#do these farms activists ever read what they write...
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Why George Monbiot’s Work Is Important
I had such fun writing the roughdraft of that book of policies but in writing the rough draft of legislations for what I intend to be a book, I began to wonder what were the influences that took me from merely being frustrated at my own country’s struggles, to writing a blog post about policy and legislation.
When I was younger the closest I could get to the kind of media available today was documentaries like Zeitgeist.
And yes, at 17 I considered Zeitgeist to be politics.
See back then, there was no The Young Turks, or Sam Seder or James O’Brein or even WION. There was no variety in political commentary, local or international, there was no 24 hour internet access, no youtube or independent media. I may have tried to get some conspiracy theory books but there was nothing that was current, informative and still a counter to mainstream television or radio news.
I think I tried reading Noam Chomsky a few times but I’m not afraid to admit, that stuff was way over my head.
In 2022, there are plenty of alternative news and information sources that are not state or corporate owned. Outlets that do a better job of speaking on real news, real injustices and covering these misdeeds objectively and without fear of reprisal from advertisers, employers or regulators.
Even as recently as 2008, not many outlets or writers would have been able to take the kind of holistic anti-capitalist approach in the way George Monbiot did and still does, through written works, speeches and videos.
George Monbiot is a staunch environmentalist, writer and activist from the UK, whose work spans from the mid 1980′s to present day, and includes articles published in newpapers, books and a very unpopular approach to activism as far as some media outlets, big corporations and government officails are concerned.
His approach is so complete, he has addressed the destructive effects of capitalism from a foreign affairs perspective, to capitalism’s contribution to climate change, it’s effects on education, law, politics, religion, war, food, farming and employment.
It’s clear that he wants the works on his website to be a complete understanding of the ways a global economic system has torn at the fabric of an entire global populous, on both a macro and micro scale.
Among my favourite Monbiot articles is one called “Invisible Hands”, in which he describes how corporations and the wealthy patrons, have learned how to bypass the UK’s democratic system, by in effect, bribing government officials to push for legislations that give them undue power, such as passing a bill that bans political parties from accepting money from the public, thus meanining only big business is legally allowed to financially back any eligible political candidate.
Monbiot’s work openly questions whether democracy is even possible when cash is king, and can democracy truly exist when there is no transparency to ensure that it is being upheld.
Another reason for his being shunned by certain media outlets is Monbiot’s coverage of subjects like colonialism, at a time when it seems that the “powers that be” in Britain, would rather colonialism be forgotten.
Going back to Monbiot’s first ever book, entitled “Poison Arrows”, Monbiot has long been a dissenter of governments and corporations who go to less developed parts of the world in an attempt to exploit land, natural resources and/or the native people’s cheap labour.
You have to understand that colonialism is an incredibly unpopular topic in the UK, particularly in England, so when Monbiot goes on to a independant platform like Double Down News and does stuff like this.........
youtube
It definiently sticks a needle in the governments side and brings up something they’d very much, rather be forgotten.
Always willing to lean in to less than pleasant topics, Monbiot has not ingratiated himself with the political and wealth elite of Britain, but when Monbiot is at his best, or rather when I enjoy his writing the most, is when Monbiot pulls at the things once thought to be institutions of daily life.
Education is high up on Monbiot’s priorities and things that need to be changed, or even just outright go away.
From private schools costing UK tax payers up 100 million in tax exemptions per year, even though they are not in any way charitable organizations, to a relentless lampooning of the old boy culture of prestigious private schools, to the incessant testing that is part of education system.
Worse yet, is when Monbiot takes aim at advertising that targets children.
In his article titled “Suckled On Lies”, Monbiot describes how advertising firms are now targeting this demographic by advertising within the schools walls and in classrooms. For instance how a company like Revlon can have an advertising firm distribute free samples to students during classes.
Monbiot’s work stands as a testament to what it looks like when someone commits to doing the right thing.
It’s not a reasonable standard to hold others to by any means, but it is nonetheless, admirable and increasingly necessary.
I may not be all the way in as far as his stance not eating meat, but overall I stll have more confidence in Monbiot’s politics being more well-meaning, and overall better for the majority of people (those that are not obscenely wealthy), around the globe.
#george monbiot#writers#politics#the uk#socialism#independent media#environmentalism#anti capitalism#progressive media#progressivism#double down news#worker owned co-op#the young turks#sam seder#kyle kulinski#tim black#james o'brein
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"ARAS are terrorists because they're pushing their political/social agenda" that's literally what activism is about, sweetie
#vegan#veganism#cruelty free#do these farms activists ever read what they write...#i mean#they need some self awareness#this is not healthy#and is always the argument of they're stealing from poor people#"!!#I don't give a fuck about rednecks who would call me racial slurs tbh#but that's just me i guess
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Nancy Drew and Education
So apparently the Clue Crew is full of teachers? Who knew. Well, as a former homeschooled student, current teacher, and (hopefully) future homeschooling parent/teacher I have been planning on integrating the games into lessons for a long time. Below the cut I have just a few of my many ideas (some more fleshed out than others). Feel free to use, adapt, or add your own!
SCK:
- Braille
o How blind/vision impaired people navigate the world
§ How we can make it more accessible for them
o How do braille books and printers work
- ASL
o Memorizing the alphabet and basic signs
§ Build up fluency
o How HOH/deaf people navigate the world
§ How we can make it more accessible for them
o Connections of ASL to other signed languages
§ French Sign Language versus British Sign Language
- Dangers of gas leaks
o What to do if you smell or hear gas
- Inequalities between mens and womens sporting opportunities
o See Women’s Soccer
- What are performance enhancing drugs
o What is the difference between #steroids and the steroids your doctor might prescribe
- How drug running is a gateway crime
- Why blackmailing people isn’t good
- More reasons to never move to Florida
- Why you shouldn’t go to an actual high school part one
STFD:
- Television in NYC
o Soap Operas
o How television sets work
o Role of director
o Teleprompters
o Props
o Agents
- Theatre in NY
o Broadway
§ Learn a show
o Carnegie Hall
- Dangers in the ways we obsess over celebrities
o Paparazzi
o Stalkers
o Respecting privacy
- NY taxi system
- NY regional accents
- NY as a center for immigration – salad bowl
o Ellis Island
- History of NYC
o Geography of NYC
- Typewriters
- Towers of Hanoi
- Encoding
- How to make chocolates (with or without poison)
- Read along:
o New York the Novel (Edward Rutherford)
o The Power Broker
o All of a Kind Family
MHM:
- San Francisco Gold Rush
- Earthquake and Fires in San Fran
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Angel Island
o Asian (Chinese) Immigration to the USA
- Chinese Zodiac
- Fortune telling (and why it’s not okay)
- Bed and Breakfasts
- San Francisco today
o Technology boom
o Overpriced everything
§ How this hurts established residents
§ Homelessness in San Fran
- Bandits in the American West
- Hauntings in American buildings
- How to remove and install tile
- Renovations – refurbish something
- Antiques
o Visit an antique shop
- Importance of fire safety
- How to install lighting fixtures properly
- How to fix a dumbwaiter
o How not to be a dumb waiter
- Tangrams
- What is the Victorian period
o Significance of Queen Victoria
- Read Along:
o Little Brother
o Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America
o Angel Island Gateway to Golden Mountain
TRT:
- The French Revolution
o Marie Antoinette
o Women and the French Revolution
o Worldwide effects of the Revolution
o Historians of the French Revolution
- Writing history
o How we can focus on different events in history, how we can be sympathetic to certain people, how we can fulfill different spaces in the historical narrative, criticism of history as a field, entering history as a field
- Wisconsin Dairy industry
- Alarm systems and how they work
- Fingerprinting
- Elevator safety
- Ski lifts
o Skiing
- Vandalism
- Taking care of libraries
- Latitude and longitude
- Keeping records of good events and bad events
o Nothing you do will ever stop me from loving you
- Some people keep different sleep schedules
- Journalism
- Making translations
- Why France has different holidays – to keep the ski lodges from getting too full
FIN:
- History of theatre spaces
- Use of film at theatres
- Magicians
o Houdini
o Learn a ‘magic’ trick
- Library of Congress
- Demolition – wrecking balls
o What’s involved
- Plaster casts
- Historic register of buildings
o Visit a local historic building
- Price of concessions and movie tickets today
- Nickelodeons
- Celebrity stunts for attention from press
o Celebrity endorsements
- Jazz music
o Dancing
- Kidnapping stories
o What to do if someone tries to grab you
- Rubber vs. electricity
- Art/artists of the 20s
SSH:
- Numbering systems (particularly ones not based on 10)
- Cultures of South America
o Maya
§ Cultural understandings
§ Connections to what appears at Beech Hill
o Aztec
o Inca
- Myths of lesser civilizations because of European preconceptions
- Why do countries have consulates/embassies in other countries
- What is amnesia and other medical memory issues
- Provenance and why its important part one
- Roles and responsibilities within a museum
o Visit a museum
o How to be critical of a museum and how knowledge is presented to you
- Modern art
o Make your own
o Visit a modern art museum
- Periodic Table of Elements
- Positive and negative molds for casting
DOG:
- Prohibition
o Speakeasys
o Amendments to constitution
o Drinking age restrictions
§ Comparison of USA to European countries
o Connections to modern drug policies
- Recognizing and photographing local birds
- Dangers in the forest – ticks and other pests
- Why water sources are important
o Flint water crisis
- Visit a state park
o Importance of maintaining public land
- Alcatraz
- How to care for dogs
- Noise pollution
o Light pollution
CAR:
- History of carousels
o Visit a carousel
- Lathes
- Harmonicas
- Band organs
- Writing messages with lemon juice and other hidden inks
- How to iron
o How not to iron
- How to make a sundae
- How amusement park rides are designed
- Soldering
- What is parole
o Welcoming those who have been in prison back to society
o Problems with the American prison system
§ How it disproportionately affects minority groups
o What can be done in prison reform
o Abuses in prison
o Making mental and spiritual help and guidance more available
o Making sanitary products available
o Prison for profit hurts everybody except the prison owner
o Educational opportunities for those in prison
o More half-way help
o Juvenile sentencing reform – more out of system help
o Respecting humanity of prisoners
o Ending the death penalty
- Depression
o How to get help
o How to help others
o Dealing with loss
DDI:
- Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest
- Orcas and other whales
o Whaling industry in Northwest and Northeast
o Things whale products were used for
o Visit natural history museum with whale exhibition
- Visit an aquarium with a good reputation
o Problems with places that do not take care of their sea life – particularly large sea life like whales
- What is a chowder and how is it made
o Try or make chowder
- Crabs
o Restrictions on different types of crabs – what type is local
o Try a crab dish
- Importance of different knots
o Get some rope and learn how to tie different knots
- Know the NATO alphabet and letter flags
- Boating knowledge
o Go on a boating trip – know the port and starboard sides
- Learn how to kayak
- Try to learn how to skip rocks
- Visit a lighthouse
o Importance and histories of lighthouses
- Smuggling – what is it and why does it happen
- Shanghaiing
- Chess
SHA:
- The continuous oppression and mistreatment of Native Americans
o From Mayflower to Pocahontas to Trail of Tears to Dakota to DAPL to Reservations to food deserts to voting rights to much much more
§ How to support current Native voices and concerns
o Why Native Americans are not a costume
o “Possession” of Native American objects and land
§ Arrowheads and native jewelry
o Broad overview of regional Native American groups – using their own voices
§ Special focus on local Native American groups
· Is there a local museum/educational resource that is either Native created or known for respecting Native voices
o Current Native Americans of note (ex: politicians, activists, artists)
o While the previous focuses on Native Americans in the modern day USA – also discuss First Nations from Canada and Native Groups from more southern areas
- Why temperature and pan matters when baking (show what happens in the oven when it goes wrong)
- Magnets and how different metals react differently to magnets
- How to take care of a horse and other farm animals
o Visit a local farm
o Try horse-riding
- Dangers of rattle snakes and scorpions
- Lassos and how to use them
- Legends of outlaws in the American West
- Ghost towns
- Flower stitches when knitting/crocheting
- Petrified wood
- How to make a campfire
- Picking fruits and veggies when they are ready
- Flower language
- Read Along:
o Native American folk tales
o Motorcycles and Sweetgrass
o Gone Away Lake
o Black Beauty?
CUR:
- Where are the moors
- Different regional accents within the United Kingdom
- British foods
- Latin
o Learn fun phrases and prayers
- Ancestry and genealogy
o Map your own family tree and recognize family crests
o How adoption has historically been a binding and irrefutable concept for lineage
o Find places your family lived
o Leaving a history for your descendants
§ Write a story book for them
o British Royal Family
§ Why incest is bad
- Parrots and their intelligence
- Secret passages in old buildings
- Alchemy
o Connections to modern understandings of science
o Historical understandings of elements
- Astrological signs
- Witch trials
- Legends of lycanthropy and other monsters
- Importance of not taking other peoples medicines
- Runic alphabet
- Feeding your pets a healthy diet
- Typing practice
- How to embrace the idea that home taught students are evil geniuses
- Forges and melting points of different metals
- Carnivorous plants
- Succulents
- Constellations in different places
- Read Along:
o The Secret Garden
o The London Eye Mystery
o Beastly
CLK:
- Great Depression
o Causes and effects
o Who was hurt
o Who was not hurt
o Areas of America
§ Dust bowl
o Famous people and literature
o Homelessness and poverty
§ Bread lines
§ Soup kitchens
§ Anti-homelessness architecture
§ Connections to mental illness and veterans
§ How we can help those who do not have homes today
- Early Telephones
- Shakespeare
- History of Nancy Drew
o Mildred Wirt Benson
o Edward Stratemeyer
- Fishing – why different fish respond to different bait
- Orphanages in the early 20th century
- Gas prices and accessibility of cars through time
- How to make pie
- What is jurisdiction and what is significant about crossing state lines
- How do banks work
o Safety deposit boxes
- Identify theft
- How to use a sewing machine
o Sew an item of clothing
- Mini golf – why and what
- Mirrors and their usefulness
- Stamp collections
-
- Radios and call signs
o Comparison to modern internet forms
- Telegrams
- Read along:
o Shakespeare
§ Midsummer Night’s Dream
§ Others
o Pollyanna
o Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
o The Grapes of Wrath
TRN:
- Trains
o Steam trains
o Visit a train museum
o Take a train ride (if not a normal event)
o Importance of transcontinental railway
o Trains around the USA today
o Trains around the world (TGV, bullet train)
- Abraham Lincoln
- Mark Twain
- How to make a good burger (you leave off the PB&J)
- Slugs
- Periodic Table of Elements – abbreviations
- Gemstones
- History of Mining
o England (Newcastle upon Tyne)
o American West
o Appalachia
o Company Store
o Health issues for miners
o Danger of mines
o Current issues for mining
- Dancing the Hurley Burley
- People who collect creepy dolls
o History of porcelain dolls
- Embroidery
o How to
o Patterns/symbols
- General Stores in the American West
o Sears
- How to make taffy
- Find a well maintained and beautiful tomb and research who is entombed
- Focusing light through a magnifying glass can start a fire
- Read Along:
o Murder on the Orient Express
o Mark Twain books
DAN:
- All lessons in French
- How using different ingredients and different amounts of ingredients can affect the outcome of your cookies
- Paris métro
o History
o How to read/follow a métro map
o RER
- Montmartre and other Parisian neighbourhoods
- History of Île de la France and Square de Vert Galant Parc and Pont Neuf
- WWII and the French Resistance
o Cross of Lorraine
o Vichy France
o Abuses of the French gov’t in this period
- Paris and the fashion world
- Beauty standards and the rejection of natural beauty by society
o Dangers of weight and figure standards
o You are beautiful as you are
- Catacombs of Paris
- Famous French Dishes (from this region)
o Or Bretagne since I know and like them better
- The French Café
- Moulin in France
- Tea and how hot leaf water can taste so bad but still be good for you
- Buildings of Baron Haussmann
- Paris History
- Decoders
- Importance of vitraux historically, culturally, and religiously
- Read Along:
o Little Kids
§ Madeline
§ Babar
§ Petit Ours
§ Plume
o High School
§ Hunchback of Notre Dame
§ Les Mis
§ Dale Van Kley
CRE:
- History of Hawai’i and her native people
o How the USA screwed them over and continues to do so
§ Land colonizing today
o Listen to voices from Native Peoples
- Pearl Harbor
o USS Arizona
- Native myths and legends
- Local flora and fauna
- Surfing
- How to make bead necklaces
- Snorkeling
- Entomology
o Find some local bugs and identify and observe them
- Horticulture
o See if you can graft something
o Watch a carnation placed in water with food dye
o Regrow a fruit or veggie from the leftovers
- Go looking for seashells – see how many complete shells you can find
- Be aware of pesticides and the dangers they offer
o Dangers of organic food too
- Make something with pineapple in it
- Fishing – different kinds of native fish
- Volcanos
- Hula
ICE:
- Wolf sanctuaries – respecting wildlife and their place in the wild and not the domestic
o What to do if you see a wolf in the real world
- Fur trapping in Canada history
- Regions and Capitols of Canada
o Visit Canada?
