A continuation on my post about nationalism and humanism

I was raised by devoutly Christian parents. Parents who, in everything they did, showed me how they believed Jesus would want them to live, by emulating him every chance they got. If someone, or something needed a home, that meant we were getting a new family member. Whether it be a 3-legged dog, or cat that no one else wanted, a pain in the ass horse caught in barbed wire on the side of the road, a sick puppy who no one else was going to rescue from the pound, my friends running from bad situations at home, special needs and disabled people who's families needed respite or later in my life any of my many poorly thought out boyfriends/girlfriends who had no where else to go. They taught me, in the easiest way to teach a child anything, by acting: That when someone is hungry, you feed them. When someone is naked, you clothe them. When someone is homeless, you shelter them.

While I do not believe for a moment that you have to be a Christian to have these values. I think it is a slap in the face to the religion you pretend to represent when you refuse to acknowledge what Jesus himself would do in a situation.

I'm not a Christian, but I am extremely proud to be the daughter of 2 of the best Christians I know. It is because of their life lessons that I strive to take care of those that need care, regardless of how different from me they may be. It is because of them, that every time I see someone call for us to "blow away the middle east", "shut down our borders", "turn away refugees", "kill all the Muslims", etc etc ad nauseum, it breaks my heart.

Arguably, I put the lives of my children above anything else in this world, because as a mother that is how I was genetically programmed. I know, that there are billions of other mothers on this planet who feel the same way about their children. I cannot imagine the pain of being turned away from a safe harbor with hungry, frightened and tired children in your arms or by your side. I cannot imagine feeling the winter set in, and knowing, that if something does not change soon you will watch them freeze to death. I can not imagine, the loathing, self-doubt, and horror that is running through these mother's veins as they wonder, "will anyone help us" "did we do the right thing by running" "what if we had stayed" "will we ever be safe" "will my children ever be free from nightmares" "will the bombs follow us wherever we go" "will I ever have somewhere to call home".

I don't care what religion they are, or what country they are from. There are terrified children out there who have been running for their lives only to be stopped at a fence, or a wall, or a checkpoint and told "No. Your life is not valuable enough to save. For the sins of your nation, and your religious zealots you will have to die here."

I don't understand how you can want to do anything other than pick those children up and carry them home. I blame you mom and dad. It's your fault I'm not an asshole.

My iPhone 6 won't download apps: A troubleshoot

Recently my iPhone 6 stopped downloading or updating apps, and as per usual the apple store and Verizon were both pretty useless. So I did some internet research and thought I'd share my troubleshooting guide with you fine readers.

Step 1: Restart your phone

I know this seems obvious but in case some of you out there are new to the universe of technology this is how you properly restart an iPhone. Reset the iPhone by holding the sleep/wake button at the top right of the device and the home button at the bottom center of the face at the same time. Hold them both until you see the screen go black. Wait until the white Apple logo appears. If for any reason it doesn't turn back on go ahead and hold the power button to turn it back on. Visit the App Store and see if you can download or update the apps.

If that didn't work try:

Step 2: Sign out from the App Store

This can help as well, and here is what you should do:

• Go to Settings
• Click on iTunes and App Store
• Tap on your Apple ID, and sign out.
• Go to the App Store again and sign in.

If you still can't download or update apps move on to:

Step 3: Checking/Updating your Wi-Fi Settings

• Make sure your Wi-Fi is turned on.
• Double check to make sure you're connected to a network you know and trust. 
• Click on the icon right next to the name of your network. 
• Tap on Renew Lease.

Still nothing? Proceed to:

Step 4: Update iOS

To do this OTA (over the air, without plugging into a computer): 

• Ensure your device is connected to a power source.
• Take a backup of your iOS device using iCloud or iTunes before updating it.
• Also ensure that your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network to avoid potential data costs.
• Launch Settings
• Navigate to General > Software Update. iOS will automatically check for available updates. Note: that VPN or proxy connections may prevent your device from contacting the iOS update servers.
• If an update is available, tap on the Download button to download the update.
• After the download has completed, you’ll be prompted if you want to install the update, tap on the Install button to install the iOS update. If you tap on the Later button, iOS will display a notification badge on the Settings app until the iOS update has not been installed.
• If you exit the Settings app and allow iOS update to be downloaded in the background, you will get a notification informing you that an update is available for your iOS device. If you tap on the notification then it will take back to Software Update screen. Here tap on the Install Now button to install the iOS update.

To do this through iTunes:

If you aren't yet using iCloud you'll want to manually create a backup in iTunes before updating.

• Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes. Your phone should start to sync and backup automagically.
• If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button in order to back up your device. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)

Now that you've backed up your device you're ready to update to the newest version of iOS.

• Plug your iPhone into your PC or Mac.
• Open iTunes and click on your device name in the left hand navigation pane.
• Under the Summary tab, click on the button labeled Check for Update.
• iTunes should alert you if there is an update available for your device.
• If you're ready to update right now, choose the Download and Update option.
• Confirm any prompts that pop up and let iTunes do its thing.

Still a no go on your downloads huh? Well then, proceed to:

Step 5: The reset before the RESET

• Go to Settings
• Tap on General
• Select Reset
• Tap on Reset Network Settings

Still not working? You're not gonna like this next one, proceed to:

Step 6: The dreaded factory data reset

As you probably already know, before you decide to do this, you need to back up your device. Then, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings
• Tap on General
• Select Reset
• Tap on Erase all Content and Settings
• When the process of resetting is over, you should follow the steps provided, in order to set up your device as new.

If after all this your iPhone STILL isn't downloading apps I recommend taking it to an Apple store and throwing it at the person who sold it to you. Alternatively you can run it over with your car and go buy an Android.