The Banning Of Books

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#Black History Month

So, the past few weeks I haven’t had the time to write, I was back in school...anyway, I finally had the inspiration to write, and it’s about my classes. I’m majoring in an #anthropology and minoring in English, and as a future anthropologist I have to see events in history, good or bad, through an objective standpoint. I have to mention that I am a water sign, and I have been an emotional child since birth. I am also taking a British Literature class, and the first two weeks of school, we were reading Early Black British Writing, which is basically essays written by past slaves, like #OludahEquiano, or told past experiences, like #MaryPrince. 

   My initial problem, is that only other person in this class is black, other than me, and it was extremely difficult reading such horrible experiences and trying  not to get to angry. Everyone in this class was white, including my professor, and while I am happy that in taking this class, since it allows me to read different genres such as this one, since I had no idea this kind of book existed, I couldn’t help but feel angry, as jokes were passed around the class in order to lighten up the mood. I wanted to leave, storm out of class, and I counted down the minutes till it was over. When I finally left and headed to my anthro classes, I had a talk with my professor there and she basically told me that as an anthropologist, it is you’re job to take such an assessment and not let it affect you. The Middle Passage, stretching from Africa to Europe(mostly London) to the Caribbean and the America’s happened, and lasted over 500 years. It was recorded as the largest migration in this planet’s history. I guess I’m saying that yes, as a people we have the right to be angry. Racism, I think, is a common occurrence, and will be for a very long time. But anger alone isn’t the only emotion we should be feeling. This Black History Month, we should be celebrating for all the things we have accomplished. In politics, medicine, movies, activism, charity, science and math, literature, music, companies and lots more. We have proven ourselves a resilient people, all over the world, and I can say that I would rather be proud than to hold onto my anger. 

The Train Derailment in Ohio

NO. 1

On February 3rd, dozens of cars belonging to Norfolk Southern train went off track in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling gigantic amounts of toxic chemicals into the soil, water, and air, killing over 3500 fish have died; locals of the town affected are experiencing nausea, headaches, burning eye sensations and more. Residents have also reported that foxes, chickens, cows, and house pets are dying as a result of the toxin chemical release. The chemical released from the crash, vinyl chloride, is extremely toxic and can severely affect an individual’s liver, kidney, lung, nervous system, and blood. It is highly dangerous and can lead to cancer.

New York Post

Scientists warn of potentially serious health risks following Ohio train derailment

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, may have been exposed to serious health risks — including cancer — from toxic materials carried on a trai

NO. 2

The government-controlled burned the hazardous chemicals, since left untouched could cause an even bigger explosion, and residents were asked to leave at first on February 6th. On February 8th, residents were asked to come back, with officials claiming the area was safe to come back to. Except, residents are claiming that this is not only a government and corporation issue but a massive ecological disaster from which we might not return. The derailment has caused massive environmental problems because scientists and scholars fear that the toxin waste will spread throughout the Ohio River, as it is connected to rivers and basins in 14 states, providing drinking water to over 5 million Americans. The smell of chlorine was reportedly lingering in the air days after the controlled burn and when residents were returning. When vinyl chloride burns, it decomposes into hydrogen chloride and phosgene, with the latter highly poisonous, used in WW1 as a choking agent. Hydrogen chloride is irritating and corrosive to any tissue with which it comes to contact. The viral video of a local news reporter quietly talking about the event and being arrested for doing his job has sparked state outrage.

NO. 3

So, how did this happen, and who is responsible? The horrible disaster is nicknamed Chernobyl 2.0 as residents feel fear and anger over Norfolk Southern and the government’s response to the devastation, which they feel is inadequate. Rail workers tried to strike over unsafe conditions but were forced back to work by the government back in 2011. Norfolk Southern announced a $10 billion stock in March last year while cutting their workforce down to the bones rather than investing in better equipment, more workers, and allowing sick days. Stricter environmental laws and regulations should be at the forefront, instead of the allowance of corporate greed, not to mention the blatant disregard for public safety. More attention should be devoted to this topic, not only for public awareness but to shed light on the role big business plays in increasing pollution and environmental degradation.

The Lidérc [Hungarian folklore]

According to old Hungarian folklore, if you keep the first egg of a pitch-black hen warm under your arm until it hatches, the resulting chick will not be of a chicken but a lidérc. It will shapeshift into a creature closely resembling a human (but usually with one chicken foot) and will have sex with its owner, draining his life energy in the process. However, if the owner is a woman, the lidérc will suck her blood instead, which will cause diseases in the owner. In both cases, however, the creature will make a hoard of golden objects which it gets from an unknown source, making the owner rich. It will also perform labor and tasks that you ask it to do. Should you want to get rid of your lidérc, you have to ask it to perform an impossible task (like ‘tie a knot in a cloud’ or ‘empty all the water in this well using only a sieve’) in which case it will become so frustrated that it dies on the spot.