- How the Canadian government works
- Use of French language in Canada
o Unique features of Canadian French
- Ice fishing
- How to cook omelets, salmon, etc.
o How to not add paprika cause like ew
- Fossils
- Radiation
o Marie Curie
- How to be a good maid
- Snowballs/ice balls
- Ice skating
- Winter weather safety
- Avalanches
- Saunas
- Birthmarks
- Fax machines
- How to not lie about bird watching
- Frozen water safety
- Modern offenses against First Nations by Canadian Government
CRY:
- Culture of the Arawak and Caraïbe
o Voodoo
- Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Hurricane Katrina and aftermath
- French Influence
- Eyes and their parts and functions
- Teeth and their parts and functions
- Alligators in the Southern USA and how they are dangerous pests
- Graveyards/cemeteries and how to be comfortable in them
o Modern burial practices
o Why are they above ground in Louisiana?
o Places where they are running out of space for the dead
o Historic violations of final resting places
- Ventriloquism
- Lizards and how to care for them
- Rube Goldberg machines
- Curio shops
- Crystal Skulls
VEN:
- International crime
- Organized crime
- Scopa
- Italian basics
o Learn an Italian aria
- Italian food
o Not just spaghetti
- History of Venice
o Current issues in Venice
- Carrier pigeons
- Micro-dots
- “Observing the architecture”
- Try to make gelato (or just get gelato, either way you get gelato)
- Disguising yourself – put on an outfit and try to get me to not recognize you
- Picking locks
- Secret codes
- Solfege
o With hand signs
o Learn a song in solfege
- Carnivale
- Learn how the sausage gets made
o How to deal with food poisoning
- How to secure your living space against burglars
o Glass breaks, motion sensors, keypads, magnets, and more
- Read Along:
o Heist Society
o The Prince
o Merchant of Venice
HAU:
- Irish lessons (as much of this in Irish as possible)
o Why the Irish language is important
- Geography of Ireland
o Provinces and counties
- Irish names
- Why Ireland has disliked and should dislike the UK
o Historically
o Famine
§ Emmigration
o Easter Rising
o Troubles
o Present-Day
- Importance of alcohol in Ireland
o Uisce beatha
o Guinness
§ Guinness world records
- Irish music
o Irish instruments
o Learn some Rebel songs
- Ogham runes
- Irish foods
o Something with lamb, who cares what
- Don’t use friends for land development
- Bogs
- Chemical Reactions
- Rockets
- Inventions and secrecy during WWII
- Religion in Ireland
o Pagan traditions
o Christianity
o Catholic/Protestant tensions
- Irish wedding traditions
- How printing presses work
- Irish castles
- Sheep sheering/raising sheep
- Irish legends
o Fae
o Leprechauns
- Don’t drive and talk on the phone
RAN:
- Why blackface is problematic? (the fact that this needs to be said is problematic in and of itself)
- Scuba diving
- Sailing
- Bermuda Triangle
- Bats
- Primates and their intelligence
o Problems with animal research
o Koko
o Jane Goodall
- Island resort culture
- Metal detectors
- Pirates
o And the Caribbean
o Their abuses
o Different kinds
o Modern day pirates
- How do walkie-talkies work
- US mistreatment of island territories
- Read Along:
o Bloody Jack (Meyer)
WAC:
- Edgar Allan Poe
o Stories
o Baltimore
- Piano
- Victorian Dining traditions
o How to set a place for fancy dining
o How to fold napkins
o Table manners
o How to serve someone at a fancy dinner
o How courses might work
o How to use your silverware
- Why you shouldn’t go to an actual high school part two
o Just fyi – that’s not how uniforms work
§ Have a school inspired dress code for a week
- Bullying and why you absolutely will not be a bully
o How to respond to bullying
o Importance of talking to adults and counseling
- Logic puzzles
- Research the founding of a local school
- Stringed Instruments
- Plagiarism
o Turnitin
- Making sandwiches – like a good deli style sandwich
- Photography scavenger hunt – make a digital (or physical) yearbook
- Squirrels
- Orthographic projection
- DNA/RNA
- Saving every major project on three different thumb drives
- Getting along with roommates
- States and Capitals
o Countries and capitals of the world
TOT:
- Tornados
o Technology used to observe tornados
- Meteorology
- Prairie dogs
- Life on the great plains
- Great Plains Native Americans
- Small towns in the Midwest honestly be like that
- Defensive driving
- Make a disaster kit
- Know what to do in various natural emergency situations
o What is the local alert protocol
o What do local authorities recommend
- How to maintain and fix a car
- How to fix a broken device
- What is tenure
- How to budget
o Go to the grocery store on a strict budget (however much you come in under budget is your candy budget)
- Read Along:
o Little House
SAW:
- Basic Japanese phrases
o Learn to count
o Writing in Japanese
- Sudoku, nonograms, renograms
- Japanese ghost legends
- Japanese culture
o Tourism
§ Ryokans
o Space – everything small
o Politeness/formalities
o Hot springs/baths
o Tatami and paper walls
- Japanese cultural dress
o Kimonos
o Lolita? Fashion
- Japanese names
o Last name first
o How to address others in Japan
- Martial Arts
o Ninjutsu
§ Traditional tools
- Japanese tea ceremony
- Schools in Japan
- Teaching English as a foreign language
- Japanese subway/train system
- Pachinko and Japanese gaming
- Japanese vending machines
- Robotic animals
- Bento
- Japanese foods
- Origami
- How to fake a haunting
CAP:
- Basic German phrases
o How to make a German word
o Connections of German to English
- German food favourites
o Especially cakes
- Storytelling as a cultural entity
o How memory has worked differently in different times
- Glass blowing
- How castles provided for the local community
- Bavaria in Germany
o Cultural dress
- Glockenspiel
- How to make board games
- Monster stories of central Europe
- How to monitor security camera remotely
- Read Along:
o Heidi
ASH:
- Arson
o Watching how different accelerants burn a piece of paper
- All politicians are at least somewhat self-serving
o But write a letter to a local politician anyway
§ Different ways to contact elected officials, and why some don’t work
- How to make ice cream
- How a police investigation works
o Problems with police departments around the world – specifically USA
o Ways that police work unfairly targets minorities
§ If Nancy is innocent how many others are
- How to use matches and lighters safely
- Why you should not return to the scene of a crime – particularly a fire
- Making sure smoke detectors work properly and the system is connected
o We might not go to school but fire drills are still important
- What is a mass spectrometer
- Who to call if you’ve been arrested
- What to do if you get pulled over
- How the media can skew the truth and make their own narratives
- Sound mixing
- Be careful with what you say/post/record
o Keep receipts and clarify when possible
TMB:
- What not to do at an archaeological site
- Ancient Egyptian History
o Pantheon, notable figures, relevant events
o Pyramids, sphinx
o Pharaohs
- Modern Egypt
o Arabic alphabet
- History of archaeological digs in Egypt
o Why they’ve been problematic
- Dangers of the tombs
- Mummys
o How they are put together
- Tomb raiders
- Importance of water in the desert
- How to piece together a broken artifact
- How to gently brush off an artifact
- There is no such thing as a dictionary for ancient Egyptian
- Aliens did not build the pyramids
- Senet
- Desert life safety
- How mirrors can be used to light a room
- Read Along
o Rick Riordan
DED:
- Nikola Tesla
o All his fun stuff
o Tesla Coils
- 3-D printing
- Gummy fingerprints
- Faraday Cage
- Basic electric concepts
o How to build a circuit board
- Chemical safety
- How a lab might work
- Valuing different skills within academia
- Ultraviolet light
- How motorcycles work
- Freelance photography
- How to use academic databases
GTH:
- Slavery in the United States
o Origins
o ‘End’
o Civil War
o The connection to “southern culture”
o Continued abuses of Black people in America
§ Importance of recognizing Black voices and what they are saying
§ Listening even when it’s uncomfortable
§ Checking privilege when you have it
o Jim Crow Laws
- Plantations
- Gone With the Wind
o The good and the bad
- Civil War spies – female
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Burned out houses are not a safe space
- Do not go digging through people’s coffins – rest in PEACE
- Understanding that your family can be flawed
- If you don’t want to get married, if you’re not happy in a relationship, end it
- When a member of your family is sick you take care of them
- Make a will, just in case your cousin kills you
- Bachelor and bachelorette parties should feature activities that everyone is comfortable with
- Read Along:
o My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier
SPY:
- Scotland and their identity
o Celtic Nations
o Independent Scotland
o Call a Scottish person
- Unicorns and other mythical creatures in Scotland
- Scottish food
o The appetizing parts
- History of spies
- Biowarfare
o Code Orange
o Other teenage stories dealing with anthrax
o Current events and concerns
o Historical biowarfare (smallpox blankets)
- Ziplining
- Archery
- How to bug someone
- Tartans and plaids
o Kilts
- Augmented Reality Glasses
- Record players
- How to reset a circuit breaker
- Read Along:
o Gallagher Girls
o Code Orange
o Little House (Martha)
o Little Brother (Doctorow)
MED:
- Don’t meet your heroes
- New Zealand
o Maori culture
- Survivor style game shows and realism
- I’m not saying Aliens can’t exist, I’m saying they def aren’t involved here
- Kayaking
- Submarines and what they can do
- Turtles
- Earthquakes
- Be careful with rope bridges
LIE:
- Provenance and why it’s important part two
- Greek art and how it was originally painted vibrantly
o Abuses of Greek art through the ages
- The British Museum and the issues with that
- Greek pantheon
o Legends and notable figures
o Religious traditions
- Iliad and Odyssey
- Art forgery
- How to fire clay pots and pottery
- Memorizing lines for a play
o Staging for a play
o Role of a director
- Theatre
o Lights
o Curtains
o Fly system
o Sound
- Greek alphabet
- Historical importance of the Greek language and culture
o Alexander the Great and Hellenization
- Olympics
o Historic and modern
- Greece and the European Union
- Make something with pomegranates
- Read Along:
o Iliad
o Odyssey
o The Thief
o Percy Jackson
SEA:
- Iceland
o Culture
§ Naming traditions
o Language
o Music
o Food
- Shipbuilding
o Historic and modern ships
- Ice caving
- Northern Lights
- Tides
- Snowmobiling
- Poetry
- What is xenophobia
MID:
- Some games just shouldn’t be made
- American witch trials
o What actually went down
o Misconceptions
- Treating people with albinism as real people
- Arson is bad
- Herbal remedies and how they can interfere with modern medicine
- Witchcraft and how not to
- Salem MA
- Ignorance promotes fear and hatred so we do our best to learn about others
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Q&A with Cornelia Funke - 05.07.2021
You guys probably know the drill by now. I’ve sorted it into topics to make it easier to read, have fun!
Mirrorworld
Q: What happened during Will’s and Nerron’s travels between the 3rd and 4th book?
A: Cornelia could spend hours thinking about that, figuring out the things they tell her and the things they don’t. She’ll keep the question in mind because she would also like to know the answer.
Bookstore Guy: “Maybe whatever they did is too... private to tell you?” (... 👀)
Cornelia: “Very possible.” (....... 👀) “Dustfinger is like that, too, he barely ever wants to talk to me.”
Q: Do the residents of Ink-/Mirrorworld have a name for their world, like how we call our planet “Earth”?
A: Cornelia thinks that’s an excellent question and since their world is very similar to ours, the name would probably be similar as well. Gaia, maybe?
Inkworld
Q: Will we learn more about the Black Prince’s younger sisters in the new book?
A: Cornelia says “Ooohhhh!” and writes it down. She just started working on TCoR chapters again, so she’s been collecting ideas and thanks us for all the suggestions.
Q: Are there any magical items in the Inkworld that no one has found yet?
A: The Inkworld and the Mirrorworld are the same, so yes, there are. Inkheart (the book) itself is magical and so is the fire. Fenoglio has only seen a very small part of the Inkworld and he thinks that’s all there is but in TCoR we will discover new places that will make the connection very clear.
Q: What would Rosanna’s path have been like, had she lived? Perhaps she would have taken after her father?
A: Cornelia loves the idea and agrees that Rosanna probably would have shared many traits with Dustfinger. But, hers was a life unlived... Perhaps she will still take after Dustfinger in her next life?
Q: Could the Black Prince and Robin Hood be the same person?
A: No, definitely not. Robin Hood has a very anglo-saxon, white background; the Prince is black and from Africa. He is very different from Robin Hood as a person. He didn't used to be royalty or anything like that, he grew up in poverty... But they do share similar goals!
Q: Has Brianna shared what happened to her after the events of Inkdeath?
A: Not really, not yet. Cornelia is starting to discover some things but it takes a lot of time. Brianna is a character who likes to hide.
- Cornelia is realising that there is a lot of interest from readers regarding the story about Dustfinger’s and the Black Prince’s childhood/youth and she made a note to work on that asap
Other Books
Q: How long did it take to finish the new Dragon Rider book, Curse of Aurelia?
A: Cornelia started in winter 2018 while she was evacuated due to the fires. She’s been working on it on and off ever since and estimates it’s been 14 months of pure research and writing.
Because she wrote it in English but the publishing date for Germany was rescheduled to be earlier than originally planned, there’s been a lot of very complicated translation work. Right now she’s waiting for feedback from the Chumash tribe because she used elements and characters from some of their stories and they’re making sure she didn’t mess anything up.
Q: Why are Frieda and Fred a couple now, it’s heartbreaking!
A (and I’m just gonna quote Cornelia directly here): “No no no. Listen. There’s no need for broken hearts. It’s been 12 years and Sprotte and Fred split up pretty peacefully at some point in the past. Part of the reason for that was that Sprotte went to New Zealand and Fred wanted to stay in Germany.
Things like that happen all the time, despite all the love in the world. Take it from someone who’s 62 years old by now and who has lived many different forms of love.
Also, Sprotte is not upset at all and she’s fallen in love with someone else- you’ll see. You already know the person. It’s a beautiful and passionate lovestory.
Fred and Frieda meanwhile are happy that Sprotte is there because she knows Fred so well that she can give them good advice. And I think it’s a beautiful thing when people who were once in love with each other can still be friends afterwards, even though the romance may not work out anymore. No need for broken hearts, really.”
Q: Does Cornelia come up with titles for her books at the beginning of the writing process or does it take more time?
A: Depends on the book and the language she’s writing in
- Cornelia’s new book about letters and herbs is almost finished. She’s still unsure about the title - she’d like to include the word “kingdom” but that same word in german (”Königreich”) carries a lot of male energy which doesn’t fit the story
Q: What’s the biggest difference between Pan’s Labyrinth the film and Cornelia’s book?
A: Cornelia hopes there is no “biggest difference” because she tried to keep things canon compliant. But he did add short stories to give some characters a background story. Otherwise, she didn’t feel it was her place to mess with a perfect story.
Misc.
- The stream started with a ten minute tour of the bookstore and the bridge it stands on while Cornelia just silently sat there
...and I thought that was pretty funny. My favorite quote: “This house was build in 1567, so... it’s pretty new.”
- They are going to give away signed bookmarks and stuff again once Cornelia is settled in Italy
Q: Does Cornelia bind her own notebooks?
A: No, but she would like to. The botebook she uses for TCoR was made by a bookbinder in Scotland, usually she just uses moleskin hardcovers.
Q: Is Cornelia always satisfied with translations of her work?
A: Absolutely not, but she thinks a perfect translation is impossible. You always have to make compromises.
- Cornelia was recently invited to a village that belongs to the Chumash tribe and got to feed their sacred fire, a deeply touching experience she struggles to put into words
Q: What’s Cornelia’s favorite language to write in?
A: She can’t answer that because it depends on the book. For example, she couldn’t write about the Inkworld or the Mirrorworld in English, it wouldn’t fit. Writing Dragon Rider in English was fun, though, because the English language often feels “lighter” than German.
- Cornelia has no idea which language she dreams in
- Any time Cornelia reads that men and women can’t be friends she wants to slap the person who wrote it because it’s such annoying nonsense
- Minors will be able to stay at the farm in Italy as long as they’re self-reliant because Cornelia doesn’t have time to be anyone’s mom. There’s also always the Spiegelhof in Germany, which would be an easier option.
- Cornelia wants to invite environmental activist to her farm as well as artists
- Cornelia thinks parents should have more time to get to know their children before deciding on a name for them
- Cornelia firmly believes in reincarnation but isn’t sure why
...Aaand that’s it for now! Right now it’s uncertain when the next stream will happen, maybe in August, maybe September or maybe even October. We’ll see. I hope you enjoyed! :)
#inkheart#reckless#inkworld#cornelia funke#yall.... if the princes sisters end up in the new book bc i asked that question... i will literally never shut up about it#like apologies in advance but holy shit. finally. FINALLY.#i also asked the rosanna question and cornelias answer straight up made me cry#they didn't answer that many questions this time#because of the bridge tour and many conversations inbetween#but i love these streams#they're so cozy#i hope you guys are all doing okay#i'm working on some stuff but i can't focus on anything lately#things just feel weird#i think it's the weather#oh well! good night for now! <3#info
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The Van der Linde Gang - Jobs in a Modern AU
I’ve been really inspired to write about this lately and I’d love to hear your takes! These are the occupations that I think each gang member would have in a modern AU. Some were more challenging than others, but hopefully you guys can see where I’m coming from with each!
Arthur: Film location scout. His natural eye for photography and framing makes Arthur the perfect member of a pre-production team. His no-bullshit approach to everything means he keeps to deadlines, although he’s known to go wandering off into the wilderness for unknown amounts of time. He enjoys the lone working side of his job and finding exactly the right spots that would make the film come to life. He doesn’t always like the films once they’re finished (in fact he’s often bought cinema tickets and walked out half way through, grumbling that it wasn’t worth the popcorn) but he can’t deny the excited buzz he gets every time he gets hired. In his early years as an assistant he met Bertie Mason, a nervous but talented photography intern. Despite an ill-advised hookup after a week joined at the hip they have remained close friends and still go out on shoots together.
