We The People

💙 For Those that didn’t hear, wouldn’t hear or chose not to hear tonight’s Democratic Convention (August 18th, 2020) – missed the rally call of the nation…In EACH and every speaker, video and person – just like you and I – that have been affected by our world, as it stands, TODAY and what we have to lose….what we’ve already lost and what we will lose if we don’t take a stand, right what is wrong and fight against a tyranny that is threatening our existence as a democracy in this great nation. It is no longer party against party – this fight is against the downfall of moral decency, freedom and equality, economic and health survival and honor. There is no place now to hide or bury our heads from the truth that is displayed every single day – in our streets, in our communities – around our nation. Hate, violence and division is not the call of a moral president and administration that wants to build a better nation. It is the call to destroy a nation and take power over the freedom and liberties that we know, that our forefathers knew and freedoms that our children and grandchildren may Never know.

I may be 1 voice…but many voices together build villages and nations that are good and righteous – that recognize each and every individual as part of the whole. Some say: All government is corrupt – All politicians are the same. But what is a country without a free democratic government?: A dictatorship. It is chaos. It is totally corrupt and built on fear and power. The speakers tonight didn’t speak of hatred, they did not speak on the furtherance of bigotry and division. They didn’t hold up Bibles as props. THEY didn’t LIE. They brought issues to the forefront that are indisputable. While the current president Tweeted his anger at the truth and facts – these candidates and national supporters were imploring people to rise up and BE BETTER than THIS….and to be able to look their children….or their maker….in the eye and say: I did what was right for all people and for the generations to come.

💙I WILL VOTE BLUE – I WILL SUPPORT JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS – I WILL SPEAK UP and I WILL CONTINUE TO HELP REBUILD THIS COUNTRY ALONG WITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS. And I will sing a song of freedom and democracy again. – Donna Freeberg 💙

SEARS: The end of the era of Brookdale Mall

I remember watching Brookdale Mall (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota) being constructed as we all eagerly peered out the school bus windows, on our way to  Northport elementary.  (It was my kindergarten year, and everything was bustling with “newness”.)

It was magical – Just imagining a mass of stores, under one cover, in a luxurious setting with restaurants attached – called:  A MALL!

So many shopping firsts and fashion firsts were acquired at Brookdale Mall: Dayton’s, Penney’s, Donaldson’s, Snyder’s and……..Sears. I worked at Sears throughout High School….. it was a grand place to work.  I can’t remember a time as a little girl when I didn’t look forward to the “Christmas Wish Book“, or going with my Dad to get a “Craftsman” tool.  And when Mom’s washer went on the blink – off we’d go to Sears for a replacement.  Sears was the store for the Everyman.   

The demolishing of Brookdale Mall a number of years back left one vestige standing: Sears. But now – it will soon be demolished as well.

I visited my flagship job/store/memory maker  –  in the last final days, and it was heartbreaking.  Below are a few pictures on the history of Sears – as I remember it and photographed  it.

Nothing stays the same.
And, at times, they simply vanish. 

        

DIVERSITY

It’s a harsh world we live in.

Diversity acceptance should be the norm – but it’s not. We rarely accept our own differences – the ones that make us unique, let alone accept what is foreign to us or is a challenge to our norms.

How we deal with encountering diversity will measure us:

• We can either look the other way,
• Engage awkwardly as if some “kindly act”,

…..or perhaps we simply open our arms and hearts and listen and learn.

That’s humanity.

“Ignorance and Want” What will this Holiday season bring?

Everything that is being written today is smoke and mirrors. Orchestrated to confuse what is “normal” living, or human behavior – with deviant behavior, and justifying it with the confusion. A person would have had to live in a vacuum not to have had some sexual flirtations or advances – people are sexual creatures.

But as my mom would say – “Mind your manners and respect other’s boundaries. AND if you don’t like the lifestyle – take yourself out of the given situation that causes you pain. Be responsible and accountable for your actions, Donna!””

