The Future Is Socialist #1

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwSsxrhZHQY&ab_channel=EmberleaMcCulligh

Unity Among Humans

Excerpt from The Discovery of Freedom by Rose Wilder Lane

"But one person can not generate enough energy. A solitary man on this earth could hardly survive. His enemies are too numerous and too strong; his energy is too weak. To save his bare existence, he must have allies of his own kind. The brotherhood of man is not a pretty phrase nor a beautiful ideal; it is a fact. It is one of the brutal realities of human life on this inhuman planet. All men are brothers, of one blood, of one human race. They are brothers in one imperative desire to live, in one

desperate necessity to combine their energies in order to live. Any man who injures another, injures himself, for human welfare is necessary to his own existence."

Medicare for ALL

I support Medicare for all, in fact, this may be the single issue that is motivating me to be excited about the 2020 election. That is not withstanding my long time love and affection for Papa Bernie Sanders.

Why do I support full Medicare for all? One huge reason is that I have Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer. Cancer treatment in the United States bankrupts thousands of Americans every year, and kills many thousands who cannot afford cancer treatment. This is in part due to the very high cost of medications and the cost of medical doctors and nurses. It is also due in part to the inaccessibility of medical insurance that is affordable. Not only that but cancer patients need psychological help to deal with the overwhelming stress of the disease and treatment. And they need nutrition support to ensure that the immune system is functioning. All these costs add up and the lack of money is the root of many people not being able to receive adequate help.

I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer 6 years ago, this after faithfully completing self breast exams every month and regular female checkups. Less than one year of treatment bankrupted me even with some health care. Unfortunately this happens to too many people in this country. I love my country, but the health care system needs to change.

This leads me to a thought I had yesterday about the need for M4All that I have heard no one talk about yet. Patients like me are limited right now to what our healthcare plan dictates. If the hospital or clinic we are attending runs out of treatment plans for us, we cannot just pick another hospital and go to it without it being in our network or paying for it out of pocket. M4All would solve this problem. One could search for the best treatment out there. Without having to go bankrupt to do it.

I now have metastatic breast cancer that has moved into my bones. My history is too long and convoluted for this post today. If M4All had been around 6 years ago, I am not sure I would have gotten stage 4 (terminal) cancer. This is a sad recognition that I have had to come to terms with, and compassion tells me that I do not want any other person to feel this way. No more unnecessary bankruptcies or deaths due to preventable diseases.

Compassion dictates that I support Medicare 4 All, What does your conscience tell you to support?  https://berniesanders.com/issues/

Quit for Peace

First, let me say that even though I don’t know you, I probably will never meet you, I do, with all of my heart, love you. This is why I want you to live, not die, nor to live a half-life filled with regret and hatred of yourself, nor for you to kill other people. I, too, once believed in the greatness of the United States. I believed with a fervor that serving in the military was the highest calling I could imagine. I proudly served my country, until I started to see what was really going on.

I served on active duty from 1992-1996, during what I thought was peace time. I have never been so wrong. The United States military, along with NATO and the UN, had been engaged in 15 military campaigns in 4 short years. Some of these were humanitarian campaigns, but most were out and out shows of force and bombings of sovereign nations.

I started to realize the US Government tricks people into believing that nationalism is good and dying for your country is the highest honor. Is dying for a flag and leaving behind your family really the highest honor you could give? How about staying around to take care of your parents and/or children and wives/husbands? Who really benefits from your death? The US war machine does and it is the only one.

Young men and women, please quit for peace. You do not know how murdering others will haunt you for the rest of your life. Do you really want to murder someone just because they look different or sound different than you? All governments seek to divide people, this is the way they keep us under control and domination.

Older men and women, you also can quit for peace. You may know the difficulties presented when you believe you have to kill someone. You know the stress this places on you, which in turn places stress –on your family, your friends, and your colleagues. Save yourselves and the countless others that find themselves ground under the boot of the US war machine.