John: landscape gardener. John? Flowers? Yes, alright, I found it hard to believe too. But look, it’s not about the flowers, even if he does get misty-eyed at the sight of a sunflower in the early morning light. It’s about the challenge, the outdoors, and solving problems. After all the renovations he did to his house and garden (some more successful than others) John found how much satisfaction he got from digging and reshaping and planting. Don’t get me wrong, he’s often without a shirt, even in the colder months, much to the delight of some and the horror of others. He always makes friends with the household pets and is wonderful with the kids, always dropping his task to throw a frisbee around for a bit or cheekily accept an ice cold glass of lemonade from their mothers. Whenever he drives past one of his projects he feels himself glowing with pride - “I did that!”.
Dutch: philosophy lecturer. As always, late with Starbucks. Will he actually grade your essay? Will it mysteriously disappear? Keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it? Sitting precariously on the very edge of his desk, leather jacket hanging off his shoulders and losing his balance every 15 minutes, Dr Van der Linde is nothing short of a wonder. For the love of all that is holy, do not get him started on Kant. Kant has no place here. You want to talk about your precious Kant? Get your butt down to Dr O’Driscoll’s class, he has plenty to say about Kant. Perhaps a little too fond of Socrates. Plato who? Completely illegible handwriting and definitely sleeping with several members of the faculty. But somehow his students always walk away with excellent grades. At the end of each term Dutch takes everyone out to a local bar for drinks, insists on buying tequila which no one really fancies at 11am. Claims to ride a motorcycle called The Count which no one has actually seen. Impossible to hate, and he writes everyone great references for their summer internships.
Hosea: social worker. In a crisis, there’s no one better to knock on your door. Hosea has seen it all and he’ll see it all again, but that doesn’t stop him from treating every single case he gets with the upmost respect and care. His no-nonsense approach to his work means he gets things done, but he never sacrifices his compassion. He mostly works with teenagers and has a way of being able to connect to each individual without coming across as patronising. He’s been in the field for over two decades and is an invaluable mentor for any newcomers, always willing to share a word or two of advice or be a shoulder to cry on.
Javier: guitar teacher and music therapist. During his worst years, Javier’s guitar was his lifeline. And he wants to help others find their lifeline, too. He works on a freelance basis, mainly going into mental health hospitals, schools and prisons. He runs workshops focusing on guitar playing, but brings other instruments (mainly percussion) to try too. He’s a gentle teacher, always with a joke in his back pocket for when you need it most. He has nicknames for everyone and remembers everything they’ve ever told him. He’s patient and never lets anyone feel bad for making a mistake. Javier also runs an after-school guitar club at the local middle school alongside playing his own music at gigs whenever he can. No, he doesn’t reply to DMs no matter how thirsty they are.
Sadie: self-defense instructor. After surviving an attack several years ago, Sadie used her ferocity to get her qualification in self-defense to teach other women how to fight back should they need to. Her husband Jake helps out in her classes, happily allowing himself to be thrown around and slammed onto the mat as many times as required. Her students are terrified of her in the best and nicest way. Sadie also volunteers at a women’s refuge, providing emergency care and taking phone calls.
Charles: environmental campaign manager. Charles has always been drawn to charities and started doing voluntary work for Greenpeace when he was at university, securing an internship with them in Canada which led to a full time job. Whilst Charles mainly hosts meetings and organises events, he also works closely with elementary schools and runs workshops with outdoor activities, crafts and music. Last week they made bird feeders! It was awesome. He’s also a keen activist and regularly meets up with Javier to go to protests and community events, most recently for BLM.
Micah: motorcycle mechanic. Micah is massively invested in motorcycle culture and treats his beloved bike better than his own mother, if he still spoke to her. Although he pretends not to care, fixing bikes is his greatest passion and almost looks...happy when he’s doing it? Maybe? He likes knowing more than the people who stop by his shop and makes sure they know it. Occasionally he leaves his number on a scrap of paper inside women’s handbags when they’re not looking but for some reason none of them call. Like it or not, he’s incredibly skilled and will have your motorcycle singing a tune if that’s what you want. Euphemism? Of course not.
Abigail: nurse. She was so shy when she realised she wanted to pursue nursing - would people laugh at her? Was she too impatient, too nagging, too shrill? Her dyslexia always put her off going into further education and she was always discouraged by her parents. But with lots of encouragement from Hosea (who helped her to fill out her applications and other forms) and her friends, Abigail went to university in her 30′s to get her degree. She graduated top of her class and now works full time in her local hospital, based mostly in the emergency room. From drunken brawlers to tearful children and grumpy old men with lumbago, Abigail has learnt to keep her cool and to have faith in her own ability.
Molly: holistic therapist and masseuse. It took years to get that bastard of a philosopher out of her head (and out of her bed - damn those happy hour drinks “for old times’ sake”), but she’s finally free. Molly radiates a kindness that few took to the time to see, and she wanted to take strength from her past struggles to help others who may need someone to listen, just as she did. Molly took a bunch of online courses in various holistic therapies, including aromatherapy and massage, as this was something she had always been interested in. She runs a tiny clinic on a quiet street, the rooms filled with sunshine and the scent of geraniums. She also has a quite popular ASMR YouTube channel, Emerald Eyes ASMR, which she shyly admits just reached 500k subscribers. Her most popular video, ‘Irish Girl Helps You Fall Asleep (soft spoken, tapping, mouth sounds)’ just reached over a million hits.
Kieran: veterinarian specialising in equine care. Much like Abigail, Kieran didn’t like the idea of going back into education. He’d had a rough time of it as a teenager, dropping out of high school early and working a string of menial jobs for the next decade. They paid his rent, but he still felt poor. His favourite job, however, was working at a stable. The horses made him feel calm and he found that he could read them better than most people. He went to the library and read as much as he could about them. From there, he got himself an apprenticeship which paved the way for him to earn his degree in veterinary science. He smiled so hard in his graduation photo his eyes disappeared into his cheeks. He travels all over the local countryside, visiting farms and ranches to care for the horses. His confidence picked up after the first few blunders, and little by little he’s saving up to buy his own ranch one day.
Lenny: political science student. You know that kid who always looks amazing, even in 9am lectures? Yeah, that’s not Lenny, but he’s sat just behind. See him? Yep, the one rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pushes through the effects of another all-nighter. It’s not due to procrastination, but from perfectionism. He spends hour agonising over references, appendixes and even titles. One time he was so tired he signed his work “Ynnel”. He’s completely in love with his course and relishes every class he takes. Oh, he’s taking Dutch’s ‘History of Western Philosophy’ module by the way. Sitting in the front row, middle seat, directly in front of Dutch, his eyes glinting wickedly. Poor Dutch. Lenny has a counterpoint for absolutely everything and can barely stifle his laughter as Dutch gets more and more flustered. He’s been dating Jenny Kirk, an English Lit student, for the past few months and it’s going well. So well in fact, that he might stop hiding his Doctor Who merchandise every time she comes to his dorm room.
Tilly: business student. Tilly started university at the same time as Lenny and they still always go to the library together, rolling their eyes at each other over their morning peppermint lattes. Tilly is at the forefront of any and all on-campus activism. Think of Sam from Dear White People - that’s our Tilly. She wears her Ravenclaw scarf all autumn and winter long and posts scathing Instagram stories about the cafeteria food. But she’s powerfully kind and very ambitious, taking on a part time job tutoring kids with dyslexia in their reading and writing.
Susan: midwife. Think having a baby is scary? Try crossing Nurse Grimshaw. She’s here now, and that baby is coming out of you one way or another. She’ll hold your hand through thick and thin but if you dare say “I can’t do it” one more time she’ll unleash hell. Susan will make sure everyone has a job to do. Partner just standing there like a lemon? Not on her watch. She’s harsh but kind to her trainees and will always offer a cup of coffee and a shoulder to cry on, but there’s a time and place for slacking and it’s not on her labour ward.
Trelawny: talent agent. Our Josiah is cunning, infuriatingly charismatic and with an eye for the best of the best - what else could he do so effortlessly? He’ll wrangle you a 10 second role as a latrine cleaner in a non-profit film and he’ll still make you feel like the next DiCaprio. You’re a diamond, don’t you know? Of course you could nab Elphaba, we’ll worry about the singing later. How do you feel about cat food commercials? No no, it’s not pornography, it really is cat food this time - he double checked. On top of this, he knows everyone in the business. No, really. He can’t move 3 feet down Broadway without someone booming his name. The tone of said boom depends, of course, but who hasn’t been caught with his bottom out in that director’s wife’s en-suite?
Sean: outdoor activity centre instructor. You mean you can actually get paid to swim in lakes, ride ziplines through the forest and eat roasted marshmallows?! Sean couldn’t believe his ears. But it was true, and he’s living his best life. He may be on his penultimate warning for unruly behaviour, but he knows he could never really get fired. How could they? Everyone loves him. And to his credit, he’s a fantastic instructor, especially with kids. Everything from canoeing to caving, wild swimming to climbing, Sean has mastered it all and he always makes it fun. No one is allowed to feel left out or silly for not being able to do something. Sean has a way of making everyone feel included, even if you can only make it up the first few rungs of the ladder. Hey, that’s still off the ground! He once knew this feller Bill who cried because a moth flew into his face. You’re doing fine.
Mary-Beth: librarian and YA author. Sweet Mary-Beth, how could she be anywhere else but surrounded by books? She adores her job at her small, local library and is always looking for ways to make it even better. She often gets tangled up in the stories she reads whilst organising shelves, but it’s quiet enough most days that she’s rarely caught. She loves helping people find their books or recommending her favourites. She also runs the toddler storytime groups and a writing club for older kids. Of course, she’s also writing her own books. The first of her ‘Valentine Mysteries’ books made a modest profit and she’s excited to write more about the adventures of Leslie Dupont.
Karen: actress. Realising that she had a knack for accents and even after an especially successful high school lead role as Roxy Hart, Karen didn’t really acknowledge her would-be passion for acting for a long time. But she used her talents to get herself and her friends into X-rated films, dive bars and successfully pull off dozens of prank calls. It wasn’t until one of her friends was going to an open-call audition for a short film and wanted someone to go with her that Karen had her epithany. She was cast on the spot, much to the dismay of her friend. Since then, she’s been in a handful of arthouse films, a commercial here and there, and recently enjoyed a short run as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a small theatre downtown. Does she want fame and fortune? Honestly, she hasn’t really thought about it. Right now, she’s just enjoying the ride. And the phone numbers left for her at front of house from many admirers.
Strauss: financial loan adviser. Oh boy, perhaps you saw this one coming. Then again, maybe not. Old Leopold isn’t quite the two-pronged-tongued eldritch horror people often mistake him for. In fact, he actually advises people against loan sharks. He had his fair share of debts y’see and he genuinely doesn’t want anyone else to go through the same thing. He’s not exactly sweet and cuddly, but he might let you have a free pen if you call by his office. I mean, technically they’re not free but...never mind, just take it.
Bill: plumber. It was purely accidental that Bill bashed his way into his career. No, really. His sink was blocked and after an hour of poking and prodding the pipes he started hitting the poor thing with a spanner out of pure frustration, cursing all the way. To his shock, it worked, and he suddenly had running water again. What shocked him more is that he realised he wanted to know how. So, he bought a book. And he read the book. And one thing led to another, and now he’s the proud owner of Williamson Plumbing Inc. The money is very good, but for Bill that’s not it. You have to understand that for him, it’s the act itself of fixing something that brings Bill immense satisfaction. And Bill isn’t used to knowing more about something - anything - than those around him. For the first time perhaps in his life, he can sit down, solve a problem, and know that he’s done a good job.
Swanson: AA group leader. After getting completely sober almost a decade ago and staying that way, Orville wanted to give something back to the people who had helped him out so greatly. Becoming a volunteer to help those who were trapped where he was seemed like the only path, and it felt so right. Orville is there in meetings, making coffee, handing out donuts and training new volunteers. If anyone wants to talk about their faith he’s all ears, but he never pushes it as a cure-all in any situation. Orville’s sobriety has also meant that he’s learnt to make the most phenomenal mocktails.
Pearson: grocery shop manager and cooking teacher. Simon has his small grocery shop on the edge of town which has a wide range of regular customers. But he wanted to do more, so he set up a small class to teach fellow veterans how to cook. His wife helps out, and they grow the ingredients together in their garden and down at the allotment. It’s just an therapeutic for him as it is for his students, as he’s only just realising how much he wants to talk about his time in the navy.
Uncle: unknown. For the longest time, everyone thought Uncle worked at one of the worst dive bars in town, as whenever they stumbled in for a nightcap he was there, behind the bar, happy as a pig in shit. Turns out that he just started going there one night and no one could get him to leave. And so every evening he’ll appear like a phantom, sit himself in the half-broken chair behind the bar (clearly labelled “not for customer use”), order the cheapest beer on the menu and sit there until midnight. No one can understand how he gets the means to live as he ragingly denies receiving any government handouts despite his lumbago. Claims to be a veteran but hasn’t fought in any wars anyone has heard of.
#rdr2#red dead redemption 2#arthur morgan#john marston#dutch van der linde#hosea matthews#sadie adler#javier escuella#charles smith#micah bell#abigail roberts#molly o'shea#kieran duffy#lenny summers#tilly jackson#susan grimshaw#josiah trelawny#sean macguire#mary-beth gaskill#karen jones#leopold strauss#bill williamson#orville swanson#simon pearson#uncle#headcanon#rdr2 modern au#long post
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Untitled / Against all odds - Part 2.2
Here’s the next part of my little story. Still untitled found a name!
I have given the MC a name now because it feels so impersonal to only write “she” all the time. So meet Anna, but feel free to insert any other name if you want to.
Against all odds - Part 2.2
Part 2.1
Part 1
Henry Cavill x mc / reader
Summary: it’s a mess
Warnings: none
Unbeta'ed
*****
After throwing his heart at her feet out of the blue Henrys knees felt so wobbly he had to lean against the wall in his living room. “Breath, Cavill. Calm down. Calm. Down.” Catching his breath again he sat down on his couch, where Kal joined him, falling asleep immediately. He had no idea what had come over him to tell her what he just had. It was all true of course. Every damn word had come from the bottom of his heart. He had thought about confessing his feelings for her multiple times. And the way he had done it 10 minutes ago had never been one of the possible scenarios. According to his plans it would have been a little more subtle. Much more romantic. On a date maybe, if he had ever found the courage to ask her out. Candlelight, nice music, a decent dinner, hands touching, laughing, flirting, deep looks in each other’s eyes. A few tender words. A confession. A kiss. Hot passionate sex optional.
But no…he had to hammer it home to her.
Hey…listen, babe…I never asked you out or anything, ‘cause I’m scared as fuck ‘bout my feelings for you…but hey…now that I still don’t know if I’m possibly your type…let me get this straight…I literally love everything about you…let me serve you my heart on a silver plate…
FUCK. He banged the back of his head on the wall behind him a few times. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. He was screwed.
Usually he was good at these things. Flirting. Dating. Sex. Relationships. No problem. He knew the ladies love him and he wasn’t shy. So if he liked a woman he normally pulled out all the stops and started flirting. If she flirted back he would ask her out and the rest ran by itself.
But Anna was different. She had been resistant to his charms all along. Wether she didn’t even realize that he was flirting with her or if she just didn’t care. The result was always the same. He flirted, she laughed it off. End of story.
And that did something to him. It made him insecure. Was he her type at all? What kind of men did she like. He didn’t know much about her ex Lestat. They had been together for 14 years. He was a solicitor or a notary. Or both. He didn’t quite get it when Anna mentioned it once. Whatever. So he was smart. And sophisticated. He knew that much from the few times Anna had talked about him. The kind of guy who takes his girlfriend to the opera. Theater. Ballet. Art exhibitions. Readings.
Henry was quite sure that Anna was attracted by brain much more than by muscles. Maybe she didn’t like his beefy body. It wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea.
Not that he was stupid or uncultivated. He got his education at a private boarding school. He was one of the drama class geeks. He had an exceedingly good general knowledge. But compared to the other men in Annas life he sometimes felt inferior and that nagged on him.
There was this guy for example she always mentioned. Milton Arnold. Viscount Brankhurst. Their mother’s had been best friends and their families were still very close. And Milton seemed to be a Saint. Milton held a ball for charity. Milton tried to run his castle climate-neutral. Milton only did organic farming on his estate. He wouldn’t be surprised if Milton even managed to feed the world and stop all wars. And to make things even worse Saint Milton was single and quite attractive. He knew because he had googled him. Successful entrepreneur/gentleman farmer/climate activist with his pockets full of money and a heart of gold. One of the most eligible bachelors in England or maybe in the whole UK. Milton Arnold made him want to puke.
But there was no use in self-pitty. The damage was done. His only hope was that she returned his feelings. That his words would encourage her to make a move too. Now it was her turn. She had to react somehow after all. It would take him less than 24 hours to find out he was completely wrong.
*****
Around the same time when Henry was trying to think straight again by hammering his head on a wall, Anna was sitting at the desk in her office, that was actually the castle’s beautiful library, completely at a loss of what to think about Henrys words.
