Autism Activists Advocates in Action

On September 12, 2017September 12, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn 6% Rally, Albany, Autism Activists Advocates in Action, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, James 2:14-26 New King James Version (NKJV) Faith Without Works Is Dead, Stephen, Stephen as a Mighty Autism Warrior!!!, Stephen as Autism Warrior!!, Stephen Vincent Palmer, Uncategorized, Vice President Joe Biden10 Comments

Autism Activists Advocates in Action

March 2013

Here you can see Stephen and I in Albany, New York back in March 2013. Albany is the New York State capital. Seat of New York State Government! Heads of agencies, clients/consumers and their families made the bus ride up to Albany on a very rainy day!

That day we made a stand. Every time a legislator/representative would come out our representative made our presence know. No we did not get to meet with Gov. Cuomo that day but there is strength in numbers. We could not be ignored!!

The Young Man in the red coat read a heart rending letter he had written pleading with the legislators not to cut the budget. He said he wanted to be useful. He wanted to work. He did not want to sit in front of a TV all day! The lady in blue was so taken with his letter she made copies and to it back to the other legislators in Albany.

Stephen advocating in Albany, New York March 2013

Super Siblings! Power Autism Activist Advocates in Albany ~~ March 2013

Protesting, Marching and Demonstrating March 2013 in front of Governor Cuomo’s New York City office!! 1500 Strong! We are the 6%!

Me at the Paid Family Leave Rally January 2016!! I carried a photo of Stephen in my pocket to give me strength. I was personally invited to attend the rally by the Governor’s Office. Speakers included Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden both lost relatives to cancer in 2015. Gov. Cuomo read the New York Times article about Stephen and me.

Result: New York State will have Paid Family Leave starting Jan. 2018!! Apathy does nothing. We must engage with our government.

Action gets results! Faith Without Works is dead!

James 2:14-26

New King James Version (NKJV)

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your^[a] works, and I will show you my faith by my^[b]works. ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^[c] ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”^[d] And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Good Facebook News

On September 12, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Autism, Autism Activism, Autism Activism Advocate, Black Genealogy Page, Hattie Banks, Hattie Finney Banks, Stephen, Stephen Vincent Palmer, The New York Times, Uncategorized

Lately many on WordPress have taken to bashing Facebook. Of course it’s your choice whether to join or not join as the case may be however I have found Facebook to be helpful to me in certain cases.

My main purpose in using Facebook is connecting with friends, family, former and current co-workers. I have found school classmates from 45/50 years ago! Facebook is the easiest way to set up meetings, get-togethers, parties, etc….. There is no way in the world you can know everyone’s phone number or email nor do you have the time to make that many phone calls. Also it is a way to share important news via Facebook Messenger. That’s how I found out one of my former co-workers had died a few months ago. If another co-worker had not let us know on her page I would not have been able to attend the viewing/funeral. Despite it being a sad affair because the woman who died was only 54 I did get to see co-workers I had not seen in nearly 20 years. Basically you really only see people at weddings or funerals. Lately for me mostly the latter. Many of my friends have gotten married, moved outside or New York City or live too far away for immediate contact. Also my museum and my Union DC 37 has their own individual pages that distributes relevant news to Union Members. It is also a place to ask questions and voice concerns. Yes we do have union meetings but the museum has three separate locations and various shifts and those of us not in the Main Building cannot attend the Union Meetings.

Also you have a better chance of contacting me via Facebook rather than calling or emailing me. I work long strange hours however I check Facebook every day. I also check my email every day so either are good in my case.

In terms of business, marketing and promotional use I use Facebook now to showcase my photography blog Roaming Urban Gypsy.

https://roamingurbangypsy.com/

Black Genealogy Page

One Mothers Day several years ago I posted my Maternal Grandmother Hattie Finney Banks photo on the Black Genealogy Page. Now this page is not just for African-Americans. Many whites go to the page in search of their Black ancestors. One such white lady saw my Grandmother’s photo and contacted me. She was actually searching for her Black son who had died but who had left behind a daughter. Her goal was to find family connections for the little girl.