YOU do have a choice, you can choose to quit 4 peace. Make your stand and stand up for peace. We can achieve peace in our lifetimes if you take your place in history and Quit 4 Peace! Do it now, do it for yourself, do it for all humanity!

Movement for a People's Party Platform: Economic Bill of Rights

I have recently joined the team of Movement for a People's Party (MPP) and want to share with you the People's Party platform in a series of posts. This first post in on the Economic Bill of Rights. This was first posited by FDR as he asserted that we have a Bill of Rights that guarantees us certain rights, but that it is increasingly evident that to ensure actual security and happiness we need to add an Economic Bill of Rights. The MPP has incorporated this into the party platform.

The platform explains all of these key items in detail and I urge you to take a look for yourself at the MPP website  to read the platform in its entirety.

• Shorten workweek to 4 days
• Universal Basic Income
• Federal Jobs Guarantee
• Work and Retraining
• Repairing and modernizing infrastructure
• 21st century energy system
• $15 minimum wage indexed to inflation
• Ensuring paid maternity, paternity, family, sick and vacation leaves
• Guarantee affordable housing and rent control for all
• Reverse the consolidation of industries into trusts and monopolies
• Lift the cap on taxable income into Social Security and extend solvency to 50 years. 

* Medicare for all has its own platform section

Americans are in desperate need for a viable 3rd party that truly seeks to give us what we all want and need as we venture into this unknowable future. With your help we can get there. Note: this is an all volunteer organization. Thank you! 

Exclusive: 4 Days in Western Sahara

Caravan walking from Central America to the USA

Hello all my darlings! Yesterday I was challenged by a friend to put my money where my mouth is and try to help the refugees walking to the USA. So I rose to the call and started a group and a fundraiser on Facebook. I am hoping to expand this to a website and raise as much money and a network of people that will provide shelter and transportation to help these refugees. The group on Facebook is called Mutual Aid and Homes for Caravaners located here: Mutual Aid and Homes for Caravaners   It is a nascent group, and I have contacted several media outlets in the hopes of getting some publicity for the group. I also need a contact information for people at the border to help coordinate transportation, shelter and food, medical supplies, etc. This is a huge undertaking, but with all the loving people out there in this country, I know we can make it happen. Please join the group and join me on a Facebook live discussion on Monday, November 5th at 6pm PST. Lets show the Trump administration and the trumpsters that there are Americans with compassion and love for we are all one family, the Human Family!

Sorry for the Absence October 27, 2018

Hello all my beautiful people out there! I have been away from the blog for awhile. I was absent due to some situations that I have been trying to prevent. I found out a few months ago that the cancer has metastasized to my bones as well as to my heart. I took some time away to deal with the trauma of this news and now I am back after having to make some major decisions. Some dreams had to be let go of and some had to be borne anew. I have let go of my life coaching business as it had become too demanding to constantly try to find clients and build the business here in California. I may resurrect it again some time in future. I have decided to focus most of my time to Life with Metastatic Cancer. I truly feel that this is where I can help the most.

Back in September I had decided to do a month long juice fast program to try to stem the growth of the cancer, but it made me too sick from detoxing and I almost ended up in the hospital again. I had to realize that after the plueral effusion debacle, that I was still too weak to put my body through so much detoxing.  Plus my heart was overcome with anger and sadness while watching the Kavanaugh hearings. It brought up so much trauma for me in regards to sexual harassment and rape. I felt all consumed with rage and sadness for a few weeks. Seeing so many people I had respected come out against Dr. Ford really sent me around a bend. I expressed my feelings on Facebook live videos but could not write about it at the time. Thankfully with the help of my therapist and some lovely women I know, I was able to overcome the rage and sadness. There is still a lot of healing that needs to happen and forgiveness that needs to be done. I have lost much of my way since losing my marriage and moving to California.