She should have been working on some statistics but she simply wasn’t able to. She couldn’t help but think about what had just happened. Henry’s words echoed in her mind, making no sense to her. Without any doubt he had described her. As his type. His words came close to a declaration of love. But that was insane. It couldn’t be true, could it?
Had he flirted with her before? Of course. But he did that with every woman. So she had always laughed it off. He was a true ladie’s man, a charmer. Even Mrs Brown, Braxton Castle’s aloof housekeeper, couldn’t resist him. This tough woman in her late fifties, notorious for her discipline and strictness, blushed like a schoolgirl when he complimented her. And he did that often. Every time he came to the castle for a visit he took his time to have a little chat with her. And each and every time Mrs Brown started to bloom like a cherrytree in spring.
No, no, no. It must have been a joke. Maybe he had realized that she had this tiny little crush on him. And maybe this was his way of turning her down carefully? By means of exaggeration. By making it sound so funny and unlikely. When she thought about it… Her “darkblond curls” were always a mess because these unmanageable locks never did what she wanted them to do. Her “sensual lips”…she wondered where that came from. She had never liked her mouth. It was too small for her face and her lips were…well…ordinary lips. Not sensual at all. And then…“perfect curves”. She couldn’t see it this way. When she looked into the mirror she saw a big ass and flabby thighs with cellulite. Her breasts were all right but at 36 not as firm as they used to be. How should it be possible that a man like Henry, literally a superman, shredded and fit to the core, could like her body.
Heavens, she was so confused. And then she decided to do something she had never done before because it had always felt wrong and unfair. It still did. But she couldn’t resist any longer. She opened Google on her notebook and typed “Henry Cavill ex girlfriends”. The result of her search was devastating. There were many exes. And every single one of them was attractive and talented. Long sleek hair, small, slim, well-trained bodies, beautiful faces. A stuntwoman, a professional showjumper, a student, an actress and so on and so forth. None of them older than 30. All flawless and radiant at public events and on red carpets. Nothing she could ever compete with.
With a sigh she closed her notebook. The decision was made. She would erase this morning’s event from her memory. Act like nothing had ever happened. She would bury her feelings for Henry deep down inside and most of all she would accept that he was out of her league. She was luckey enough to call Henry a good friend. What more could she even ask for?
******
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear your opinion.
@hell1129-blog
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Write What You Know
...is actually super important advice and here’s why
the thing that inspired me to write this post was, of all things, a post by a vegan/animal rights activist group about goat farming. It was one of those posts that was a strange experience to read, since my best friend from ever since I was like 6 comes from a family that keeps dairy goats and some of the claims in it made it hit me that people who have interacted with dairy goats are apparently pretty rare.
I promise this connects to writing.
More broadly, basically everyone has some kind of experience or knowledge that less than 5% of people have. Most of your experiences are probably something that only a minority of people have shared.
If you:
have ridden a horse
have used a weed whacker
are involved in any martial art
have taken care of a farm animal
have gone on a road trip
can knit or crochet
have BEEN to a WAL-MART
have grown your own vegetables
have been to New York City
have had an extended stay in a hospital
have smoked weed
have ever been involved in theatre
can play any instrument
Have read Shakespeare
you have done or experienced something that not everyone has done. (I accompanied one of my friends on her first trip to Wal-Mart.) Your life is absolutely FULL of things that relatively few people understand.
So this is my advice: write what you know. Not in the sense that you can’t write what you don’t know, but in the sense that you know so many things that can make your writing incredibly rich.
If you:
have ever been on an airplane
have been to a Whole Foods
have eaten sushi
have been to a public school...ever
have been part of a sports team
have ever seen the Lion King
have ridden a roller coaster
have ever dated anyone
...then you have an entire experience that I don’t have. Your life could include all of these things and feel completely average and typical, but it wouldn’t be to me.
“Writing what I know” has been immensely helpful to me even in tiny ways. I’ve gone on a road trip. I can write about that! I’ve seen my cat give birth. That can give my writing a ring of authenticity! I’ve been in martial arts. I’ve taught an art class. I have vivid childhood memories of running through the eerie, empty halls of a huge church where my dad worked and did maintenance jobs. I’ve tasted goat milk, and not everyone has.
Remember: if you know how to milk a goat, then you can vividly create an experience that the vast majority of people know nothing whatsoever about. Dig deep into your experiences and weave them in. When you know what something feels like, use it! What do you know? What have you seen? Don’t let your life seem normal to you. After all, your vivid description of Wal-Mart will do something for the person who has never been.
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Perfect Doesn’t Need to be Perfect: Chapter 3
This was probably the easiest chapter to write, since Pixie basically wrote it for me.
And with this, I call it a night.
**Contains Spoilers for Taurus Pixie’s story Twelve Days of Chatmas**
Summary: Chat Noir has run into a long streak of poor luck, all in an attempt to give Ladybug the perfect Christmas gift. Little does he know, his first try was already perfect in Ladybug’s eyes. Now it’s her turn to try to navigate around Chat Noir’s failed attempts in her own pursuit to find something equally fantastic for him. **A Switched-POV Unofficial Companion Story to Twelve Days of Chatmas by @thetauruspixie**
Rating: General Audience
Chapter Word Count: 2427
Story Total Word Count: 37,973
Status: chapter 3 of 12; complete
**For reals, if you haven’t read Twelve Days of Chatmas yet, read that first so my story doesn’t spoil anything for you. It’s cool. This story will still be here when you get back. ;) **
See below for chapter 3, or find this story over on AO3, on FFN, or on DA.
CHAPTER 3:
“Miraculous Ladybug!” A bit exhausted, Ladybug tossed her Lucky Charm into the air. In a fireworks burst of magic, a swarm of enchanted ladybugs swept around the destroyed house on the outskirts of the city proper. In a few quick seconds, the house was restored to how it was before the akuma attack, although Ladybug wasn't sure it was much of an improvement.
The house was tiny, and they were cramped in the basement with cages upon cages of sickly looking Faverolles chickens. Their straw matted and filthy. Their cages too small for any of them to move. The lighting in the basement was dim. The chickens were so poorly cared for that most seemed to have lost a lot of their feathers, and some had wounds on their wings where they got caught in the cage bars as they shifted within their confines. Faverolles chickens were known for being delightfully plump and with fluffy white feathers topped with cinnamon-brown wings and head feathers. They were like lightly-toasted marshmallows normally. These tragic fowl, on the other hand, looked like under-stuffed plush animals dropped upside down in the mud.
Ladybug blinked back tears as she heard the chickens mournfully cooing in their cages. “This feels-” she struggled to choke down the knot in the back of her throat, “-wrong.” She wanted to say 'evil'. She could stop the likes of Hawk Moth and his akuma, but injustices like what was happening to those birds? She felt helpless. Less then, actually. She was the one who imprisoned them a second time. Some times she wished her power didn't restore the damage an akuma caused. Some things were better destroyed.
Sometimes, the akumatized villains were right in their rage.
“Huh?” Chat Noir was lost in thought as he looked up from his right hand. The black miasma of his Cataclysm still circled around it. Ladybug's original plan of attack was derailed by the chickens running around, and they managed to break the akumatized item without Chat Noir's power this go. He had still activated it, however, and was probably wondering what to do, especially with how confined they were. It could be disastrous if he tripped on something when they were all practically breathing on each other.
"Using my lucky charm to fix this awful place,” she explained to her partner as she looked for something he could harmlessly touch to use his power. “I mean, look at these poor chickens, I can understand where this man is coming from." She gestured to the animal rights activist that had been akumatized as Liberator; a man on the mission to free these poor birds and punish the owner who would be so cruel to a living creature.
She gave Chat Noir an unsure smile. He gave her an uneasy but still bright smile in response; a way to help reassure her that she made the right decision. It helped a little.
“Ladybug? Chat Noir?” The activist was coming around after his ordeal, a bit dazed and confused as he tried to remember what happened to him the last hour or so.
Forgetting her mission to find Chat Noir something to use his Cataclysm on – he was a big boy, he could find something himself – Ladybug knelt down to greet the activist at eye level.
“Are you okay?” Her heart broke a little as she asked the same question she tried asking all of the akuma victims. Nothing happening in that basement was okay, and it seemed unfair for anyone to say otherwise.
The man must have had a similar thought. He looked away and furled his eyebrows; a deep frown etched onto his face. "No. I know I should feel bad for what just happened, but honestly-” The man turned back towards Ladybug and stared straight into her eyes, “I don't. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but it's not fair for these chickens to be kept like this.” He gestured towards the tight cages. “It's abuse, plain and simple. It's not fair that they spend most of their lives in cages. This farm is illegal. It's not run by proper farmers. These people just bought these chickens and shoved them in cages. This place is even worse than a proper battery farm.” The man started to tear up and Ladybug saw his jaw clench. “But no one will listen to me. The police and the council don't seem to want to deal with it."
Ladybug closed her eyes, fighting back her desire to cheer the man on. A second later she maintained her normal heroic demeanor. "I know, but violence isn't the answer," she told him as calmly and evenly as she could muster, "It is a shame about the chickens, but I'm sure there are other ways you can help rather than attacking and getting aggressive with people."
“What other course was I left to take?” the activist demanded.
Ladybug strained the impulse to nod in agreement. The man truly was left with little other choice than rampaging against the illegal farm. Around them, as if cheering the man on in Ladybug's stead, the hens all clucked louder and louder. Some rattled their cages as much as they could. The sound quickly became unbearable. It was a reminder of what Ladybug did to them in an attempt to cleanse another akuma and save Paris.
Pushing the cacophony of clucking and cage rattling as far out of her head as possible, Ladybug suggested the activist set up a petition to pressure the mayor and police to investigate the grounds and let them shut down the illegal farm.
The man seemed skeptical, but open to hear her out. Then, behind Ladybug, Chat Noir let out a sarcastic chuckle, drawing their attention.
"Oh, come on, my lady, I thought you were more proactive than that." His lips curled into a mischievous smirk, and he gave Ladybug a playful wink. “Why bother with all of that when you have a chicken liberator right here?” He held up his right hand and wiggled a 'hello' with his fingers. A black aura encircled his hand still.
“Chat Noir?” Ladybug knew she should stop him. This wasn't what their powers were supposed to be for; circumventing the law. It wasn't like they were using their powers for personal gain though, and that was the only true rule they were given. So she bit her tongue and let her partner do the saving this go.
Eyeing up the tight room for the best path, he stepped past Ladybug and the activist so he was standing in the doorway. Then, with a toothy grin, he sprinted around the cramped space, his fingers carefully racing along the cages where they connected. He didn't take his hand off the metal even once; doing so would have concluded his power's use. The only benefit of the poor chickens being cooped so tightly together was he managed to make the full circuit around the room without his fingers ever leaving the cages. A few seconds later the Cataclysm stretched through the metal bars; rusting every last cage until the excited hens could crumble their own prisons with their flapping wings.
The metal that once confined the birds was now black dust mounds on the floor, and the chickens aimlessly wandered the room; unsure what to do with themselves. All their excited flapping kicked up enough feathers though, that Chat Noir went through a mini sneezing fit as his reward for freeing them all.
Through puffy and water-lined eyes, Chat Noir proudly smiled at his handiwork. Crossing his arms over his chest, he heroically posed.
"Dude, thank you so much!" Clamoring to his feet, the activist sprinted to Chat Noir to engulf him in a tight hug. Catching the hero off guard, he did manage to knock some wind out of the teen.
With an awkward grin, Chat Noir patted the man on the back. Ladybug softly chuckled. In part it was because of how adorably uncomfortable but accepting of the affection that Chat Noir looked. In part it was being happy that the activist was so happy and grateful. In part it was because these chickens could possibly begin to have a good life. Finally, it was partially because the chickens' owner deserved to be punished, and freeing his fowl seemed a good start.
"I'm pretty sure you can give them decent homes," Chat Noir addressed the activist, who had finally released the teenage hero. "Because after what happened earlier, I'm pretty sure you scared the guy who runs this place away for good." Chat Noir laughed. "Besides, this place was illegal, so I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about him going to the police over you taking his chickens."
Ladybug blinked a couple of times. She didn't realize how rebellious Chat Noir could be. It was bending the rules, to be sure, and she was glad Nadja wasn't around to film any of this. She wished she could find a more legal solution, but Chat Noir was right. This would be their win, and she'd be satisfied with that.
“Oh, I will, don't worry!” The activist clasped Chat Noir on the shoulders and gave him a little excited shake before sprinting up the basement stairs. “I'll just go and get some back-up to help me evacuate the chickens. You're amazing, Chat Noir!”
Chat Noir beamed at the compliment, and didn't seem to notice Ladybug sliding next to him. She snaked her arm around his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Upon feeling the little hug, Chat Noir whipped his gaze down to his partner, his cheeks reddening under his mask and his lips parted in an adorable 'o'.
“That was a very nice thing you did.” To accentuate her praise, Ladybug gave his arm another tiny squeeze.
"Yeah, well, I don't like to see innocent creatures suffering." Chat Noir puffed out his chest, placing his free hand on his hip in the hopes of looking impressive. Ladybug again giggled.
As if thanking Chat Noir for what he did, one of the hens clucked happily at his feet, making his nose twitch as he fought down another sneeze. The chicken ruffled her feathers and slowly lowered her backside as she squatted between Chat Noir's boots. A couple of seconds later, the hen cooed and stood up to wander some more, leaving an egg behind.
Smiling, Chat Noir picked it up before holding it out to Ladybug. "Here you go, my lady. The first free range egg from these chickens."
Ladybug chuckled at the gesture, her eyes twinkling at how adorable her partner could be sometimes. "I don't think that's quite how that works, silly kitty."
The two of them smiled at each other for a second before three hens surrounded them. The chickens puffed their chests and flapped their wings, making themselves as large as possible as they closed their semi-circle around the superheroes.
“Uh, Chat Noir?”
He tried to back away from the advancing hens, but was also winding up for a large sneeze from all the loosened feathers now floating around in the air. As if in slow-motion, Ladybug watched as he released a trumpeting sneeze, and lost his balance from the force. He caught himself quickly enough, but the egg went crashing to the ground and splattered against the cement floor. A second later, the three advancing hens leapt up onto him, clucking angrily.
"Hey! Get off!" Chat Noir tried to swat them off of him as gently as he could. Ladybug simply stared, a bit in shock that the chickens had enough spirit still left in them to go after Chat Noir like that. It was kind of a pleasant surprise.
“LB. Care to help?” Chat Noir squeaked in surprise as the hens kept taking turns leaping at him, causing him to sprint around the room in an attempt to retreat. His sneezing fits kept throwing him off just enough that the chickens could catch up and attack again.
"Hey, I freed you! I'm your friend; your savior!" Chat Noir cried out as he started for the stairs. The hens were determined to get him for whatever offense he had done to them, and chased him out of the basement.
Ladybug felt a little guilty about it, but she didn't help him with the chickens. She couldn't. She was laughing too hard. She knew he wouldn't be hurt by the fowl. Their super suits made them near invulnerable, and poor Chat Noir just looked too ridiculous running from chickens after all of the akumatized villains they had gone up against. The whole scene – a hoard of chickens attacking a blonde hero – also reminded her of one of her favorite video games.
“Ladybug!” Chat Noir pleaded from upstairs.
Tears in her eyes, and sides hurting, Ladybug chased after her partner for the rescue. He had sprinted outside and climbed up a tree, shooing the chickens away as they leapt nearly four feet off the ground to try to get to him. Her kitty was literally stuck in a tree. She nearly burst into laughter all over again.
Taking a few centering breaths through her nose, she grabbed one of the baskets the owner had used for the harvested eggs and quickly scooped each chicken up from under the tree; herding them back into the house before scooping up the next one.
Once all three were safely locked into the house, Ladybug turned to let Chat Noir know it was safe to come down. He was already gone though. He must have escaped while she was rounding up the last hen. Climbing the tree herself, she sat on the branch he was trapped on and scanned for him.
He was long-gone. She felt even worse about laughing at his misfortune. He very rarely got a chance to feel like the prominent hero, and his big moment with freeing the chickens was instantly ruined by those he had saved. Ladybug wondered if that was somehow karma for using his power to release them in the first place when that wasn't what they were there to do.
“I don't think a blanket is a good enough gift,” she muttered to herself. “I'll have to find something even more special for him for Christmas.” The wheels again churned as she swung back home to start up a new list. Her gift had to be perfect for Chat Noir. She knew that much for sure.
Thank you for reading. Read Next Chapter
Read from the beginning: Chapter 1
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@discoveringmiraculouswriters
#ML#Miraculous Ladybug#fanfiction#writing#LycoRogue writing#LycoRogue fanfic#LycoRogue original#(but only barely)#Christmas#12 days of Christmas#companion story#POV swap story#for Taurus Pixie#thetauruspixie writing#Twelve Days of Chatmas#swiping thetauruspixie's muse#LadyNoir#Ladybug#Chat Noir#Cat Noir#Chat Noir has terrible luck with animals#full chapter#chapter 3 of 12#Perfect Doesn't Need to be Perfect#long post
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The intentions with this post have been circling in my brain for days. But now that i'm actually getting the chance to write, i feel at a loss for words.