Another version of the story claims that the lidérc is a very tiny humanoid creature that may sometimes be found in your pocket, or in boxes or bottles. If you do own one of these, it is said your soul is taken by the creature, and you’re given supernatural powers in return.

Finally, some other stories claim the lidérc is an eldritch floating flame, but it is capable of assuming a human form once it touches the ground. Once it does so, its footprints will be those of a horse, despite having human feet. This creature is an omen of doom, as it brings illness and bad luck to those it encounters. Burning incense can keep it at bay and prevent if from entering one’s house. In eastern Hungary, this version of the creature haunts cemeteries at night but disappears without a trace as soon as the cry of a rooster is heard.

Sources: https://occult-world.com/liderc/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lid%C3%A9rc (image source: https://occult-world.com/liderc/)

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Belly Dancing

NO. 1

The art of belly dancing is a Middle Eastern practice that has, over time, gravitated towards Western white American women. The way American women dance is this is a ‘glamorization’, and more focused on the power of reception, rather than cultivating it and respecting the practice. Originally, belly dancing is based on ancient folk and social dances in North African and Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt and Turkey. The dance is characterized by various hip, torso, shoulder, and chest movements. ‘‘The images projected by Westerners in the performance of belly dance and other forms of oriental dance raise the thorny issue of orientalism. The vocabulary of the dance and its position within the framework of the West, especially the United States, as ‘other’ provides an ‘empty’ location, as in ‘not part of my culture’, for the construction of exotic new fantasy identities. At the same time, as a repository of media stereotypes and thus Western fantasies of women, it also provides physical images via the femme fatale which the (generally female) dance emulates in order to play an assertive sexual role in a male-dominated Western society.’’

NO. 2

Of course, here in the West, its meaning has changed, especially in America when gained popularity over 100 years ago when ‘dancing girls’ from different countries showcased in Chicago’s World Fair. ‘‘Because of the movements of body parts, such as the stomach, that were expected to be tightly constrained during the Victorian era, controversy surrounded these performers, and belly dance became associated with burlesque, stripping and prostitution. Despite perceptions of belly dancing being associated with sex work, the dance has a variety of meanings for participants, like spiritual, communal, and feminine qualities. For most dancers in the United States, the dance is a form of leisure. Leisure is a voluntary activity that people pursue with a positive state of mind during their free time. For many dancers, belly dance is an enjoyable form of recreation, rather than a primary source of income. Women in most large and mid-size cities around the country take belly dance classes at studios, gyms, and recreation centers.’’

NO. 3

Belly dancing is a key icon of the Middle East and is a site for performing and interpreting. It is appealing because it expresses ‘imperial feelings’, or the complexity of psychological and political belonging to an empire that is often unspoken, sometimes subconscious, but always present, the ‘habits of heart and mind’ that infuse and accompany structures of difference and domination. We can call on U.S imperialism as an example, as it rests as a multicultural nationalism. Belly dancing has become a ‘‘site for staging a New Age feminism and liberal Orientalist perspective on Arab and Muslim women, illustrating what Edward Said called, ‘new-Orientalism’ of the present moment. Orientalism continues to be a deeply appealing, binary frame for imagining the ‘West’ in opposition to the ‘Orient’, or to the East—a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient’, through the production of an ‘idea that has a history and tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that has given it a reality and presence in and for the West.’’

THINK BEFORE YOU BUY POISON!!

I know none of you want to see this but something has to be done! Awareness and education are key!!!

A friend of mine found this great horned owl that had eaten a poisoned rodent and died a slow terrible death.

When you’re setting out poison to kill rats, mice, ect. you’re very well setting poison out to also kill hawks, owls, etc.– basically animals that are “on your side”, helping you to eliminate those rodents.

Poisoned rodents don’t just immediately flop over and die. They’ll slowly stagger around as the poison begins to take effect, making them an easy meal for another animal to grab.

Some people might remember that I’ve posted about this before (the Great Horned owl baby found laying on the ground in April– also found too late to be saved.) This is unfortunately a common tragedy. Many people admire birds of prey, saying how beautiful they are, how they “absolutely love owls”, yet a disturbing amount are unaware that their uneducated/inconsiderate actions are leading to those birds dying an agonizing death as they slowly bleed internally.Someone I know who does wildlife rehabilitation/rescue recently got in a Red-tailed hawk that had consumed poison. They were ultimately unable to treat him, and she wasn’t even in the same room when she heard him gasping and wheezing, dying. For at least 10 years she has treated hundreds, probably thousands of animals and said it was one of the most disturbing things she’s witnessed dealing with wildlife.

Please consider what your actions may lead to. There are safer alternatives. Again, when you put out poison, you’re setting up a death for those that are naturally taking care of those rodents you want gone.

Charleston Shooting

If we're not safe in a Church...where exactly ARE we safe? This is still going on. Racism. Hatred. And we pray that it ends, as it should have ended in the 60's. But hate never stops. As does evil never ends. And of course, we have our hope that it does but...that's all we ever have.

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