Then there is the stress of my health and out financial well being. I ended up getting a part time job because we needed to buy a new car. Well, the car buying happened way sooner than we expected and that was a stressful couple of weeks. We did get a newish car, a 2016 VW Jetta.

Life with Metastatic Cancer #4 Medium

California Update

Hello my lovely darlings! I have been here almost one month. Today and yesterday have been murderously hot! I have been getting headaches from the heat, so I have not been able to do a lot of blogging and such, plus I have been busy buying furniture, trying to secure healthcare (such a different VA system here in Cali) and dealing with social security. But, we finally got internet and cable installed last weekend, so life is certainly getting better and better. And it was just in time for the World Cup! I have World Cup fever! I also went to my very first cancer support group meeting last Thursday. I was the youngest person there but what can you do? It helps to see others struggling as you are.

I have some projects that I am working on that I will reveal at a later date. So excited!

Update on playing soccer: had to postpone the training regime as I am weaker than I had anticipated and the move has kicked my butt more than just a little bit. I have other things I must work on, like getting used to the heat again, before I can proceed with the training regimen. Plus I need to get an update on my health situation as well.

Look for a new blog post weekly starting on Friday. I will be writing about a variety of topics, so check back regularly as things are about to get interesting!

California

Hello my lovelies. Made it to California and boy oh boy, has it been a busy week. Trying to settle in, buy furniture, get to know the bus system, adjust to the 9 hour time difference, adjust to the heat and sun, but I am loving it. We have a really nice apartment, that is in a quiet neighborhood, close to the bus line. Still have so much to do, set up healthcare, find a job, see social security. But rest assured, I will get it all done and get going on this new life with my amazing son! I hope to have internet at the house soon so I can keep in touch more often! Miss you all in Norway! Hope life is good!

Living with Metastatic Cancer #3

Sickness

Hello all my darlings! So sorry I have been away from the site, but I have been very ill for the last few weeks. I was suffering with the flu, brought on by the crazy weather here in Oslo at the beginning of spring. This illness has happened to me each spring that I have been here. Now I am fully recovered and will begin again! I have missed communicating with you all.
In love and appreciation,
Emberlea

Breast Cancer & Cruciferous Veg

Dr. Michael Gregor has many videos on cancer and ways to prevent and survive. It is amazing how adding broccoli to your diet can have a tremendous impact on your life span if you have or have had or may get cancer.

Living with Metastatic Cancer #2

End Goal Update: March 26, 2018

Weekly progress update on End Goal: Play Soccer

Hey all my darlings! I have been progressing slowly on the running as I have not run in a long time and I have been detoxing from chemotherapy and hormone treatments for the last 4 months.

Ran 15 minutes Wednesday and Thursday
Ran 10 minutes Sunday
Walked at least 30 minutes each day of the week.
Strength trained Tuesday and Thursday.

Weight: 66.2 kg
Waist: 34 in
Hips: 37 in
Arms: L: 11 in  R:11 in
Thighs: L: 20.5 in  R: 20.5 in
Chest: 32 in

So from last week, I gained 0.6 kg, no change in inches except for thighs, where I lost 0.5 in per each thigh. So not much changed, but it is only a week. I will be increasing my running incrementally over the next few weeks, and maybe I will get to run outside, but alas, it is snowing again today! This week I will also be adding in stairs.

Left Facebook

Today I deleted my Facebook account in protest to the egregious malfeasance on the part of Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. I highly suggest that all users of Facebook download their account information and see what information FB is using. The fact that FB knew what CA was up to over 2 years ago and said nothing leaves me with a sick feeling in my stomach and strengthened the distaste I have felt about some of FB's activities for a few years. In light of this information about FB and CA, I saw a report that Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 called FB users f*ing idiots for trusting him back then. So you can see the nefarious intentions from the beginning. Had I have known this tidbit, I would never has signed up for FB in the first place. I am glad to be gone and will not be using WhatsApp or Instagram either as they are also owned by FB. Good riddance! I have recently signed up with 2 other social media sites: Mastodon and MeWe. Mastodon is open source while MeWe is much like FB, but without the intrusion. You can connect with me on both, Mastodon @emberlea and MeWe Emberlea McCulligh.