My need for activism surrounding animals has been at full force lately. I have seen all of the debates, watched all the documentaries, and read all the books regarding the injustice and specism around non human animals. I finally felt ready to take my activism into my own hands, and visited my first dairy farm. With this being said, I had never announced that I was an animal rights activist. None of the employees or other guests on the farm knew my intentions. And to be quite honest, neither did i. I knew that i was going to do whatever i could to keep my cool to bear witness to these beautiful animals. But what i didn't know, was how my emotions were going to play a part in that. I have always been a pretty emotional being, and i was trying my hardest to not let that get the best of me and cause a scene. I knew that nobody there would listen to the extent i was wanting, so in a sense i felt hopeless. I did learn something while on this farm. I learned that even the most “humane” farm has awful brutal conditions for these animals.
This farm was an hour away. I went alone, which meant on the drive down, I had plenty of time to mentally prepare for what I was going to witness. I had this thought in the back of my mind that for some reason, “maybe it won't be as bad as i think it's going to be”. After all, the milk bottles always seem to talk about “ happy cows” and cartoonized them into “loving to provide” for human consumption.
Arriving at the farm, I instantly felt my nerves take over. I walked in with a shaky voice into the lobby, and waited to be taken to the “ milking room” by the farmer on site. My group and I walked down a long narrow hallway that soon was greeted by an overwhelming smell of rotten food, feces and manure. Once we made it to the milking room, i was shocked. I couldn't believe that this small room was used to milk over 400 cows, daily. They had several cows crowded and crammed into this room. The cows tried to back away any chance they could get, but couldn't because they were so confined in between metal rods and surrounded by other cows. There was one cow in particular that caught my eye. She had her head rested on a bar that held her close by. She looked exhausted, from being constantly bred and milked her whole life. This broke me. Every wall I had built up leading to this moment brought me back to square one. I felt vulnerable and to be honest, quite embarrassed. But more than anything, i was angry. Angry that everyone around me saw this as normal. I felt like the only one in the room that saw the situation from the victims perspective. I tried to reason with the rest of the group and see it as a necessity, but its too hard to look at it that way when there are so many alternatives that don't cause suffering. I quickly calmed down and realized I was here for the animals, and my motivation shot back up.
After the milking room, we were taken next to the line of cows leading up to the milkroom. We were told that there would be baby calves for us to “pet” and for anyone to get the chance to “milk a cow” for the first time. It broke my heart to watch this sweet mama be touched and pulled at by random strangers, while her baby sat across the room pinned up. Her baby had been taken hours after he was born, and would soon be sent to slaughter, because he wasn't born for the means to be milked someday.
I spoke with many employees that day. I asked questions, made comments, and expressed my concerns regarding the wellbeing of these animals. I forced them to answer questions regarding artificial insemination, slaughterhouse send offs, and touchy subjects about the whole process of taking the babies from their mom. These workers seemed happy to do their job. It seemed so normal to them, that when someone asked these questions, it took them by surprise. I asked an employee if he ever felt upset or saddened when the cows were sent off to slaughter and he shrugged and said “well, when they stop producing enough milk, there isn't much we can do”.
The owner of the company shared that he can “get the cows to do whatever he wants them to do”. Despite the “happy cow” persona, these cows were being held and forced against their will, and I can assure you that they were not happy during the process.
While they offered cheese and milk samples, I snuck off of the tracks of the tour and went behind the farm. I saw hundreds of day/week/month old baby calves, locked up in what seemed to be small dog houses. Every single one was trying to run and jump in the small space they were “provided”. I couldn't help but cry to these babies. The world let them down. They needed their mother. But, the dairy industry took their mothers from them, for societies cereal and coffee. Before long they will be put into this industry for about 3 years until they are sent to be slaughtered.
This experience was a start to a long journey for me. I am learning more and more every day about how to help educate those around me, and how to better myself. Being an empath and a vegan has been a very narrow road for me. I often become angry, and sad simply because its difficult to have such a small voice in a big world. I often wish it was easier to reveal these industries to those i care about, but everyone having their own choice plays too large of a role for me to intervene. If there's anything i've learned at the beginning of this journey, it is to be gentle with myself. It can sometimes be hard to come to the conclusion that I live in a not yet vegan world. I have learned to listen more intently. and sometimes, it may seem as though someone is being ignorant, but their views just differ from mine. Ive learned patience and so much perseverance in this process and how passion is beautiful.
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BLACK MOSES SONG
“If it is true that black people are becoming increasingly well adjusted to the American way of life, then we may lose our capacity to tell the truth about our black life in America.” - Cornel West (Hope on a Tightrope p 202) The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on the historical and current, ever-increasing influence of African American/Black music on American culture and why it is crucially important to remember the past in order to thrive in the future. Secondly, I aim to demonstrate how powerful black music is and how it has been used as a catalyst for freedom. I will use as my dialogue partner, Dr. Cornel West, one of America’s most gifted theologians, educator, activist and philosopher. Dr. West, Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University, in 2012, returned to Union Theological Seminary in New York City where he first began his teaching career. He has written over twenty books such as Hope on A Tightrope (2008), The Cornel West Reader (1999), The Future of the Race (with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1996), and Race Matters (1993), where I will be drawing from for conversation. I witnessed for myself earlier this year on April 30th, 2015 at Biola University, Dr. West in dialouge with Robert George and Pastor Rick Warren, where Dr. West made reference to saxophonist, John Coltrane, whose music was lightly playing as the attendees waited for the forum to begin. In his opening comments, Dr. West expressed that he hoped Coltrane wasn’t just music playing in the background because, “John Coltrane is a part and a voice and figure in one of the greatest traditions in the modern world; which is a musical tradition that in the face of catastrophe mustered the courage to bear witness to compassion… in the face of being terrorized for four hundred years decides not to terrorize others, but fight for freedom for everybody…it’s a human tradition.” Because of the age of consumerism we live in today, “Obsession of money making and profit taking…we have less gas in our spiritual tanks, a spiritual malnutrition, an indifference to the suffering of others…a calousness,” West continued. He then quoted Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, “An indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself.” America is in a state of emergency; many of its citizens are living and operating from a state of fear. We’re subconsciously encouraged when we watch the nightly news or peruse social media sites to fear. We are to fear terrorism, fear cancer, fear consumption of any foods that are not glucose, lactose or sugar free, and little black boys and girls are taught to fear for their lives lest they end up like Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Oscar Grant, Jordan Davis, Tamir Rice and countless others victims who suffered the penalty of death simply because of the color of their skin. Dr. West not only used John Coltrane as example, but referred to Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin to stress his point that Black musicians, writers and artists use creative expression as an outlet to overcome and to stay above negative forces that would aim to steal their creative ideas or kill and destroy (literally) their lives. No doubt, West has perused the pages of works such as the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave where Douglas writes: “The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance for themselves and their fellow-slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic. While on their way, they would make the dense old woods, for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness. They would compose and sing as they went along, consulting neither time nor tune. The thought that came up, came out—if not in the word, in the sound;—and as frequently in the one as in the other. They would sometimes sing the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone, and the most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone. Into all of their songs they would manage to weave something of the Great Houses Farm. Especially would they do this, when leaving home. They would then sing most exultingly the following words:— I am going away to the Great House Farm! O, yea! O, yea! O! This they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves. I have sometimes thought that the mere hearing of those songs would do more to impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery, than the reading of whole volumes of philosophy on the subject could do. I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle; so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear. They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness. I have frequently found myself in tears while hearing them. The mere recurrence to those songs, even now, afflicts me; and while I am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my cheek. To those songs I trace my first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing character of slavery. I can never get rid of that conception. Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds. If any one wishes to be impressed with the soul-killing effects of slavery, let him go to Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, and, on allowance-day, place himself in the deep pine woods, and there let him, in silence, analyze the sounds that shall pass through the chambers of his soul,—and if he is not thus impressed, it will only be because ‘there is no flesh in his obdurate heart.’” (p 25-26) These songs composed by slaves would come to be known as negro spirituals. Many of these spirituals had a code message aimed to guide slaves, via the Underground Railroad, to freedom or to the “Jordan”, which was on the Northern side of the Ohio River. Here is one example of this hidden message, weaved within the words of a song: Deep River, my home is over Jordan; Deep River, my home is over Jordan. O don’t you want to go to that Gospel Feast That Promised Land where all is Peace? Deep River, I want to cross over into camp ground. These spirituals were always inspired by the “good news” message from the Bible; by Christ and his message that “you can be saved.” Negro spirituals would later influence chain gang songs, sung by “prisoners” or victims of the unscrupulous sharecropper system following the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Inmates would sing in the call and response format; the leader began a line and the other workers followed, often using their axes to keep rhythm and to keep up with the rigorous demands of the day. In 1927, the Mississippi River broke levees in almost 150 places and caused one of the greatest floods in American history. Many blacks were forced, by gunpoint, to fill sandbags to set in place to resist the flowing waters. When the flood overpowered their attempts, these blacks were left to fend for themselves and many fled, migrating north. This great flood is responsible for the largest migration of blacks in U.S. history. In fact, the actual terms “Chicago Blues” and “Muddy Waters” stem from this Mississippi flood of ’27. The blues musician known as Muddy Waters was born and raised on a plantation in Mississippi, but moved to Chicago in 1943 in hopes to become a professional musician. In Hope on a Tightrope, “Blues,” first on the list of Westian core concepts, is defined as, “The elegant coping with catastrophe that yields a grace and dignity so that the spirit of resistance is never completely snuffed out.” (p 221) It is intriguing how a rhythm birthed from pain, and the pursuit to overcome that pain, would mother genres of music we refer to today such as rhythm and blues, rock ’n’ roll, folk, country and jazz. Muddy Waters, himself, influenced musicians such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Paul Rodgers, and even Jimi Hendrix. Muddy Waters’ 1950 release of the single “Catfish Blues” or “Rollin’ Stone” is where the famous London group got their name from and the magazine, too. Even the Beatles referenced Muddy Waters in their song “Come Together.” More recently, the rock group AC/DC borrowed from Muddy Waters’ lyrics and Angus Young, one of the group members, has often cited Waters as one of his greatest influences. Me: Dr. West, Besides Muddy Waters, can you name another example of a black musician who you would consider a trailblazer in this plight of using self expression to gain freedom from enervated mental and physical circumstance in America? West: Louis Armstrong, who grew up in the red-light district of Storyville among prostitutes and brothels, was able to escape the social misery and express his unbelievable genius and imagination to keep alive the greatest musical tradition of the modern world. The black musical tradition gave us blues and jazz idioms that the rest of the world now understands. (Hope p 179) Me: Dr. West, I was born and raised in New York City and have often pondered as I passed by the Cotton Club or The Apollo theater in Harlem, what it must have been like for these early black musicians who were still combating the remnants of slavery and Jim Crow laws, but simultaneously, had this new outlet and opportunity because of their musical talent. I know, from even watching the film, that blacks weren’t allowed entrance into the Cotton Club as patrons, but were only allowed access as performers. Duke Ellington and his orchestra became renown because of his appearances at the Cotton Club, but the members of his orchestra would, most likely, never be able to walk in through the front door. Blacks, as we’ve discussed, like Muddy Waters’ inspired not only other musicians, but entire musical genres and in the end, it seems he got the shorter end of the stick as far as making a profit and being in full control of his artistry. Why is this? West: Blues and jazz lost much of their black audience in the 50s and 60s when they abandoned black public spaces, such as black dances, clubs, and street corners. Without access to the participatory rituals in public spaces of black everyday life, blues and jazz became marginal to ordinary working black people in urban centers. In their stead, rhythm and blues, soul music, and now hip-hop seized the imagination and pocketbook of young black America. This fundamental shift in the musical tastes of black America resulted from two basic features of the larger American culture industry: the profit-driven need to increase the production pace and number of records, reinforcing fashion, fad, and novelty, and the explosive growth of black talent spilling out of churches and clubs in search of upward social mobility. The lessening of racist barriers in the industry and wider acceptance of black music by white consumers created new opportunities. Since neither blues nor jazz could satisfy or saturate this market, they fell by the cultural wayside or, at least, were pushed to the margins. (Hope p 122-123) Me: That explains it. So it’s all about capitalism and profit. I always thought of blues and jazz as a distinctive genre and sound influenced, primarily, by the time period that those musicians lived. I have always gotten chills while listening to Billie Holiday’s unique voice, but only recently came to understand the deep meaning behind the tone and lyrics of say, Strange Fruit. And growing up, listening to my mother play Kenny G when he first became popular in the 1980s or for example, when I was invited to see Kurt Elling in concert at Carnegie Hall, I just assumed that jazz had become “white music.” West: One of the reasons jazz is so appealing to large numbers of white Americans is precisely because they feel that in this black musical tradition, not just black musicians, but black humanity is being asserted by artists who do not look at themselves in relation to whites or engage in self-pity or white put-down. This type of active, as opposed to reactive, expression is very rare in any aspect of African American culture. (Hope p 119). West: For me, the deepest existential source of coming to terms with white racism is music. From the very beginning, I always conceived of myself as an aspiring bluesman in a world of ideas and a jazzman in the life of the mind. What is distinctive about using blues and jazz as a source of intellectual inspiration is the ability to be flexible, fluid, improvisational, and multi-dimensional—finding one’s own voice, but using that voice in a variety of different ways. (Hope p 114) The human voice itself is the greatest instrument. Black folks’ tradition begins with the voice. (Hope p 113). It was music that sustained Africans on slave ships making their way from Africa to the New World. We often didn’t speak a common language that allowed us to communicate with each other in a deep way. We had to constitute some form of comradery and community, and music did that. It preserved our sanity, as well as our dignity. Owing to white supremacist sanctions, enslaved Africans were not allowed to read or write. As a nonliterate people, we learned to manifest our genius through what no one could take away—our voices and our music. (Hope p 110). When you look at this tradition from the spirituals on through Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Curtis Mayfield, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin on up to Prince and Gerald Levert, music sustained our humanity, dignity, and integrity. Me: Ah, yes! It seems that during the 1960s when black leaders emerged such as Dr. Martin King Jr. and Malcolm X, there were also black musicians that answered the call to use their voices as an impetus for change. James Brown released “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud,” to inspire and uplift the people, while Nina Simone released “Mississippi Goddamn,” but was blacklisted because of it; her music not allowed airplay over the radio. In The Future of the Race, published in 1996, you wrote prophetically: “The twenty-first century will almost certainly not be a time in which American exceptionalism will flower in the world or American optimism will flourish among people of African descent. If there are any historical parallels between black Americans at the end of the twentieth century and other peoples in earlier times, two candidates loom large: Tolstoy’s Russia and Kafka’s Prague—soul starved Russians a generation after the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 and anxiety-ridden Central European Jews a generation before the European Holocaust in the 1940s.” (p 75) If I am understanding correctly, Dr. West, black music has been created and ushered out into the world almost as a push-back; a resistance to hopeless situations and music has served as a remedy or cure. The black life and tradition in America is not separate from black music and the arts, it is one in the same. And therefore, the fight for justice; for mental, physical and financial freedom which is only experienced by a small percentage of blacks in America, is a very real and urgent task. Earlier black musicians were aware of this plight because the chains of slavery (literal and proverbial) were still evident. Today, we are in greater danger because those chains are invisible and have been set in permanent institutions such as urban schools and prisons. Nearly fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led marches and other peaceful demonstrations to bring attention to racism, segregation, and discrimination which greatly influenced the signing of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As it can be seen, just because a law is passed, that doesn’t mean that people’s beliefs and behaviors change. In the early 1950’s, racial segregation was customary in America. Basic math would then imply that members of the KKK are still living, in fact, one can readily log onto the internet and find a current KKK website. The media and most curriculums taught in educational institutions depict the Civil Rights movement as a thing of the past, something that happened then, and everyone should just move on and never bring it up, because “Today, we live in a fair and equal society.” Contrary to these false aphorisms, racism is prevalent in 2015 America. Even after repeated injuries, incarcerations and murders of blacks, both male and female, the racism conflict advances, leaving behind blood stained sidewalks and unbottled tears. Historical advances in American music and the arts woud prove that it’s okay to imitate blacks, which is seen as early as “black face” stage and film productions where white actors would paint themselves blacks to make fun of and entertain the audience, to the Beach Boys to the modern day where so called “pop” artists imitate and appropiate hip-hop culture. It would seem that the fight for freedom is futile and a far cry from reality. West: As freedom fighters, we’ve got to become much like the jazz women and jazz men. Fluid and flexible and protean—open to a variety of different sources and perspectives. (Hope p 187). [Again] We come from a particular tradition of struggle. Our people have been on intimate terms with the constant threat of social death. No legal status, no social standing, no public value—you were only a commodity to be bought and sold. If you don’t come to terms with death in that context, there’s no way you can live psychically and culturally because the rights and priveleges that your fellow human beings of European