesman aged 21 because I knew I had it in me to create a successful business, but I didn't have a penny to my name so I needed a bank loan," he told The Daily Mail.
<p>"I presented them with a comprehensive business plan and asked for £10,000 ($13,250) but the bank manager didn't seem to take me seriously at all," he lamented. "I'd put my heart and soul into the business plan and I remember having my fingers crossed under the table as I nervously waited for the manager to go through it."</p><p>"I was devastated when she told me I was too young and inexperienced and there was no way they could take a risk on me," he added.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4NTc0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODI2NzAwMH0.8UL6Oe-2qEjqUCbcuTyWWFl0Mod1ddKzWboSse0-D4M/img.jpg?width=980" id="4310a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="89a5f626831a69d5d4d88fb4e0ba2b25" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..."><a href="https://twitter.com/PeninsulaHotels/status/1219349802300866561?s=20" target="_blank">via The Peninsula Hotels / Twitter</a></small></p><p>Deering spent the last few dollars he had on renting an office space in Stretford, England, just outside of Manchester. But he couldn't even afford a desk or chair so he was forced to cold call people while sitting on the office floor.<br></p><p>The early months of his new business were hard and he had no idea whether he'd succeed. "There were lots of times where I thought it was the end, but I refused to give up and it paid off," he said.</p><p>Eventually, his business flourished. He sold his debt management firm six years ago for £5 million ($6,620,000). He now owns five multi-million pound companies, including debt management firm Hanover Insolvency and funeral company Pride Planning.</p><p>His property portfolio is worth millions of pounds.</p><p><br></p><div id="09349" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="775fd9b9189300501015faa9c2093d50"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p>Recently, he bought the building of the bank that rejected him 18 years ago and plans on doing a £500,000 ($662,000) renovation to turn it into apartments and a retail unit.<br></p><p>"To me, buying the bank building brings things back full circle and it shows that I was right to keep believing in myself," he said. In addition to his various business ventures, Deering is also a motivational speaker.</p><p>"Building a business from scratch certainly isn't easy and there are always times when you wonder if it is going to work out," he said. "The key is to stay true to your vision and keep going, there will always be hurdles to overcome."</p><p>Deering's faith in himself when no one else had any allowed him to become the massive business success he is today. </p><p>"When I was turned down for the loan, it was tough but because I had a dream and I was so focussed on achieving it, I made it happen anyway," he said.</p>
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