Places I've Been! Places I'm going! Dreams!

Hey all my lovelies! I am so excited about this post because I have never actually listed all the countries I have been to and the things I have experienced. I spent most of my life not traveling the world. I was a single mom for a long time and I truly adored being a mom, especially when you have  an awesome kid! Now I am 44, but my son turned 18 when I was 40, and I was so looking forward to traveling the world once he was grown (could not travel much while he was growing up for a myriad of reasons). Unfortunately, right before I turned 40 I discovered a lump (a large one) in my left breast. This has taken me on a 4 year journey so far that was in the beginning so stressful and like a non-stop roller coaster ride, but eventually slowed down. But the cancer journey really started my world travelling anyway (hint: never let anything stop you if you can from doing what you want). 

The very first country I visited was in 2003 and it was lovely Mexico. Two of my aunts, myself, my son and my cousin all went to a small town across the border called Cuidad Acuna. I absolutely loved it. The boys and I got to see a wedding, we shopped at a local craft fair and saw so much lovely architecture and met some amazing people. It was a whirlwind visit, over much too fast. I look forward to visiting Mexico more in the future.

 In 2015, a friend of mine offered me a trip to Puerto Rico and a cruise to the Caribbean. I had never been on a cruise, but I did enjoy it and I met my husband while on this particular trip. Puerto Rico was amazing, I loved every minute of the 17 days I was there. I went all over that beautiful island. I saw so many amazing things and enjoyed some truly gorgeous beaches! The only thing I did not like about the cruise was the limited time we had at each island. I would have loved to have seen the islands at night and had more time to talk to locals and see more, but there is always time to go back!

In late summer of 2015, I moved to Oslo, Norway. In October of 2015, I traveled to Riga, Latvia. What an amazing city! While there, we attended a tribute concert to John Lennon. Riga is a gorgeous city and the food is amazing, especially if you are vegetarian! 

I have seen quite a bit of Norway, but not as much as I would like to have seen as a few months after I arrived, I was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. That put off some of my travelling. The most beautiful place in Norway I have been is Geiranger Fjord. Absolutely breath taking! That was in May of 2016.

In June of 2016, we went to Bristol, England for We Love the 80's music festival. We stayed with some friends and went to Cheddar, England, I got to ride on a Harley Davidson hog through the beautiful English countryside. On that trip we also saw the world's first suspension bridge in Bristol. We also had a tour of the not even open yet Bristol City stadium (football, y'all, or soccer as the Yanks say!)

In July of 2016, I went to Nice, France with a friend. We stayed at the beach for 2 blissful, beautiful, hot days and ate wonderful French food and drank delicious French wine. Quick beach trip, but such fun! There was a decadent craft market with all kinds of lovely things. I spent quite a bit on some lovely items!

In March of 2017, I went on a girls trip (jentetur in Norwegian) to ICELAND!!! One of my all time favorite countries! I spent an amazing 4 days visiting the Blue Lagoon, walking and driving around Reykjavik. So many cool things to see and do! We also went to the Thingvir national park to see the famous three waterfalls and to see the geysers! Amazing! Beware if you are vegetarian or vegan in Iceland, it is very expensive. The island is mostly volcanic rock so veg is very costly! I want to revisit when it is summer time! I see enough snow and ice here in Norway! LOL

In June of 2016, we went to Skopelos, Greece. OMG, the food, the food, the food. So good, so tasty, so heavenly! That is what I remember most! LOL, I do love food! On the island of beautiful Skopelos, we took the Mamma Mia tour, and I walked all the hundreds of stairs up to the famous church. Quite an accomplishment I thought given that I was still in chemotherapy treatment! Highly recommend!