Having lived within theater and music circles all of my life – I understand the lifestyle – it’s more familiar than a business setting. I accept (and welcome) it. But I’ve chosen those circles – nobody forced me to. Do I have boundaries and enforce them? Of course I do.  I also enforce my boundaries in business. Have we become so brain dead that we can’t decipher our own life choices? Or so robotic that we force all behavior to fit in or out of a “shaped” box which is dictated through tyranny or fascism?  This is playing conveniently into the Anti-Net Neutrality bill that the GOP is trying to force through.  Suppress and control.

In oppressed societies, historically – confusion, limited access to music or dancing or theater, what we read, how we speak and the economy – is controlled.  The entire planet fights against this…. Except the United States.

A huge fraction of social media lemmings, the GOP and those that vehemently defend their “vote” in this past Presidential election are welcoming (and orchestrating) losing our freedoms.  Those that oppose are sent to the gallows. How soon will it be that these supporters lose their personal freedoms and bellow to the heavens that they were duped?  Too late….everyone loses.

Sound familiar?  Follow your history from the ancient empires to Cuba to the ultimate terror: Nazi Germany.  It’s not new – it simply has a sleazy new coat and underneath?:  Ignorance and Want …… Ignorance and Want. 

The “Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future” are going to be very busy this holiday season….we can hope.  

RETAILER’s: Open on Holidays? Are we outraged or are we ignorant?

…… This is my take – Holidays mean 3 things to the average citizen:

• A paid day off from work (but not in retail)
• Football, Family, Food (But not in retail)
• Traditional family time (But not in retail).

So perhaps we shouldn’t leave it up to the hard working employees to suffer the consequences for our greed – perhaps we should support the retailers that choose to honor those employees with quality family time off, visit their stores (after the holiday) and simply NOT SHOP on holidays…..

There is the flip-side to this coin: Employees that don’t have or want family time.  Should they be forced to lose the income for those holidays?  Should the employer pay holiday pay to all that don’t work on holidays (this will never happen – perhaps for management – but not for the hourly workers) – or give them the choice to work?

There are always two sides (or many) to the coin.  Opinions??

The “CFPB”: Who they are and WHY we must protect this Financial Bureau!!!

Support the AG of MN Lori Swanson in protecting, yet another, much valued agency in citizen’s protection – in jeopardy of abolishment under the current administration:

“With all this greed, it is troubling that the financial industry wants to abolish the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”). The Bureau was established to be a consumer watchdog over the financial industry at the federal level. The industry says the CFPB needlessly intrudes into the free market with unnecessary consumer protections. Really? Let’s take a look:”……………………

Letter from AG Lori Swanson with Links

Please give the pdf above a moment of your time and write to your Congress and tell them we want protection from the banks and financial institutions to continue!!

Minnesota Members of Congress

U.S. Representatives	U.S. Senators
First District
Timothy J. Walz 1034 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2472 Contact: Tim Walz contact form	Senator Al Franken United States Senate 309 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5641 Contact Senator Franken
Second District
Jason Lewis 418 Cannon House Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2271 Contact form: Jason Lewis contact form	Senator Amy Klobuchar United States Senate 302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3244 Amy Klobuchar contact form
Third District
Erik Paulsen 127 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2303 (202) 225-2871 Fax: (202) 225-6351 Erik Paulson contact form
Fourth District
Betty McCollum 1714 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6631 Betty McCollum contact form
Fifth District
Keith Ellison 2244 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4755 (202) 225-4886 fax Contact form: Keith Ellison contact page
Sixth District
Tom Emmer 503 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2331 Tom Emmer contact form
Seventh District
Collin C. Peterson 2109 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2165 Collin C. Peterson contact form
Eighth District
Rick Nolan 2447 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6211 Rick Nolan contact form

“I have an autoimmune disease…..

“I have an autoimmune disease…..

I just wish more people understood . . . what I have is not a cold or the flu. I will never get better. A nap won’t help. I’m on meds to keep me alive because my cells attack all cells thinking all cells are bad – but this kills good cells which are in the body to help me.

Please, in honor of someone who is fighting Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Sarcoidosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hepatitis, Diabetes, Celiac, Lupus, PBC, CIDP, UC, Crones, Hashimotos . . . (copy, and paste).”   -author unknown

In RESPONSE:  At Dignity by Design*, I work with ALL of the diseases that are mentioned above – and many, many more.