This woman had information on my grandparents and Great-grandparents including death certificates and newspaper articles that I would have never found on my own. She still lives in the West Virginia town where most of my maternal family members including my mother were born. Turns out we were not related but we became friends and I’m always happy to hear from her on Facebook.

Autism Activism

In May of 2015 the New York Times published an article about me and my brother Stephen. I posted the article on Facebook and it went Viral! My friends, family and co-workers share it on their pages and everywhere. The result: Jan. 2016 while at work I received a phone call from Gov. Cuomo’s office personally inviting me to a Paid Family Leave Rally in the city. Next year starting Jan. 2018 the state of New York will have Paid Family Leave for all it’s residents!! Booyah!! I’m not going to reprint all the past links but if you search between May 2015 and Jan. 2016 you’ll see all the work I put in along with my team to help achieve this goal.

Now if I had published the same New York Times article on WordPress which I did eventually I would not have gotten the same result mostly because most of my Subscribers/Followers on WordPress are from countries outside the U.S.A. and this news would not affect them or have any meaning. Even those U.S. Followers/Subscribers most of them are not from New York again my news would have not meaning so there would be no reason to share.

Also every last U.S. elected official has a Facebook page. This is how you contact them. That’s how I communicated with the representative for Stephen’s district. Many times this is easier than all the phone calls I’ve been making.

Conclusion

Facebook has many benefits if you use it in the right way. Activism and Advocacy takes place on Facebook. This is how Activists like myself find out at demonstrations, rallies, marches, etc… For those of you who are anti-Facebook we are not going back into time. Whether you are selling books, artwork, photography or establishing coalitions for positive change Facebook will continue to be a tool for effective communication.

Last but not Least you don’t have to Friend everyone who contacts you. Plus if the person becomes a problem just UnFriend or Block them! Don’t like the racism, discrimination in certain FB Groups. Leave! Problem solved. Folks the FB Genie has been out of the bottle for years and there is no going backwards in time.

Watch “Alice Faye – You’ll Never Know 1943 Version 1” on YouTube

On September 11, 2017September 12, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Edward G. Palmer, Edward Gordon Palmer, Edward Palmer, Helen Garcia, Helen Palmer Garcia, Mable Elizabeth Palmer, Mable Palmer, Stephen, Stephen Vincent Palmer, Uncategorized, Watch "Alice Faye - You'll Never Know 19439 Comments

I dedicate this song to my parents Edward and Mable Palmer and my Aunt Helen Palmer Garcia. I Love this song. Even though it is from my parents generation I can relate to every word she sings. The Lyrics have so much meaning especially for those who have lost loved ones.

A few nights ago I dreamed of Daddy and Aunt Helen. Stephen was in the dream also. Me, Daddy and Stephen were in our home in St. Albans, Queens, NY.

I was talking to Aunt Helen on our rotary dial telephone. Daddy passed away in 1995 Aunt Helen Palmer Garcia in 2010.

When I’m under stress and sad those I loved the most return to me speaking of happier times. That way I can once again be happy and joyful in a safe protected environment.

Eight 8 Days a Week

On September 9, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money, Lone Ranger-Oscar Brown Jr.-1974, The Beatles Eight Days a Week, Uncategorized16 Comments

Eight 8 Days a Week

With the dawn of September my Museum workplace is ramping up with new exhibits for the Fall and Winter Seasons. Summer vacations are over and it’s time to hit the ground running. This means lots of overtime for me, my buddies in Security, custodial and engineering. Most people never get to see how exhibits are put up and taken down. It is a lot of work by the curators, Design dept, Art handlers, Conservation Dept, plus the departments mentioned in the previous sentence. Not forgetting the Admissions people. I get to see how an exhibit is put together up close and personal. Often outside contractors come in to build walls for the start and tear down walls at the end of an exhibition. Security and Custodial are often in the bowels of the museum buildings with Security Guards escorting artwork through various tunnels and freight elevators. You must have a good knowledge of the building. My friends in Custodial are responsible for cleaning the floors, bathrooms and galleries before and after special exhibitions.