In August 2016, we went camping in Dovre Mountain. It was rainy and cold, and there was still snow and ice on the ground! We had a good time, but no fires were allowed so that kind of took away the fun for me. I am a woman who loves a good fire when I am camping! Besides, you cannot make s'mores if there is no fire!

Now I am on to my next big adventure! I am about to spend 7 days in Dublin, Ireland! I cannot wait! I am so very excited. This is the country my forebears came from! This is a trip I have been looking forward to all of my life! And, this will be my very first solo trip ever! This is a big deal for me, as it has been one of my fears for a long time. But I have to face this fear head on and just do it! If you want to see any pictures of these trips, please visit my Facebook page. Just search my name!

All right lovelies, must get on with my day, still have running to do and a house to clean! Blessings and Namaste!

Poetry March 19 2018

This morning I was watching a video and all of sudden I was so inspired to write some poetry. This is the first time in many years that I have felt that spark of inspiration to create poetry. I am not a professional poet, but I felt the flow of the Universe speaking through me and in 15 minutes I wrote 4 different poems. I cannot tell you how exhilarating it was to have that inspiration. I am so grateful and I hope this happens again!

I hope it inspires you or moves you in some way. Please comment and let me know what you think.

Vision                                                                 Cancer
My life                                                                Cancer tries to hold me down
my love                                                               but my soul cries out NO!
my hurt                                                                I will NOT be held back
my pain                                                               I will dance, I will rejoice
driving                                                                For the TRUTH is...
seeking                                                                I am ALIVE!
seeing                                                                  I am ALIVE!
a way                                                                   I am ALIVE!
to light                                                                 And the TRUTH sets me free!
to dreams
not reality                                                         Love
but what                                                            Love is my guide, my partner, my confidant, my joy
can be                                                                I dance, I cry, I hurt, I dream, I rejoice, I exclaim!
That is my vision of me.                                   Because I am LOVE, you are LOVE, we are all LOVE
                                                                          Now and forever, Rejoice, Love, Sing, Dance
My joy                                                              Make your heart burst with LOVE!
my grief
my longing                                                       Infinite
my fear                                                             Who do YOU think YOU are?
driving                                                              asks the world, society, parents, teachers, friends
seeking                                                             mocking, condescending, unkind, unloving...
seeing                                                               I am INFINITE! say I in defiance!
the way                                                             I am anything I can DREAM say in defiance.
to light
to dreams
not reality
but what
will be
That is my vision of me.

End Goal; Play Football (or Soccer) in 1 year!

Hey hey hey all my beautiful peeps out there in the big, beautiful world! I have set some major end goals to achieve in the next year and here is one that I am starting today! I want to play football for a semi-professional women's team in 1 year. This may seem like a daunting task, but I believe in myself and really need to get my fitness level up and going since finishing chemotherapy about 4 months ago. This is day 1 and I am revamping my eating plan, my work out plan and how I treat my body from here on out. I have a long way to go, but I just know I can do it! I have the boots, the ball, the kit and the grit! Today I am getting into the running game slowly by completing three 5 minute all out runs. p.s. I have not run in a LONG time. I just completed the first one and am feeling pretty good. I do not want to push too much to decrease the chances I will hurt myself, so easy as she goes is my mantra this week.

What are your big end goals you want to accomplish this year? Keep an eye on progress reports and maybe even some video footage from me as the months go by! Having metastatic cancer is not going to stop me from doing everything I want to do!

Here is a link to some of what I will be doing in the weeks and months to come! womens-soccer-conditioning  Wish me luck! I am gonna need it, maybe ;)

Here are my stats as of today! I will post weekly to show if I am making improvements or not!

Age: 44
Weight: 65.6 kg
Chest: 32 in
Waist: 34 in
Hips: 37 in
Arms: L - 11 in  R - 11 in
Thighs: L - 21 in R - 21 in