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Sojournjones.com began as a resource for Jones to document her first trip to Berlin for a crash photojournalism course, and has since evolved to include her travels and the front lines of protest zones. Now, Jones embarks on her next educational endeavor as she pursues two masters degrees, her Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in International Management and Intercultural Communication. Jones earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Florida, with a specialization in photography. Jones’s journey continues. Check back for the latest.

A Modest Proposal

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By Rachel Jones, circa 2009
Unlike the other content on this blog, this is not journalism.  

A nation divided, the endless debates, the protestors forever singing, chanting, screaming on the steps of the Supreme Court – this modern issue has caused great uproar, confusion, and separation among the people of this beautiful country.  The religious freaks are against it, the young ignorants are for it – but they won’t say it, because that’s just cruel, so they’ll create the front of “Pro-choice” as if not allowing people to kill their children was taking away their ‘rights’.  The abortion issue has caused great turmoil among this country, whether it’s in the courtroom or outside, on the news or in the homes the media reaches.  Marriages are torn, teen girls kicked out, babies left in parking lots because of this still unresolved issue.

What this country needs is a solution that will bring the divided parties together, so we can redirect our efforts into focusing on things of greater significance like how to save the whales and glacier melting.  But first, to answer the question, “To abort, or not to abort? That is the question.”  Which is essentially saying, “Should I defy nature and kill this little, innocent, helpless baby so that I can escape the consequences of my own actions without learning a thing? Or should I keep and raise this baby into a beautiful boy or girl?”  Of course, the easier one (and extremely less costly), would be to abort that thing and go on with your boring, depressing life, avoiding any situation in which you would be forced to make another decision because that guilt is still riding on your shoulders and the devil’s still snickering in your ear.

I have a solution that will save the souls of those who would abort their babies.  A solution that will keep the case out of the courts so other matters can be resolved.  A solution that will bring people together, save the taxpayers a lot of money, re-boost the economy, and increase the strength of our military to an extraordinary degree, making this country even more powerful.  This solution will rid those females of guilt, instead, they can smile, knowing they have done something good for the benefit of this country, and might even try to get knocked up a few more times just to feel that happy feeling when you know you’re doing something right.  My solution will abolish the draft so another Vietnam ordeal will never happen and male seventeen year-olds can forget about the possibility they’ll be shipped overseas on their birthday for a war they don’t believe in.  The entire nation will benefit from this solution.

Abortion is a waste of a great possibility.  My solution prevents this waste, in fact, turns a “mistake” into a very useful thing.  So when a chick gets knocked up, she won’t have to decide to kill or keep, she’ll decide whether to contribute or keep.  A woman will be able to choose between contributing the infant to the government, therefore benefitting the country, or keep it.  The perks of contributing it will be a decent salary for enduring the nine months of pregnancy and she’ll be rid of the infant the very day it pops out.  That part is very important.  It is government property as soon as it is separated from the bearer.  The infant will be raised and taught and trained by the government, and eventually shipped off as a perfect soldier.  Like a pawn in a very real game of chess, the Non-Aborted won’t be able to do much except take a place in the front line.  The Non-Aborted will not hold ranks in the military, because they will not be paid.  They are only the Non-Aborted, their own mothers didn’t want to pay for them, so the country’s taxpayers won’t.  They will do as they are told, much like fleshy robots.  They belong to the government, they are the property of the government.  They are not slaves, they are the Non-Aborted.  It is a privilege for them to even be allowed into this earth, but they won’t know what privilege is.  They will not be taught to think critically or to analyze.  They are the Non-Aborted, and they are a lower class than regular human beings.  Their biological parents will never know anything more of them except that they have contributed their would-be son or would-be daughter to the ranks of the Non-Aborted.  They will not know pain or love or suffering or hunger or happiness or any human emotion.  They will be raised into machines, programmed to do what this society requires of them.

Surely, the god-lovers will appreciate this idea, no more baby murders.  And the all-knowing teens will appreciate the nine months of salary.  The Non-Aborted themselves won’t be able to feel any sort of emotion about it, or form anything like an opinion.  The first batch will be the test-batch, studied to see exactly how the Non-Aborted male is to be treated and how the Non-Aborted female is to be handled to make certain they will abide.  This decreases waste tremendously, as well as provides a huge fighting force to our country, perhaps we could now take on China.  They will be fed and taken care of as far as where they will exist when not on duty, and other than that will not be of any cost to the nation, as they won’t be receiving a salary.

Today, abortions are a common, everyday thing.  A huge waste.  Adoption is a laugh, far too much paper work for most young women to want to even consider that process.  This will be a stress-free, easy way to get rid of your kid.  And it will be honorable!  A marvelous donation to this marvelous country!  Parents would be proud of any knocked up sixteen-year-old daughter who was giving their parasite over to the government.  Perhaps her salary could pay for her college!