Shitty Jobs You Take to Pay Your Bills when Your Dreams are stuck in the Pipeline

None of the aforementioned jobs are glamorous except for the Curators and Conservation because they get their Kudos and Thanks plus a much bigger paycheck than Security guards, Custodial or Admissions. I’ve been working as a Museum Security Guard for nine years and when I worked days not only did I have to put up with belligerent, racist, drunk, high trust fund babies and ignorant rich folks but as a Black Woman wearing a uniform in a position of authority there is that extra layer of racism, white people seem to think I’m either a drug dealer or a prostitute. And Yes I’ve been called everything but a Child of God.

Last year I changed to work evenings/nights but since there is a restaurant that stays open late occasionally I still have to deal with drunk and high wealthy entitled white men who think I’m up for grabs. There is more drug use in these rich neighborhoods than in my poor working class Brooklyn “hood.” After all if you are a millionaire you can afford to get high and drunk every damn day.

Last week some dried up old prune face paleface guy told me that “We” were going to be on America’s Got Talent, that he got “Swag” NOT!! Personally I utterly loathe and despise these “Limousine Liberals” who take on Black Lingo that certainly does not apply to them. Only Black Men have Swag aka Swagger in my book and I’m only interested in Black Men! Don’t fool yourself Paleface. This guy was drunk. Smelled of nasty cigarettes and was obviously high as a kite. Leaning over my work area violating my space. I was glad when he left. Ugh!

As Tonto Said to the Lone Ranger, “What do you mean We White man.” Trust me there is No we in the equation and never will be. So Let’s cut that Condescending We Bullshit.

She Works Hard for the Money

Don’t Allow other people to prophesy over you. Sometimes people are jealous or they aren’t thinking straight. I have in mind certain specific co-workers who have that “The Sky is Falling” mindset. Despite my struggles, troubles and challenges my ultimate goal is to retire. I might vent a little but I know I must keep my Eyes on the Prize. I’m willing to sacrifice to get to that point so I ignore those who rant and rave. In two years I will be 60 years old and I’m ready to move onto Phase Three of my Life. So Bring on the extra days and Double Shifts!

Many times I feel like the Ladies in the Video.

Share Your World – September 4, 2017

On September 8, 2017September 5, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Share Your World – September 4, 2017, SYW, Uncategorized4 Comments

https://ceenphotography.com/2017/09/04/share-your-world-september-4-2017/

Share Your World – September 4, 2017

September 4, 2017 Cee Neuner

What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

Bright Bold Vivid Colors like Red, Orange and Purples

What is your favorite type of dog? (can be anything from a specific breed, a stuffed animal or character in a movie)

Beagles. Like Snoopy. When I was a little girl I had a Beagle named Dolly to whom I told all my troubles since I was bullied in school and always getting beat up. I Loved Dolly very much.

List at least five favorite flowers or plants.

Roses (My Mom’s Favorite)

Tulips

Sunflowers

Dandelions (I suppose these are considered weeds but I like them)

Cacti

Basically any type of flower or plant my room-mate plants in the backyard or that I can find in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

Spending time at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or at the Beach nearest me which is Coney Island and walking through Central Park taking in the sights and watch folks enjoying life.

Complete this sentence: My favorite place in the whole world…..

Can’t name just one. I Love the Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Coney Island plus Central Park.

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

I find the architecture, stores and restaurants located in the neighborhood where I work to be fascinating. Also since I get off work at 12:30 am at night I get the opportunity to explore Night Photography. I like the way the street lights reflect and glow plus the whole ambiance of taking pictures at night. A whole different vibe.

The seven yes 7 day work challenge. My motivation. That stack of bills that needs to be paid. Ignore all Life hacks, Life Coaches and Day dreamers. Be realistic. At heart I am a practical person.

Even with working pretty much non-stop I still make time to take photos.