descent had access to were stripped from you. (Hope p 184) Freedom fighters struggle for justice, not revenge. We love in the face of bigotry. We keep track of the indescribable scars and bruises. Yet we refuse to be victims! We instead mount constant heroic resistance against injustice. (Hope p 206) Those who have never despaired have neither lived nor loved. Hope is inseparable from despair. Those of us who truly hope make despair a constant companion whom we outwrestle every day owing to our commitment to justice, love and hope. It is impossible to look honestly at our catastrophic conditions and not have some despair—it is a healthy sign of how deeply we care. It is also a mark of maturity—a rejection of cheap American optimism. (Hope p 217) Black people’s deep memory of history is a legacy of catastrophe. It’s the slave ship and the body swinging from the tree. It’s the disgraceful school systems and being taught to hate ourselves. America’s concept of history is that of a chosen people, a city on a hill where the sun is always shining. Therefore, black people’s conception of memory is that of trauma, whereas the mainstream conception of memory is this progress of an every generation toward a more perfect Union. If your conception of history is one of catastrophe and your conception of memory is one of trauma, the only countermovement against catastrophe and trauma is never forgetting the catastrophic and yet still attempting to triumph. (Hope p 188) Me: The Hebrew verb zakhor ("remember") appears in the Torah about one hundred and sixty-nine times, Moses while leading the Israelites out of Egypt towards the Promised Land, would often encourage them to remember. In Deuteronomy Chapter 8, Moses and Miriam’s song Me: J. Wendell Mapson, Jr., author of The Ministry of Music in the Black Church writes: “The task, then, is to affirm the good in black theology and to offer correctives so that black theology may continue to address the needs of black people in light of their relationship to God and culture. Historically…, music in the black church has reflected the theology of the pilgrimage of black people. Set within the context of the black church, the religious music of black people has helped to articulate the very soul and substance of the black experience, most especially for those who belong to the family of God. In many instances, music has not only been shaped by theology but has also shaped theology. Not only may one speak of a theology of music, but one might also speak of the music of theology. There is no doubt that in the black church music is the lifeblood. Among blacks, music is not always compartmentalized into categories such as sacred and secular. In fact, the black church itself does not always see itself in light of such labels. Among Afro-Americans, just as in African cuture, religion permeates the whole of life, and so does music.” (p 16) Similarly, in The Cross and The Lynching Tree, author, James Cone offers a corrective and brilliantly explicates how by connecting the cross to the lynching tree, not only blacks in America, but all Americans may benefit: “Despite the obvious similarities between Jesus’ death on the cross and the death of thousands of black men and women strung up to die on a lamppost or tree, relatively few people, apart from the black poets, novelists, and other reality-seeing artists, have explored the symbolic connections. Yet, I believe this is the challenge we must face. What is at stake is the credibility and the promise of the Christian gospel and the hope that we may heal the wounds of racial violence that continue to divide our churches and our society…Until we can see the cross and the lynching tree together, until we can identify Christ with a ‘recrucified’ black body hanging from a lynching tree, there can be no genuine understanding of Christian identity in America, and no deliverance from the brutal legacy of slavery and white supremacy. (xiii-xiv, xv) Later, in this sermonic book, Cone writes: We are bound together in America by faith and tragedy. West: The major black cultural response to the temptation of despair has been the black Christian tradition—a tradition dominated by music in song, prayer, and sermon. (The Future of the Race p 101) You can’t talk about the crucifixion without talking about nihilism and spiritual abandonment. The feeling that you have no connection whatsoever to any of the forces for good in the universe underscores your relatively helpless situation (referring to Matt 27:46 when Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). If Jesus had American advisors, they would have said, Negotiate with Pontius Pilate, sacrifice your sense of who you are, call your mission into question, and sneak away at night under the protective cover of the Roman Empire to live free. Jesus would have responded, No, there’s a cross for me. In fact, if you look closely enough in your life, there’s a cross for you, too. (Hope p 198) West: The American Empire is still governed by its desire to shape the world for American interests. It is still determined to have its way and do whatever it takes to preserve the resources necessary to sustain the “American way of life…” The new American Dream is to never run out of things to buy and sell, and people to buy and sell. What must happen for us to stay awake permanently and commit to critically engaging the public interest or expanding the common good? (Hope 181) West: Subversive joy is the ability to transform tears into laughter, a laughter that allows one to acknowledge just how difficult the journey is, and to delight in one’s own sense of humanity and folly and humor in the midst of this very serious struggle. This is true freedom of spirit. We can think and feel, laugh and weep, and with the belief and capacity of everyday people, we can fight. Fight with a smile on our faces and tears in our eyes. We can see the deprivation, yet hold up a bloodstained banner with a sense of hope based on genuine discernment and connection. We can point out hypocrisy and keep alive some sense of possibility for both ourselves and our children, thus fulfilling our sacred duty. (Hope p 192) West: Hip-hop, the most powerful cultural force on the globe right now, was one of the ways in which the black underclass responded to being forgotten and overlooked, with its pain downplayed and ignored. The response to invisibility was to create a whole cultural genre that represented young, black, and underclass folk. The culture and entertainment industry had to take notice by 1985. Now hip-hop is the most lucrative cultural area of the entertainment industry. It’s another tribute to the tremendous cultural imagination and genius of black folk. (Hope p 178) The vitality and vigor of Afro-American popular music depends not only on the talents of Afro-American musicians, but also on the moral visions, social analyses and political strategies that highlight personal dignity, provide political promise and give existential hope to the underclass and poor working class in Afro-America. (The Cornel West Reader p 484) is that it’s a human condition…a love caravan. West: To be human you must bearwitness to justice. Justice is what love looks like in public—to be human is to love and be loved. Me in closing: I have to believe that there is hope for Black men and women in this nation and throughout the world. Inherently, all human beings know that greatness is not achieved through material gain and worldly acquisitions, but true greatness is seen by observing the character of a man. While listening to a eulogy, we never hear the orator bloviate about how many cars the deceased one drove or how many houses he had, never! Whether the deceased was a criminal or clergyman, we hear of how good the person was, how thoughtful and generous. We sit and listen to people go on about how much they loved the person or how that person made them laugh. We know deep in our souls what really matters while we’re here on this Earth. God’s beauty, truth, love and freedom is still attractive in a world full of deceit, hate and restriction. We are all longing for more. Everyone wants to know their purpose in life and we often do not feel satisfied until it has been identified. When it is identified, but not actively pursued, one lives or exists, rather, in a dulled, gray state—full of regret and disappointment that slowly leads to an anger filled heart of stone. Even the apathetic ones feel, too. Whether acknowledged or not, these emotionless souls are feeling something, deeply. Life is completely mundane, boring and hopeless without a mission. The beauty in the knowledge of Yeshua is that we all have been given a mission…we were commanded to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That’s what it all boils down to…love! It is impossible to know Love, to know what love is, without knowing God. And how can we say that we love God, whom we have never seen, but hate others who we see everyday (1 John 4:20)? I want to enhance this notion of God’s beauty and take it to the streets of the marginalized, in hopes to impart the knowledge that their lives, too, have a meaning and purpose. To those who have given up on God and themselves, who will never step foot into a church, they too must know that they are wanted by God. Too long have I witnessed churches that sit in communities filled with indigent people full of despair, but the congregants sit securely in that church building, worshipping and reaching out to the Lord, yet do not reach out to the people in need that are in the community. We are to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth; and truth is, there is so much work to be done outside of those four walls of the church building. God’s church is not the physical edifice, but His people. We must do the will of our Father, lest He say, “I knew you not,” when we go to enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matt 7:21-23). With the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to be witnesses of Yeshua to everyone to the ends of this earth (Acts 1:8). The end is delayed because of the mission. We often pray, “Come quickly,” but we must first work before He comes. We all have been given spiritual gifts in order to serve others. We serve, never because of “what’s in it for me,” but to exalt Christ. All of our giftings should be conformed and exercised to the dictates of love. The body of Christ will be edified as we serve together, some teaching, some preaching, some praying, some singing. With the songs given to me by the Holy Spirit, I wish to communicate that: “Nothing is lost, everything to gain, forget the past, forget the pain, you can climb higher, you can achieve, if only you trust and believe and never look back!” Feelings of emptiness and hopelessness can lead one to suicide or a life lived without purpose. But the knowledge of new life, believing that we ought not remember the former things, because God is about to do something new (Isaiah 43:18-19), will save lives! People must see the beauty in God’s light and how it shines in darkness, transforming from the inside out. Aristotle believed that music is the most representative of all the arts and I agree. Music is powerful! A melody could be dimly playing in the background and the listener, incognizant at times, mechanically taps along. The Bronx nursing home, Beth Abraham's experiment with catatonic patients was revolutionary. Ask any college student what gets him or her through when they have to pull an all-nighter and the answer is usually, music. Listening to their favorite soundtrack or artists helps the time pass, without feeling the burden of the task at hand. Hearing a particular song can trigger memories from our past, taking us to places long forgotten about and treasured. Music can be used to awaken a nation, as seen in the 1960s with the release of A Change is Gonna Come, by Sam Cooke, which became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. When John Legend and Common stood to deliver their speech for winning “Best Original Song” for Glory from the Oscar-nominated film Selma, Legend conveyed that, “There are more black men under correctional control than there were under slavery in 1850.” Something is terribly wrong with that picture. In the words of Frederick Douglass, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” SEE MORE (YOUTUBE: thekingherself)
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tag game(s)
anï (i’m too exhausted to do three separate posts but i was tagged in three tag games over the past few days and i’d forgotten to do the last few games i was tagged in and i feel super guilty so here they are in one go)
i don’t know who to tag to do these rn because my brain is dead i am emotionally exhausted and i’m writing a fic that’s about halfway done so i’m gonna say tag anyone who wants to be tagged for any of these. i’m so sorry that i’m dead, i will be back alive again after may 10th, which is my AP exam day
six questions challenge
tagged by @simon--speaks
rules: answer the questions, then tag 9 people you want to get to know better!
Q1: Relationship status?
single bby
Q2: Favorite color?
maroon !
Q3: Top 3 ships?
snowbaz (wow) and uh. wow. idk who else. i wanna say my own ocs matchstick and summer (is that allowed? i’m making it allowed)
Q4: Lipstick or chapstick?
whenever i get to this question in any ask i freeze up because i use a tinted chapstick so i don’t look dead but like. it can also be seen as a lipstick because it has pigment. but. chapstick.
Q5: Last song I listened to?
Run by Hozier
Q6: Last movie I watched?
uhhh i watched like. 5 minutes of the emperor’s new groove a few days ago, and watched a documentary about obscure houses like 10 minutes before that. so. i’m gonna say the house documentary.
21 questions
i was tagged by @simon--speaks, @angelsfalling16, @wo2ash, @alixanderthequeer, @sharkmartini and @bazypitchandsimonsnow
rules: answer 21 questions then tag 21 people
nickname: anï, munchkin, menina, and my hebrew name is elisheva
height: the doctor says i’m 5′3.5″, but they can’t put fractions on IDs so according to the state i’m 5′4″ and i cling to that
last movie i saw: see above (so like. funky houses)
last thing i googled: (next town over) movie tavern. i’m not saying where it is exactly bc hah i don’t wanna be stalked but. i was looking at movie times because they have $5 movies every tuesday
favorite musician: frank iero. love that funky rat man and his funky music too (i’m gonna see him for the second time next month because i made the executive adult decision to say fuck it to my seizures and go see him anyway)
song stuck in my head: i don’t have one rn but usually it’s a song by the killers (when you were young is a usual one)
other blogs: none, actually! i didn’t delete my old tumblr purely bc i’m a nostalgic dumbass, but it’s a completely different login and it’s inactive so i don’t count it.
followers: 1,666 (originally i wasn’t gonna share the number but it hit this last night and i was like heh. nice)
following: 231
amount of sleep: 8ish hours! (spring break bby)
lucky numbers: 7, multiples of 3 (only in cases of knocking), and multiples of 2 (only in cases like volume)
dream job: writing and illustrating books! i have a variety of dream jobs within art, and even within the subcategory of books, but my top dream job is creating inclusive/diverse children’s books that represent a variety different ethnicities/races, religions, abilities, and identities so that children can see themselves represented in media
what i’m wearing: a black turtleneck, a bra, and marvel boxers. that’s it.
favorite food: soup in general. i make a kick ass matzo ball soup
language: english, conversational portuguese, i know a small small bit of japanese (i should know more given i was raised being taught it but i always struggled with it), and i know some spanish. i also plan on teaching myself ASL.
can i play an instrument: yes! i’ve been playing violin since i was 2. i wanna play guitar and i know some chords but i have small hands so it’s hard to find one that’s the right size that isn’t a shitty children’s guitar, and i sing! i’m an alto
favorite song: hnnghg please don’t make me pick................ i’d have to say choke on one another by death spells
random fact: so like. if you didn’t know already, i’m an LGBTQ+ youth activist on a national scale. i disappear on occasion because i’m doing something or another, and sometimes i post about it on my blog (speaking of i have exciting news that i heard, but at the same time, i’m pretty much booked every weekend from middle of next month until middle of july), but........ i hate networking. i loathe it. if i never had to network again, i’d be thrilled. networking is my absolute least favorite thing because i struggle at everyday conversation, much less networking with people at least 10-20 years my senior. sure it’s usually free publicity and i get great connections, but god. at what cost? and like.... it’s always after a really emotionally taxing event, so i’m already drained and then wow here’s a room full of adults who want my 18 year old input. please. just let me steal a cupcake then leave.
describe yourself in aesthetic things: dye stained fingernails and necks. cranked open windows during a spring shower. dried tears and breaking laughs. coffee stains and milky tea splashes. trembling fingers, writing instead of speaking because you’re too afraid, and finally breaking free--running through the rain. scabbing blood, fresh piercings. knowing you’re loved and not saying it because it doesn’t need to be spoken. the smell of a new canvas, paint splattered jeans, and art school sweaters. black skirts with docs, then fairy lights and soft blankets hidden behind sharp profanities and harsh disgust. the unexpected. the unknown. the ever-changing, unstoppable force of the shifting tides.
carry on questions
tagged by @goodbyedandelion, @isthisisagoodkiss @wo2ash,
1- favorite type of scone?
cranberry orange! one of the farms a county over has a market and they sell them there and they’re to die for (altho, i found a sour cherry scone recipe that i’ve perfected and my family loves them so they’re a close second now)
2- london or la?
i’ve never been to london, but i’m gonna have to go with london. i went to la last october to present in an awards show for my organization and i lowkey was underwhelmed. i’m very much a gloom and rain kinda person, and it was too dry and sunny there. although, i did think the huge succulents were sick as fuck. but yeah definitely london. i’m planning to spend a semester abroad there in a few years for an illustration program
3- kissing in a forest or holding hands under the stars?
i’m afraid of forests because we have a lot of wildlife and i don’t want to get mauled by a bear don’t mind me holding hands under the stars :)
4- jeans or suit?
suit suit suIT SUIT suit. i love wearing suits. my chest doesn’t cooperate and my hips always hate them but god i do love suits.
5- loose hair or pulled back hair?
mine looks better loose, and my sides/back are shaved but the top reaches my ears, so it gets annoying sometimes and i pull it up to keep it out of my face
6- vampires or dragons?
i wanna say both. i used to say “yknow a dragon but in human form would be hot” then i got called dragon fucker for like two years so out of pure spite i’m going with vampires.
7- what saying do you wish could be a spell?
(this one’s a very specific reference so hear me out) “i’ve got to go pee on her” used to disorient and confuse the speech of the person casted upon. it’s one of my favorite quotes from scott pilgrim vs. the world (my favorite movie ngl) when scott’s brain can’t figure out two different sentences and he just says that. it’s so good and just fuckin weird that i love it.
8- which carry on character would you go on a coffee date with if you could?
depends tbh! if we’re talking date date, then penny because i would wife penny in 0.5 seconds, but if we’re talking friends getting coffee then 10000000% baz because i’d talk activism and identities with him
9- favorite carry on quote?
“he told me we would be stars” (i don’t have my book on me so i could be getting the line wrong), but it hit so hard for me. like it’s clear how davy manipulated lucy so much that she fell into it and couldn’t crawl out. it’s such a powerful message of control from those who are charismatic enough to hold it, and how sometimes we aren’t weak enough to let go.
10- how excited are you for wayward son?
lemme paint this picture: i started hyperventilating in the hallway when i found out, and then cried an hour or two later when my friend texted me that he preordered me a signed copy. like. i’ve been pre-planning how to get home from college to come and pick it up (okok the 24th is also my dad’s birthday so i’m. um. “coming home to visit him”, of course) because i’m just SO EXCITED to read them again in a canon way :’)
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Revisited: My Interview with Lily Tomlin
The Wit, The Wisdom, The Wonderful Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin is more than a legend in the Entertainment business. She is living proof that with talent and perseverance, a long and successful career is not only possible but it’s inevitable. Comedian, actress, writer, producer, recording artist, activist, multiple award winner; there is nothing Tomlin can’t do. Many of us remember first seeing her in the 60’s show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Her cast of characters is still as relevant today as they were then. Like us, they have changed with the times, matured (except for Edith Ann, she’s still 5 ½ years old), and developed a wisdom and insight that comes with age and time, much like Tomlin herself. Her films have also spanned the spectrum in regards to comedy vs. drama and the varied women she has played. Comedy classics “9 To 5,” “All Of Me,” and “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,”; dramas “Nashville,” (in which she made her film debut in 1975 and was nominated for an Academy Award), “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Tea With Mussolini,” and “Moment By Moment.” First appearing on Broadway in 1977 her one-woman shows have also been memorable and that of which a legend is made. “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” was made into a feature film in 1991. She has made guest appearances in such critically acclaimed television shows as “Murphy Brown,” “Will & Grace,” “The West Wing,” and “Damages.” Her latest endeavor on the small screen now filming is “Malibu Country,” with Reba McEntire. At age 72 she is once again embarking on the road with a few scheduled stops with her one-woman show. She was called by Time Magazine “the woman with the kaleidoscope face.” There is no doubt she has been an inspiration to hundreds of comedians who have followed after her. A civil and gay rights activist she has been with her life partner Jane Wagner for over 40 years; a personal accomplishment almost unheard of not only in the Entertainment industry but the real world as well. Lily Tomlin is truly an artist in every sense of the word and a woman for all seasons.
