Welcome to THE Newsletter
Let's jump into the sh*t show that is already 2020, WTF is happening with Iran, donate to bush fire relief, repression in India, Latinas are a powerful economic force, and overturning Roe v. Wade?
The first one!
Here’s what to expect—
Language Look: where we unpack a passage from an article and look at the actual implications.
Podcasts: stories and conversations I think are interesting (I’m still working out the embedding so bear with me).
Featured Articles: I joined Medium! Follow me @TheMontoyaMinute so you can check out articles not featured anywhere else.
Articles with a lil summary: and some points to look out for.
Everyday Brujeria: Limpias, fun readings, and other witchy wonders.
Music: I may make a playlist here and there.
Ads: cuz I’m gunna make an ad free version, sorry mama needs to get paid. (email me at yvetteactually86@gmail.com ads are $35 and social packages are available upon request and they can be for pretty much anything: your podcast, your business, your etsy shop, your creations, your services, —go off).
This year is already off to a scary and confusing start. There are going to be many changes this year in terms of laws and leaders. Let’s dig in shall we?
Don’t forget to like and share so I can get a lil boost on the Substack feed.
World News
How to Help Australian Fire Victims and the Half a Billion Animals Impacted by the Blazes
Australia is on fire click the article for orgs you can donate to help the animals and the humans.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi says he will resign— but wtf is happening with Iran?
(This article is a little older but I feel like we need context)
A lot of things have been happening outside of our view. For the last two months there have been widespread protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi. The protests were sparked by the youth who are tired of the longstanding unemployment, government corruption, and a lack of basic services— such as electricity and clean water. The Iraqi government has tried to regain control with the use of lethal force, while also imposing curfews and internet blackouts— In total, around 380 people have been killed and 17,745 injured in Iraq since the protests began, according to Ali Al-Bayati, a member of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq. BUT now the issue with Iran.
Leaked cables reveal scale of Iran's influence in Iraq
(Also an older article)
With Iran the situation is this: the Iranian government has a strong influence in Iraq. Millions of Iranians visit every year to the holy shrines of Najaf and Karbala. Millions of Iraqis visit Mashhad for visiting Imam Reza. Also a majority of the current Iraqi leadership lived in and worked in Iran during Saddam’s time and worked closely with Iranian political parties. But as of late they have been doing the most to influence Iraqi politics. The media talks about this influence like it’s so crazy for them to do that but the US does it all the time and as we know Russia got us pretty good too. The bombing that happened outside of the US embassy in Iraq was blamed on Iran which is why Trump attacked and now we find ourselves here.
In A Day Of Turmoil, Repercussions Of Soleimani Killing Grow More Widespread
Now apparently the US is sending more troops BUT the Iraqi parliament voted to oust the thousands of U.S. military people in Iraq. And Trump came back at them with threats of sanctions if U.S. forces were forced to leave the country. We need to remember that there are billions of dollars in foreign interests in Iraq. So controlling who is in power is super important, which is another reason why the US is tripping about Iran. Without a US friendly government that oil money is as good as gone.
As repression in India gets worse, notable figures remain silent
Prime minister Modi has activated his supporters, calling them to help the state carry out violence against Muslims. Since Modi was elected Indian films have helped the far right government by depicting Muslims as enemies that want to take over the majority Hindu nation. Look at the similarities between far right governments. They generally use the same tactics. Trump also uses his followers by exciting their violent tendencies. We should also remember that Film and Television are tools of the state. think about the depiction of Muslims, Latinx, and Black people on American TV and Film. Before 9/11 we only made historical war films, after 9/11 we started making movies about the wars we were in at the time. It’s no wonder people are so desensitized. The India - Pakistan situation is escalating because of a 2019 Kashmir bombing claimed by Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad that killed more than 40 soldiers.
Some BullSh*t
Poll Shows Biden As The Only Democrat Who Would Defeat Trump In Virginia
Ok first of all Biden is a turd covered in bird hair. Secondly, we need to look at the fact that the Democratic party always runs on a centrist platform. They like to look progressive but actually they just want to keep things the same. It hasn’t been working out for lower income people, women or POC. BUT despite the fact that Bernie has raised more money than Biden media outlets want us to think progressive candidates are “unrealistic.” As I’m sure we all remember it was left leaning media outlets that told us Trump would never win. Also think about the fact that they’re trying to make it seem like Virginia is representative of the entire voting population.
Language Look: “There were 625 respondents in the poll with a margin of error of 4%.”
THIS IS NOT A BIG ENOUGH POPULATION SAMPLE TO COME TO THIS CONCLUSION. This is EXTREMELY misleading. Always, always, always look at the methodology. As in HOW did you get these numbers? Where did they come from? Who responded? For reference there are 8.518 million people living in Virginia but you wanna tell me 625 speak for everyone?
Sure, Jan.
Sh*t You Should Know
Latinas emerge as a powerful force in the U.S. job market
“Today, 61% of Latinas are participating in the labor force — higher than the 59% national rate for females overall, according to the November job report. By 2028, they are forecast to account for 9.2% of the total labor force, up from 7.5% in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Latinos — both women and men — will account for a fifth of the worker pool by then.” BUT —we are still underpaid.
Check out my article on how to fix the wage gap.
These Nine Pennsylvania Lawmakers Just Asked the Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade
“Nine Pennsylvania lawmakers signed on to an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief authored by Americans United for Life (AUL) and filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in June Medical Services v. Gee. In the brief, they call on the U.S. Supreme Court to reach beyond the case itself and overturn both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. AUL is an organization that writes and advocates for anti-abortion and anti-choice legislation. The group has taken credit for authoring one-third of the abortion restrictions enacted between 2011 and 2014.”
KCET Documentary Explores Birth of La Raza Newspaper
We’re witnessing military deployments and it’s important to remember those who came before us. Latinx make up around half of the military. And as we know the military aggressively recruits young people of color. Among enlisted recruits, 43 percent of men and 56 percent of women are Hispanic or a racial minority. They don’t want us here yet they want us to die fighting their war. Hard pass. It’s something Chicanos fought against during the civil rights movement. It’s something we still need to fight today. No more military recruitment in high schools and in communities of color!
Tech Sh*t
Mind Control for the Masses—No Implant Needed
Bish WHET?! A tech company called “NextMind, makes a noninvasive neural interface that sits on the back of one’s head and translates brain waves into data that can be used to control compatible software.” Sounds cool but it’ll keep me up at night thinking about all the ways this can be misused.
See you next week! I’ll have some more goodies for you by then!