It is true – people are not aware of – nor cannot truly empathize with – the inner struggles associated with individual disabilities (nor outer struggles for that matter).  It’s difficult for anyone dealing with a disability to be patronized, or awkwardly sympathized with, or to have to “describe” or “qualify” one’s self over and over, day in – day out. When the world doesn’t see a “cookie-cutter” human – they often turn away or literally act incapable of natural human interaction – simply due to their personal discomfort. 

Here is my advice: GET OVER IT!  Deal with all humans with respect and actual INTEREST in them as human beings – not diseases.  Get to know the PERSON – not the disability….. then all else will fall into place.  Maybe… a new friendship, maybe…. Better understanding of your partner or child or parent. 

Diversity is what makes the world go round – Embrace it!

donna@dignitybydesign.com
www.dignitybydesign.com

Is the Legacy Marketing Professional extinct in today’s business arena?

I recently read a job posting for a
“Digital Marketing Coordinator” position (and have seen these increasingly over the past 10 years or so) which describes the position as follows:

“You will be a part of the Marketing Communications team and will
take on the launch of their new site as well as take on responsibility
for digital marketing strategy, campaigns, platforms, etc!  The right
fit will have;

– 2+ years’ experience in the digital marketing space
– Experience working in a very technical industry
– Strong background in all things digital (email, website, social,
SEO/SEM, Google AdWords, etc!)
– Writing chops

This team is looking for someone to come in and own the digital
marketing space, drive demand, and bring ideas to the table in a
knowledgeable and collaborative way. ”

Nice position, Right??

But….Note: The company is REALLY looking at 2 very separate positions – for the price of 1.
Don’t get me wrong – most creatives have a strong technical background (or at least, many do) but the true Marketing role is intense: Analytics, marketplace knowledge, market development and strategies, copy, print knowledge and MAJOR copy writing and visual placement “chops” – not to mention KILLER networking broad base knowledge and connects.
Now…throw in “all things digital”….Website maintenance? SEO/SEM, social media (daily, hourly, minute by minute – add Hootsuite and some of that is managed) – but you still have to come up with the copy and visuals.   ANYWAY………………

The point of this lengthy review is:

SHOUT OUT TO COMPANIES:  Hire what you need – know WHAT you need – and PAY for the expertise.

Defending Peace Production Services

Howling to the Moon…(as in Congress.)

Thought of the Day
(or 143 days to be exact)

We are working under a madman – a lunatic and coup – a rogue Congress that does NOT serve the people, and our planet is up for grabs. The press keeps trying to make SOME sense to this madman, his nonsensical speech, his…..crazy – and there is none to be had.

Are WE all insane? Is that what was and IS wanted by the Republican National Committee? What is the purpose of driving this country, its’ laws and respect into the ground and taking the rest of the planet with it?

Moral compass and humanity is in decay and we are being herded like Lemmings off the cliff – with evidently no voice or power to our millions of voices, as we howl to the moon (while there is one).

For the Indigenous people of Standing Rock: The Government and Big Oil has betrayed you, millions of Americans, Clean Water and Mother Earth.

After months of protests by the Peaceful Water Protectors and the Indigenous peoples of Standing Rock (rightful owners of this treaty land) – the Militarized Police squads representing #DAPL Energy Transfer Partners Big Oil have forced the Indigenous off of their own land, arrested and brutalized the #Natives and Water Protectors – forced them at gunpoint onto nearby reservations, raided those reservations and continue to push them off of each reservation that they go to.  This is not justice – this is not upholding US/Native Treaties.
This is a fascist Government protecting one BIG OIL corporation for profit.

We as Americans, and the World, are watching – watching as this Government allows terroristic attacks against the Indigenous peoples – and allows our CLEAN WATER supplies to be poisoned, all for corporate greed and immediate profits.

Now is the time to persevere – with the Letter of the LAW, fighting this in impartial courts. It is our sacred duty – to our land and to our people! Aho!

 Lakota Law Project:  http://ourchildrenaresacred.org/