I, personally, would never consider abortion or contributing my own DNA to the Non-Aborted, so obviously, I am not after that nine-month paycheck!  I am merely looking out for other young women out there, whether protesting or praying for forgiveness or currently debating the fate of the their unborn.  The Non-Aborted donation program would save the lives of millions and make them useful to this beautiful world.

Downtown Jax Protest demands end to police brutality

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On Saturday, May 30, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee and Northside Coalition of Jacksonville Inc. held a protest in downtown Jax by the Jail demanding that JSO release body cam video, end police misconduct, end police brutality, and for police accountability.

More people than I’ve ever seen at a Jacksonville protest showed up, a strong 3,000 ignited and incensed by George Floyd’s recent unnecessary death under a white cop’s knee. Following is a glimpse of the local movement, through my lens. Photos by Rachel Jones.

 

GlobalMBA Cohort 19: Coronavirus update

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WARSAW— The grocery stores are madhouses, as are the Rossmans (think CVS or Wal-

greens). The soap/hand sanitizers aisle and toilet paper aisles at the latter are near empty. Classes at the University of Warsaw (UW) are canceled until April 14 due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.  The World Health Organization today declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic.

A Polish colleague in the cohort first found out classes were canceled through the news and notified the rest of us late on March 10. Classes were canceled as of March 11.

The University of North Florida (UNF) has suspended all summer study abroad programs. 

As of today, March 11, Cohort 19 was specifically told via email by UW and UNF program directors to stay in Poland, for now. The plan is to continue classes here remotely.

As of today, there are 27 reported coronavirus cases in Poland. According to Restriction III in UNF’s Coronavirus March 10 update, if there are more than 100 cases in the country in which students are currently abroad on university travel, students are required to return to the U.S. and recommended to self quarantine for 14 days. See a global map here.

The GlobalMBA program, which the eight U.S. students have collectively invested more than $160,000 in tuition alone, is a double master degree program with one semester in each of four countries: fall in Germany, spring in Poland (our current residence), summer in China and fall in the U.S., with students from each country participating together. 

Due to U.S. immigration office safety precautions and regulations, the fear is the non-US students will not be allowed into the U.S. after going to China to complete the semester. 

 

This leaves Cohort 19 with a whirl of questions*:

  • If we do continue our semester in Poland, which recently started, remotely, what does reimbursement for our tuition look like? It is common knowledge that in-class instruction is generally more expensive than remote courses, and in-class instruction is what we paid for.
  • Many cohort members invested in the program specifically to be able to live and study in China, as this is such an incredible opportunity especially when considering a career in international business. How are the program directors working to adapt the program to still accommodate this expectation? Have they considered delaying the China semester to Spring 2021 or Summer 2021 with next years’ cohort?
  • If our semester in China is also remote, how much will the cost of tuition decrease?
  • What happens to our program if none of the non-American students are allowed into the U.S. due to immigration office restrictions from fear of the coronavirus?
  • For some cohort members, graduating on time in Dec. 2020 is the priority. For others, the intercultural experience of a semester in China is the most important factor. Will the cohort’s concerns be weighed into the  options and decision-making for the future of the program?
  • And, perhaps the most important one, how will the Chinese government all governments be held accountable on the global stage for their part in the spread of the coronavirus with their own false narratives or secrecy and suppression of the danger, to help ensure a global situation such as this will not happen again?

*Note: not all Cohort members share every question or applicability of affectedness

Welcome to Warsaw, now eat some pierogis

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The semester in Cologne ended with finals and more group projects than I’ve worked on throughout my entire prior university career.

So long, Cologne!

I found an awesome apartment on Ottodom.pl and flew via RyanAir straight into the Modlin Airport just about an hour from Warsaw’s city center.

Agnieszka, a Warsaw native and fellow friend in Cohort 19, showed me around the Old Town and took me straight to Zapiecek, a traditional Polish restaurant where I enjoyed a plate full of pierogis.

Classes at the University of Warsaw have begun and the vibe is totally different than it was in Cologne. It is a welcome and refreshing change. Na Zdrowie!

Kurdish Demonstration Cologne, Germany VIDEO – THE DAILY PROTEST

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Kurdish demonstration in Cologne

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Kurdish residents of Cologne, Germany, demonstrate in Cologne, on Saturday, October 19, following the withdrawal of American troops, Turkish air strikes and, most recently, the agreement between Vice President Mike Pence(on President Trump’s behalf) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey for the pause of Turkish military actions, other than self defense, in North-East Syria. (Photos by Rachel Jones)