May 6, 2012 is South Florida’s time in the sun with Ms. Tomlin; but on this day I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with her one on one. I found her to be extremely personable, funny, thought provoking, and completely in tune with the world we all share. This certainly isn’t the fluff piece I was expecting to write and you may be expecting to read. She was open, willing, and able to talk about everything under the sun, I felt as if I were catching up with an old friend.
Tina Mrazik: Hi, how are you?
Lily Tomlin: I’m good. Okay so, I’m coming to Miami.
TM: Yes, to the Adrienne Arsht Center on May. 6th. How many dates are on your current tour?
LT: I do dates every year, I don’t do a tour. I do what I can do in between other stuff. I think there’s an advantage there. Last week, I would have had to move a bunch of dates.
TM: Has "Malibu Country" been picked up for the season?
LT: No, I don’t know if it’s been picked up yet or not. We shot it on Tuesday night, a week ago.
TM: How did you get the role starring alongside Reba McEntire in the upcoming ABC TV comedy “Malibu Country”?
LT: They had that part and asked me to do it. I know Reba and I like Reba. It was a funny script so I agreed to it. I think it went pretty well.
TM: Do you enjoy working again network television?
LT: Oh yeah, I like to do a bit of it all. I’ve done a lot of TV this past year.
TM: Indeed, you’ve made several appearances on TV including Damages, in which you earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress for your role as Marilyn Tobin.
LT: Yes, I did. Web Therapy starts airing on Showtime in July.
TM: You’ve also participated in several projects for cable networks including HBO and Showtime. Do you find there’s a lot more freedom on cable verses commercial network?
LT: Of course there is, absolutely. You get to step out a bit. And I like all of them. As long as the material is interesting, something exciting to play. I especially love Web Therapy and I did Eastbound and Down too. I had a lot of fun doing that. You know what show Eastbound?
TM: Yes, it’s a very funny show.
LT: I loved playing Danny McBride’s character, Tammy Powers. It all has a different kind of feel to it. And Reba’s show too. This pilot was interesting too. They let me name the character after my own mother. So I named her Lily May and that was sort of the attraction too.
TM: There are many women of this generation that are working in comedy. With the material they’re doing and the way they’re presenting it, do you think women are finally able to keep up with the boys when it comes to edgy material.
LT: Yeah, I think there is that youth audience. Yeah, I do. I think it’s expected. Just like on cable, the language is expected too. The sensibility, just being more ostentatious.
TM: Do you believe this evolution in popular culture is going in more positive or negative direction?
LT: Well, I don’t know. I think the culture has a tendency to become a little coarser in general. Maybe it’s good though. Maybe it’s flattened boundaries. It all depends on how it’s used. I remember on Deadwood, the show on HBO, they said ‘c***sucker’ about every other word. Then they had that woman, that nice woman in the first season that she was sort of gentile and became kind of rough. Her husband, I can’t remember the exact, I didn’t watch it every week. I hardly have time to watch anything every week including myself. She was sort of a gentle woman you know. Educated or married or something; and then she sat out awhile and then she (laughing) began out talking the guy who ran the saloon or whatever he did. But yeah, I wonder all the people talking; probably they used a lot language at that time. You know on Laugh-In we had The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate and the Farkel Family. Everybody was always trying to push the barriers.
TM: With Laugh-In there was more innuendo, now everything is in your face.
LT: As I recall you couldn’t even say the word ‘ass.’ I remember I was an usher at the movies, movie house. The first movie that ever used the word ‘virgin’ on screen was a big deal.
TM: Do you think in some instances, we've become too politically correct when news anchors and TV personalities are having to apologize because they offended certain groups of people with words that most Americans hear everyday?
LT: Well some of those just happened recently. It’s part of their vocabulary now. If you do it what’s the point of apologizing you should just own it. But I guess people, the group that’s offended, I don’t know, I’d have to be in their shoes. It does seem a little over the top but it came from a desire to change the vocabulary and the culture, you know? Like calling women employees ‘girls’; "my girl". "My girl will call your girl." Stuff like that- that’s the feminist era. But I remember concepts that were accepted, you know. Even myself, I had begun working on a character and the result was an old person. I had a line in there that goes back to the very earliest 70’s. And I had a line in it which became really foolish; the character was supposed to be like an old woman, 90 years old and she’s saying, “Drop kick those grandbabies up against a wall.” And it seemed funny to me at the time but it was a stupid thing to say. So that kind of stuff when you first hear it, and yet you can do it, the pendulum swings the other way gets deeper and heavier. Because behavior is sometimes imitated is just like children grow up in a white supremacist group. They’re totally programmed to be racist and hateful. They know nothing else. They just repeat the language. So I don’t know where it stops and where it starts. I would be the last one to try and censor someone. And when you judge something, the idea of not apologizing is just immature. I don’t know anyone who’s had to do it besides Tracy (Morgan). Do newscasters do it a lot, commentators? I doubt anybody at Fox does it.
TM: Sometimes I think they go a little bit overboard as far as apologizing. Perhaps America has become too sensitive. I remember when we used to be a lot tougher.
LT: I think a lot of stuff is accepted, really. There was a time when a certain amount of hatred, not even hatred, I don’t even want to use the word. But you had people thinking Jews or blacks or whatever. Women, gay people, whatever - they’re just going to have an attack mode for those people. They don’t want to have to hear them, hear about them. I think there are a lot of weird points of view in the world. I mean look, I grew up in Detroit, the inner city in a black neighborhood. My mother and dad are both Southern, I went to Kentucky every summer on the farm. I lived in an old apartment house; I grew up with all kinds of people. And I’ve been exposed to a lot of different human beings and weren’t so different. They may appear different on the surface. So again you have to have respect for other people’s feelings, you just do. But if you’re not stupid and somewhat educated or sensitive or have a feeling, then you have room for other people too. To say we’re too sensitive you’re talking about which group is offended; me, I don’t know. I really don’t know where to draw the line. You have to draw it on your own sensibility.
TM: You’ve been with Jane (Wagner) for over 40 years, correct?
LT: 41.
TM: Congratulations.
LT: Thank you. She thanks you too. (Laughing)
TM: Is she there?
LT: No, no. She doesn’t go on the road with me. I love to perform a certain number of dates a year so she doesn’t go out too often.
TM: In my opinion, Hollywood is doing something that I’m not really crazy about. They’re doing too many remakes of classic films or turning TV shows into movies. From your and Jane’s perspective as writers, is there a lack of originality in Hollywood?
LT. Well, we’ve talked about it sometimes just because we, yeah that has come up with us, you’re right. The idea of remaking something and not doing something that’s original or not perusing something that’s original; we do comment on that. But I can’t say we’ve started a movement in the organization; down with remakes.
TM: They’ve put “9 to 5” on Broadway.
LT. That’s right, they’ve done that.
“
TM: How would you feel about a remake of “9 To 5”? What if it was completely different than the original? Like what if it was remade into a raunchy sort of “American Pie”-type comedy, would that bother you?
LT: Well, it wouldn’t bother me, I mean gosh, what bothers me is if we get into a nuclear war. I’d be disappointed probably for a minute the fact that they would do that but I wouldn’t dwell on it. There was the intention of Jane, Dolly and me to do a sequel to it, not a remake but a sequel. And a sequel might have worked closer to the time the original appeared but nothing ever worked out; no script was ever acceptable all around the block. And I know Jada Pinkett Smith had the rights and was going to do an African American version. Now what form that would have taken I don’t know. If it would have been a redo of the original or a completely different invention. I just don’t know. I mean I heard that Queen Latifah was going to redo “All of Me.” So I don’t quite know what it means. Or how far they’d go or don’t go or how far they’d corrupt it. I would see it. Maybe if I were the producer or the director had written “9 to 5” maybe I’d feel more possessive. In the musical they used the actors to look and move just like us from the stage. Even Mr. Hart looked like Dabney; I can’t remember the actor’s name. He was good in the musical. Allison (Janney) looks enough like me from the stage. I mean she’s tall and lankly. Meg Hilty is very stocked and big busted like Dolly (Parton) and a little blonde you know. And then the Jane (Fonda) character, anyway, they were enough like us; in a sense it looked like the movie. For us at that time, I don’t know about Fonda because she produced it originally but all of us felt it looked kind of eerie, surreal. The three of us went to the opening because of Dolly in LA and New York. And sitting there watching those three people (laughing) and they were sitting there almost, because Pat Resnick wrote the book for the musical, and she had written the screenplay. She took very much from herself and the original, even the costumes were similar to what Ann Roth had designed in the movie. And anyway, so that’s the effect it had on me at the time. It was kind of surreal. And I wasn’t sure it was live, maybe it was us up there. (Laughing)
TM: Now that you have my number will you give it to Cher?
LT: If I run into her I will. (Laughing) Oh, my gosh, you’d get a kick out of her.
TM: I’ve actually met her.
LT: Yes, she fun and interesting.
TM: This is one of the great things about meeting people in the entertainment business and getting to talk to you. Everyone that I’ve met has basically been very down to earth. When I can go on record and say that I made Cher, Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin laugh, that’s pretty good.
LT: Okay, (laughing) maybe we should do “9 To 5”? Bette, Cher and I - they’re 24/7...
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What’s up gamers!!! Our fourth episode plowed through the chaos of thanksgiving holidays and is Here w/ some Facts and Opinions about creating shit and being LGBT and how being LGBT influences creating shit. HEADS UP we recorded this while I had a cold so my voice is probably a little off, but ik Isaac put SO much work into the editing so it would be ready on time and we have recorded statements from some amazing artists (transcriptions under the cut below!) & this is honestly one of my favorite episodes we’ve done so far, so give her a listen if you’re gay or enjoy fun things!
BIG thank you once again to everyone who participated in this month’s episode!! Your contributions are so valued and so beautiful!!
You can find us on the Itunes Podcast App/Webpage at Gay As In Stupid Podcast! You can also find our episodes uploaded to Youtube and Soundcloud!
You can also follow us on twitter at gayasinstupid!
Further Reading on LGBT Artists
Montage of a Queering Deferred: Memory, Ownership, and Archival Silencing in the Rhetorical Biography of Langston Hughes
The Political Provocations of Keith Haring
Pop art politics: Activism of Keith Haring
E M Forster’s Gay Fiction
Alok Vaid-Menon Tells Us What It’s Like To Be Femme In Public
Shea Diamond Speaks Her Truth
Aaron’s 2018 November Recs!
Alok
Alok Vaid-Menon is one of my favorite poet/activist/performance artists out there! Their writing and stage presence is gorgeous and witty in a way that’s SO clever and still feels like you’re in a room trading jokes you don’t need to explain with your closest trans friends. The way they balance their art creates a real, deeply touching experience that feels very essential to our world.
Miles (2016)
Miles is set in 1999 and is a coming of age story about a gay teenager trying to get a volleyball scholarship for college in Chicago. It’s not revolutionary and it’s not over the top dramatic, but it’s funny and honest and it makes me feel nice. Definitely the movie to watch when you’ve just been through something emotionally taxing and need a light crying session and some mediocre pastries.
Isaac’s 2018 November Recs!
The Adventure Zone
I know half of you already kin the Mcelroys while the other half either don’t know or don’t care, but the Adventure Zone is one of my most favorite things in the world. It’s a DND podcast (yes, all episodes are transcribed, and they have a graphic novel for the first arc of Balance with a second one on the way!) by three brothers plus their dad, and not only does it have the most amazing story and is ungodly funny, but TONS of gays (Griffin went ape with those Lesbian NPCS)! And just because they can! Same with trans characters. It’s a story where they just exist, and that’s really important to me because in a lot of media LGBT have to almost prove why they deserve to take up space. And it’s not just something that goes on in their first campaign, Amnesty also has those sweet sweet gay! I could talk about this podcast for hours, so if you needed that final push to give it a listen, THIS IS IT!
Stardew Valley
You get to farm and be gay. And if THAT hasn’t sold you on this charming video game, then maybe the super cute graphics, beautiful soundtrack and a handful of interesting characters will! TBH I spend so much time playing this game it’s concerning. It’s just such a fun way to relax, and I just really REALLY like video games were I can chose to be gay. Like. God Tier. YOU CAN HAVE CROPS AND CHICKENS AND BE GAY C’MON YALL!!
The Amazing Quotes And Artists Featured!
Meg | instagram | esty
“My identity as a bisexual woman influences my art in many ways. As a woman, i create art about the issues that effect me, such as abortion and gender equality, in order to resonate with the people that matter most to me. As a bisexual individual, my subjects often appear from a gaze that falls outside of the stereotypical eye. My figure drawings and portraits all come from a place of admiration, and don’t fall into the stereotype of the male gaze or womanly care- they are the space inbetween, equally sexualized and normalized. I feel lucky to be a bi gal in the art world because it is a place that is my own to create in. There are so many queer artists that i look up to such as Mapplethorpe and Warhol, and many female artists i can cite as influence (Jenny Holzer, Kiki Smith, and Louise Bourgeois to name a few). My identity gives me a whole new world of content to draw from and allows my work to resonate with a wider audience, and I really think that any artists goal is to reach and touch as many people as possible.“
Cameron | twitter | instagram
“I don’t think that it influences the form really, but it definitely influences the subject matter! (Much as I hate to admit it, my identity influences the majority of choices I make in life.) I write a lot of poems about lgbtq related things and religion, as well as other stuff too. I was raised catholic, so realizing that I was “different” at more than one point in my teen years was scary AF. Being a member of the lgbtq+ community and also trying to still feel like I belong, or wanting to, in a religious community is hard, the two things are usually at a crossroads in my life so writing about them makes it easier for me to get through. My hope is that someday someone reads what I wrote and finds some peace in their own life/experience.”
Vince | art instagram
“Well, being transgender I feel like I’m constantly aware of the lack of representation of my community, and I feel like it might be because of that I tend to experiment with showing all sorts of different type of people in my work. Because there’s so much diversity in the world, why not showcase that?”
Fox | art instagram
“Oof…I’m gay so my characters always be gay. Gotta Fill the void in media w my own bullshit so I don’t have to rely on straight showrunners who will inevitably discard the character since they themselves seem to have no personal attachment and treat lgbt characters as disposable extras. Bc if I don’t at least attempt to create representation in the field I’m going into then I can’t rlly complain about the lack of it right? If I don’t try and change it I can’t complain about the lack of change so being an lgbt artist is lowkey Big Pressure to be revolutionary in your work but sometime…..I just wanna draw funkey animeal and that’s aight too”
Jen | twitter | instagram
“As a female bisexual poet, I worry often that my poetry and art will be too niche to be appreciated. I’ve spent years editing my poetry down to its barest bones in hopes that someone will relate to it. Changing pronouns back and forth because I worry that if I do talk about a woman, the poem will be stripped of its context and suddenly be about my queerness when in reality it never was. When I write about love and people I have dated and have crushed on, I want the poem to exist outside of the gender of who I love. I fear my authorial death will result in a complete misinterpretation of what I mean. When I write, it truly does not matter to me if I am writing about a woman or a man. If I feel what I write and I can make someone else feel it too does it matter that I also love women? I write what matters to me overall, regardless of gender, I try to make my poetry as true as possible. Sometimes, when I catch myself over editing I try to take myself back to the moment, to the person, what I loved about him or her. “
Lain | art instagram
“My LGBT Identity has significantly impacted almost all of my art, especially my work over the last two years. Ever since I have allowed myself to accept that I am trans and began my transition (6 months on T!), the impact that my Roman Catholic upbringing has had on my bisexual trans identity has bled into my artwork. Because of the way I was raised, accepting and allowing myself to be authentic has been an upward struggle. And what better way to process and document struggle than art?
Much of my recent work has had a focus on the trans body, particularly the “sanctity” of self-actualization and the god-like power that comes with accepting and creating yourself in the unique and exceptional way that LGBT people must in order to live authentically. Two of my pieces on this topic were actually recently exhibited at UWM in the Trans-lucent exhibition, and will remain there until December 15th (I think). I got sick and tired of never seeing trans representation, so now I am creating that space that I crave in my own work.”
Kobe | instagram | soundcloud
“My art from is very influenced by my LGBT identity. It is very influenced by my LGBT black Identity. I think that whenever an artist makes their art (in my case writing music, singing, dancing) they should incorporate as much of themselves as possible. I think my LGBT identity definitely adds a sense of representation as well. I want people like me to listen to my music to know they aren’t alone. So it influences my work a lot. “
Nat | art instagram
“I think the fact that I am part of the LGBT+ community influences my art directly. Even though I don’t draw as often as I wish, I believe both my drawings and college projects (I am a 3d art/animation student), and my creativity in general is inspired by my personal experiences as a gay woman and common things experienced by the community. I try as often as I can to bring representation of some kind in the things I do, mainly personal projects. I also feel that it influences me on my motivation to keep creating; whenever I listen to, see drawings, watch movies or see whatever form of artistic expression from LGBT+ artists it gives me the energy to keep going, to keep creating.”
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Second Saint of the Day – 15 January – Blessed Nikolaus Gross – (1898-1945) Martyr, layman, father of seven children, union activist, newspaper editor, apostle of charity. Born on 30 September 1898 at Niederwenigern, Ruhr region, Germany and died by execution on 23 January 1945 at the Berlin-Plotzensee, Germany prison. He was Beatified on 7 October 2001 by St Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy.
