Max’s Magnificent Memes Monday
Here’s another half dozen of GMO-free memes. Enjoy!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Puerto Rico: The Effect of Neglect
“What we are going to see is something close to a genocide. We are dying here. I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out the logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles. So, mayday we are in trouble.” (San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz-Sep. 29th, 2017)
It has been almost two months since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and left the island in shambles. There has been a mass outpouring of support from across the country. One notable example is the release of Lin Manuel Miranda’s newest song “Almost Like Praying” to raise money for the relief. Miranda, who became a household name after his hit musical Hamilton swept the nation by storm, is no stranger to writing benefit songs, having previously collaborated with Jennifer Lopez to write “Loves Makes the World Go Round” in response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting last summer. “Almost Like Praying,” with its star-studded cast of Latin American artists, offers a roll call of all 78 of Puerto Rico’s towns. This effectively symbolizing Puerto Rican unity in a time of great devastation, and the reassurance no one is being forgotten in a time when it is difficult to feel otherwise. According to a study conducted by the Quinnipiac University, 52% of Americans feel that President Trump doesn’t care about the situation in Puerto Rico. These feelings are once again reflected by the 55% of Americans who believe the Trump administration has not done enough for the Hispanic majority area (“University”). This stands in sharp contrast with the favorable opinion regarding the administration’s handling of Harvey and Irma.
This impression seems fairly justified considering the flippant comments that the President has made regarding the island. He even alluded to removing federal support from the area only a month after the disaster: “We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” (Trump) This comment was hastily retracted after receiving harsh backlash. As it stands, the current support afforded by the federal personnel on the island seems to be fairly lacking. National Nurses United reported that RNRN/NNU nurses deployed to the island were shocked to find people who have not yet received food, water and other supplies from FEMA. Moreover, many across the island have seen no sign of FEMA or any other federal relief officials at all (“Nurses”). This disparity in care has caused citizens to take matters into their own hands. More than a month after the hurricane hit on Oct. 26th, a group of civilians delivered a generator to a elder-care facility in Isabela, Puerto Rico. The facility has been almost perpetually without electricity and often water since Hurricane Maria. One of the citizens who delivered the generator asserted, “All we have is us, there is no FEMA here” to explain their involvement in the affair (Cunningham). The power situation in Puerto Rico still remains in dire straits, the Washington Examiner reports, “…66 percent of the island’s estimated 3.4 million residents have electricity, according to a government-run website detailing utility coverage.” Considering the progress made thus far the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, estimates that full power will not return to the island until February (Giaritelli).
Going Green (Without Even Trying)
Check out this “Ecographic” created by Kenny Hicks.
The Symphony of the Forest
A symphony of calls high above
Voices without a form
No body, just sound,
as if it’s the trees themselves.
There is no recitative
There is no intermission
This music has no beginning, no end.
It’s the music of the forest
It started with the first sprout
It will until the fall of the final stoic pillar
Once all the musician have left
And have found a new concert hall
Greg Silverstein
Thoughts on Living Green
I have never seen
the color green
as others always see it;
The trees won’t hold
that emerald-gold
as many have perceived it—
Yet summertime
has tones of lime
that lead me to suspect
That the color green
that others have seen
is something to protect
—Kenny Hicks
Caught in the Web
Caught in the web.
What was promised to bring life-
now imprisoned by a dealer of death.
The flower so hopeful to send off her young with the breeze
To flutter and flow amongst the trees
All hope crushed in the invisible noose
To dangle aimlessly
Greg Silverstein
The Child and The Chipmunk
The scream of a child
The screech of chipmunk
One playing
One surviving
The chipmunk does not know of play
The child knows naught of survival
Hundreds of yards and millions of years separation
Yet originating from the same
Is the child blessed or cursed
Is the chipmunk blessed or cursed
One free in the forest
One confined to a schoolyard
Greg Silverstein
Spring is Upon Us
spring is upon us, it has sprung
to pack away winter, the time has come.
the flowers are blooming the grass is turning green
birds chirp around us, wishing to be seen.
the smell is fresh, the breeze is cool
food on the grill makes us drool.
a heap of sunshine, no sign of gray
it really can brighten up our day.
Greg Silverstein
Crispy Business
Sun beating down,
Water all around.
A quaint breeze,
Flows throughout the trees.
Studying is in the back of the mind,
Leaving all thoughts behind.
Relaxing in the pool,
Not thinking of school.
Starting to get crispy,
I was feeling risky.
A nice day and yummy food,
Puts Lexi in a good mood.
The day is done,
Feeling beat from the sun.
Lexi Welch
M’aidez!
There I lay:
in the middle of May
in the middle of day
in the middle of a week
in the middle of a lake
in the middle of a deep
in the middle of a sleep
in the middle of a wake–M’aidez!
MG