Nikolaus Gross was born on 30 September 1898 of a colliery blacksmith in Niederwenigern, near the city of Essen and attended the local Catholic school from 1905-12. He then worked initially in a plate rolling mill, then as a grinder and later as a face-worker in a coal mine. He worked underground for five years.
In his limited spare time, he continued his higher education. In 1917, he joined the Christian Miners’ Trade Union. In 1918 he joined the Centre Party (the Catholic political party). In 1919 he joined the St Anthony’s Miners Association (Antonius Knappenverein KAB) in Niederwenigern. It was the major Catholic union for the Catholic miners and a major Catholic voice. At the age of 22 he became secretary for young people in the union. A year later he became assistant editor of the union newspaper Bergknappe (“The Miner”). His work with the union took him around Germany until he finally settled in Bottrop in the Ruhr Valley, in what is now the Diocese of Essen.
In the meantime, he married Elizabeth Koch from Niederwenigern. They had seven children in the course of their happy marriage. He loved his family above everything and was an exemplary father in his responsibility for their education and upbringing in the faith. Gross did not withdraw into the shell of family life. He remained attuned to the great social problems, precisely in his responsibility for his family. Work and social obligations were the place in which he realised his Christian mission. In his doctrine of faith written in 1943 he wrote: “The majority of great achievements come into being through the daily performance of one’s duties in the little things of everyday routine. Our special love here is always for the poor and the sick”.
Nikolaus and Elizabeth below
At the beginning of 1927, he became assistant editor of the Westdeutsche Arbeiterzeitung (West German Workers’ Newspaper), the organ of the St Anthony’s Miners’ Association (KAB) and soon became its editor-in-chief. Here he was able to give Catholic workers guidance on social and labour questions. In the course of time, it became clear to him that the political challenges contained a moral claim and that the social problems cannot be solved without spiritual efforts.
The editor became a messenger who bore witness to his faith here too. When he moved in this capacity to the Ketteler House in Cologne, in 1929, he already had a clear opinion about approaching Nazism . Starting out from Bishop Ketteler’s main idea that a reform of the conditions in society can only be achieved by a reform in attitude, he saw in the Nazis’ success in society: “political immaturity” and “a lack of discernment”. Already at that time he called the Nazis “mortal enemies of the present state”. As editor of the organ of the KAB, on 14 September 1930, he wrote: “As Catholic workers we reject Nazism not only for political and economic reasons but decisively also, resolutely and clearly, on account of our religious and cultural attitude”.
Already a few months after Hitler’s seizure of power, the leader of the German Labour Front, Robert Ley, called the KAB’s Westdeutsche Arbeiterzeitung “hostile to the state”. In the following period, Gross attempted to save the newspaper from destruction without making concessions on its content. From then on he knew how to write between the lines. In November 1938 came the final ban on the workers’ newspaper which, in the meantime, had been renamed Kettelerwacht (Ketteler’s Watch).
Gross, who had to work very hard for his education was no great orator. But he spoke convincingly, warm-heartedly and with power of persuasion. The fact that Nikolaus Gross joined the resistance in Germany resulted from his Catholic religious conviction. For him the key was “that one must obey God more than men”. “If something is demanded of us that goes against God or the Faith, then not only may we but we must, refuse obedience (towards men)” Thus wrote Nikolaus Gross in 1943 in his doctrine of faith. It was becoming ever clearer to him that Germany had reached this state under the Hitler regime.
Gross set down his joint thoughts in two writings which later fell into the hands of the Gestapo: The Great Tasks and Is Germany Lost? They were to contribute towards his execution.
In 1940, Gross had to endure interrogations and house searches. After the ban on the association’s newspaper, he published a series of small pamphlets which were intended to help strengthen the critical force of faith and Gospel values among workers. We find an answer for the reasons which motivated someone like Nikolaus Gross in the memoirs of the well-known, workers’ chaplain, Msgr Caspar Schulte of Paderborn. There we read: “In my many conversations, especially with Nikolaus Gross and the association’s head, Otto Müller, I got to know and admire these men’s moral greatness. They did not stumble into death. They went their way also prepared to bear a painful death for the sake of freedom. I said to Nikolaus Gross on the day before the assassination attempt on Hitler of 20 July 1944: “Mr Gross, remember that you have seven children. I have no family for which I am responsible. It’s a matter of your life’. To which Gross made a really great statement to me: “If we do not risk our life today, how do we then want one day to justify ourselves before God and our people?'”.
In 1943, Gross wrote in a booklet, what was almost a prophecy: “Sometimes, my heart becomes heavy and the task appears insoluble if I measure my own human imperfection and inadequacy against the greatness of the obligation and the weight of the responsibility. If a generation must pay the highest price, death, for its short life, we look for the answer in ourselves in vain. We find it only in Him in whose hand we are safe in life and in death. We never know what problems are waiting to test the power and strength of our souls…. Man’s ways lie in obscurity. But even darkness is not without light. Hope and faith, which always hasten ahead of us, already have a presentiment of the breaking of a new dawn. If we know that the best thing in us, the soul, is immortal, then we also know that we shall meet each other again”. What a testimony to a sense of responsibility, feeling for reality and assurance of faith! For Gross, trust in God was the foundation on which he did not falter. During the years of the war he formed a network of resistance to the Nazi’s and he was often the courier between the centres of resistance. He was well informed of the plot to assassinate Hitler, even though he took no part in its preparation and execution.
After the abortive assassination attempt on 20 July 1944, events came thick and fast. Gross, who was not himself involved in the preparation and execution of the plot, was arrested towards noon at his home on 12 August 1944 and taken first to the prison in Ravensbrück and then to the penitentiary in Berlin-Tegel. His wife, Elisabeth, came to Berlin twice to visit him . She reported clear signs of torture on his hand and arms. His letters from the prison and the witness of the chaplain, Fr Peter Buchholz, give impressive evidence that constant prayer was the source of strength in his difficult and, in the end, hopeless position. In every letter he never failed to request constant prayer from his wife and his children, just as he himself also prayed for his family each day.
Hitler, even though he took no part in its preparation and execution.
After the abortive assassination attempt on 20 July 1944, events came thick and fast. Gross, who was not himself involved in the preparation and execution of the plot, was arrested towards noon at his home on 12 August 1944 and taken first to the prison in Ravensbrück and then to the penitentiary in Berlin-Tegel. His wife, Elisabeth, came to Berlin twice to visit him . She reported clear signs of torture on his hand and arms. His letters from the prison and the witness of the chaplain, Fr Peter Buchholz, give impressive evidence that constant prayer was the source of strength in his difficult and, in the end, hopeless position. In every letter he never failed to request constant prayer from his wife and his children, just as he himself also prayed for his family each day.
On 15 January 1945, the death sentence was pronounced by the chairman of People’s Court, Roland Freisler. His final remark in the court record and the real reason for the sentence: “He swam along in treason and consequently had to drown in it!”. He was hanged in Berlin-Plotzensee on 23 January 1945. The Nazis did not make any martyrs. They did not allow the hanged man to have a grave. For the followers of falsehood and hatred there was only brutal destruction. His ashes were scattered across a sewage farm.
But the testimony to truth and faith is not to be obliterated! It lives on in those who have gone before us as a shining example. The prison chaplain, Fr Peter Buchholz, who blessed the condemned man on his final walk, reported afterwards: “Gross bowed his head silently during the blessing. His face already seemed illuminated by the glory into which he was getting ready to enter”...Vatican.va
He was Beatified on 7 October 2001 by St Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy.
There is a museum dedicated to Nikolaus Gross in Niederwenigern. In 1948 a street in Cologne was named in his honour and streets were named after him in places such as Berlin and Essen amongst others. A chapel was dedicated to him on 10 October 2004 and a memorial stone in Gelsenkirchen-Buer on 26 October 2003.
(via Saint of the Day - 15 January - Blessed Nikolaus Gross - (1898-1945) Martyr)
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Slowing the pace of deforestation
The world knows deforestation is happening and although trees play a significant role in attempts to slow climate change, deforestation is continuing on an unprecedented scale. It is up to each of us to do something about it.
The United Nations
According to United Nations, the world has lost 420 million hectares or about a billion acres of forest, in the last 30 years. Almost one-fifth of the Amazonian rain-forest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, and Amazon Conservation reports that destruction rose by 21 percent in 2020, with January 2022 holding the dubious record of the highest ever loss of Amazon rain-forest.
Trees and Carbon Dioxide
Trees absorb not only the carbon dioxide that we exhale, but also the heat-trapping greenhouse gases that human activities emit and which have led to climate change.
Causes of deforestation
We also know that farming, grazing of livestock, mining, and drilling account for more than half of all deforestation, with forestry practices, wildfires, and urbanisation accounting for the rest.
For example, a large percentage of the world’s palm oil production comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, where the rain forest is being cleared at a rate of 2.4 million acres a year to make way for new plantations. Animal farming has become one of the leading causes of deforestation in Amazon, with around 70 percent of the Amazon rain forest cleared to make way for cattle ranches for meat production.
Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by a combination of human and natural factors like wildfires and overgrazing, which may prevent the growth of young trees.
Why it matters and what we can do
Deforestation directly affects the people and animals where trees are cut down, but also everyone in the wider world.
Some 250 million people living in forest and savannah areas depend on them for subsistence and income, many of them among the world’s rural poor. Eighty percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and deforestation threatens species including the orangutan, some tigers, and many species of birds.
Climate Change
In terms of climate change, cutting trees adds carbon dioxide to the air and removes the ability to absorb existing carbon dioxide. According to the World Resources Institute, if tropical deforestation were a country, it would rank third in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, behind China and the USA.
These numbers make for shocking reading, but movement is under way to preserve existing forest ecosystems and restore lost tree cover. Many organisations and activists are working to fight illegal mining and logging.
As individuals we can make a difference and it makes sense to examine the products and meats you buy and how you live your lives.
We can:
Use less paper and recycle paper and cardboard;
Stop buying products which contain palm-oil:
Look for sustainably produced sources;
Avoid products which contain palm-oils;
Reduce our meat consumption; and
Support organizations that fight deforestation, such as Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund and the Rain forest Alliance
Become more mindful
Unless attitudes change and we change tack, the Amazonian rain forest will continue to decline and that long-term will kill off the human species too.
I write about and bring these issues to my blog because they are important, but unless we start being selfless and change how we live, future generations including your children, their children and their children's children will be lost. I hate carrying the burden of being the bearer of bad news, but this is a real issue that needs us all to act NOW.
Also, the tireless work that people like Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham do to get us to play our part will have been for nothing. Decades of their documentaries are a force for good. Governments need to do their bit. It is important to incorporate change into our everyday lives. Not to put a finer point on it, we are killing the planet.
Conclusion
Let’s become mindful as we go about our lives, let’s start caring about the world because the world needs us to care, it needs us to care about all who live in it. Be more selfless, so that we can save the world so that future generations may live, so they have the opportunity to live and thrive, for them to make the world for future generations and so forth. The alternative shouldn't be a consideration or an option. Sadly, it is on the radar. Attitudes must change.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com https://greentumble.com
For more inspirational, life-changing blogs, please check out my site https://www.thecpdiary.com
#thecpdiary#blog#Slowing#thepace#of#Deforestation#ClimateAction#ClimateCrisis#ClimateChange#@UN#DeforestationAwareness#GlobalWarming#@SirDavidAttenborough#@ChrisGPackham#@GreenPlanet
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Avoiding the Corbusian Hellscape
The first few nights in my new Portland house, I hadn’t unpacked much of my kitchen stuff, let alone most of my clothes. Needing a fast and cheap dinner option, I asked my new roommates. As it turns out, walking just a few blocks in either direction gets you to your choice of food truck. I chose Korean, a place called Kim Jong Grillin, and walked down the street.
Kim Jong Grillin consists of a semi permanent trailer and a tuff shed for seating.
Portland seems to have too many food trucks. The “Food Truck Scene” in Portland took off in the early 2010’s, as food trucks captured the food zeitgeist of small-scale, farm-to-table, obsessive newness, and cultural fusion in a way brick and mortar restaurants didn’t. But since that time, food trucks have come into their own in a different way. There’s research to show that food trucks bring street-level vitality to neighborhoods across a variety of densities, and can help revitalize urban brownfields. Food trucks also provide a relatively easy avenue for people trying to own their own business.
For the past week I’ve been reading Radical Cities by Justin McGuirk, a book about a new group of activist architects in Latin American cities. In the 1960’s, socialist regimes sought to solve the emerging urban housing crisis through the construction of megastructures, like Nonoalco-Tlatelolco in Mexico City, which was designed to house 100,000 people. It was also designed as the first of four or five other Tlatelolco’s.
Mexico City’s Nonoalco-Tlatelolco, designed by Mario Pani, completed 1964.
We now know that social housing megastructures are terrible ideas. The motivating ideology at the time was an excitement to implement the ideals of early urban planners like Ebenezer Howard and Le Corbusier, who believed that you could plan and design your way to utopian societies.
Le Corbusier designed some great chairs and houses. As an urban planner, however, his designs feel more like “brutalist hellscape” than utopia
In actuality, we know that social housing constructions like Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, St. Louis’ Pruitt-Igoe, and, of course, Nonoalco-Tlatelolco were far from utopias. The psychological effects of living in superblock housing have been well documented elsewhere: Jane Jacobs writes about how in Brooklyn, playgrounds ostensibly meant for children became dangerous and lawless places. In the early 80’s, Chicago mayor Jane Byrd and her husband moved into a unit in Cabrini-Green as a publicity stunt. They only lasted three weeks despite being surrounded by armed bodyguards at all times.
Chicago’s Cabrini-Green. The dark black part of the facade was chain link fence. Whoever thought chain link would be an appropriate facade shouldn’t have been allowed to design anything, ever.
Justin McGuirk’s book focuses on a new school of activist architects who are delivering solutions that bring real change to their cities. These architects are obsessively pragmatic. They employ a DIY, ground-up spirit, simultaneously taking advantage of and working in spite of their governments. What’s also impressive is their ability to implement ideas that change lives now- not waiting until some ideal condition can be brought about.
Quinta Monroy, designed by ELEMENTAL (A.Aravena), photos Archdaily.
For example, in Chile, architect Alejandro Aravena built 93 half-houses. Aravena’s team came across a challenge with some seemingly unworkable math: they had just $7,500 per family to buy land and build homes in the town of Iquique. So, they built each family “half of a good house, the half they wouldn’t be able to do on their own: namely, the concrete structure, the roof, and the kitchen and bathroom.” Over time, families would fill the gaps between the concrete pods, organizing the rooms as needed for the size of their families.
In Venezuela, architects at Urban-Think Tank (UTT) wanted to deliver sanitation improvements to the barrios of Caracas. In 2003 they began installing composting toilets, since the slums are self-constructed and without sewage systems. McGuirk notes that the ideal scenario, of course, would have been to lobby for the installation of proper infrastructure- but according to UTT, “considering ideal conditions is a waste of time- the point is to avoid catastrophe.”
In many places, urban renewal money is used for more conspicuous projects like aerial tramways, instead of clean water and sewer retrofits.
Architecture projects like these ask us some tough philosophical questions, but at the same time, clear answers emerge when we bring them to the ground level. Is it OK to build people half-houses, where an entire extended family has only 30 square meters within a concrete cube? Probably not, but the reality of the situation is that the alternatives are slum-clearance evictions at gunpoint versus years of lobbying for more money, with no change on the ground.
In America, I think we are easily hung up at the philosophical level. It took us a long time and a sort of cultural perfect storm to accept restaurants that operate out of vehicles. When I grew up in California, they were known as “Roach Coaches,” a far cry from artisanal PB&J sandwiches (you can’t make this stuff up, folks). As it turns out, not only do we accept food trucks, we have learned to embrace it; and in doing so have seen how food trucks can perform a sort of “urban acupuncture” and revitalize dead spaces like parking lots (to borrow McGuirk’s phrase).
DPZ coDesign’s plan to house their “Bento Cabins” in a parking lot.
I wonder what the housing equivalent of food trucks will look like. Would we be OK with temporary mobile home parks in the parking lots of closed-down big box stores? I’d argue this isn’t a distant future for the Wal-Mart parking lot in Boulder, which I wrote about a few months ago. In McGuirk’s book, he has another example where architects were able to revolutionize a favela in Brazil just by using marking paint to mark out city blocks among the sprawl (the re-introduction of streets created visible, safer public spaces). What if we do the same to the parking lot in Boulder- mark out plots of land and give people living in their vehicles some (admittedly bare-bones,) structure?
In the past, the city of Seattle experimented with regulating tent cities. Photo Seattle Times.
I know, because I have the same gut reaction: this is America. Living in a DIY-trailer park in an abandoned mega parking lot shouldn’t be the reality of life for a family. And yet, it’s probably better than living in one of the underpass tent cities all too common in Portland. It’s also probably better than living in the parking lot where doing so is illegal. In 10 minutes I found a 5th wheel trailer on Craigslist for $8000: this is housing a family could rent-to-own instead of trying to win the nightly homeless shelter lottery. What are we going to tell the 12,500 houseless people currently building their own tent cities in Seattle, that we should wait until we can provide them with higher-quality housing? At some point, isn’t something better than nothing? Is it more disrespectful to provide someone with sub-standard housing, or to continue to allow them to exist without any housing at all?
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