Inuit, Tattoos: 'This is so powerful:' Kitikmeot women revive traditional Inuit tattoos by Juanita Taylor, CBC NewsIndigenous people are bringing back sacred practices that were forbidden by Christian missionaries a century ago, and it is wonderful. They're learning and sharing the traditional hand-poke and skin-stitching tattoo methods, too, and ( Read more... )

Mental Illness, Disability, Language: The Forks Model of Disability at Thing of Things

The spoons model is an excellent model. However, in thinking about my own mental illness, I have discovered that it is, in fact, the exact opposite of how my mental illness works. Therefore, I have decided to coin the forks model ( Read more... )

Hawaii, Hula, Science: Hula competitors avoid iconic flower because of fungus by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher

After the terrible way many scientists approached the thirty meter telescope at Mauna Kea, it was really interesting to see how the forestry scientists handled this situation.

People going into the forests to harvest the blossoms and leaves ( Read more... )

Critics, Diversity, Whitewashing: Chaz Ebert: Where Are All the Diverse Voices in Film Criticism?

It is not enough to have reviewers who understand how to discuss film. We need reviewers who can speak deeply and with nuance because of their lived experiences. The trusted voices in film criticism should be diverse ambassadors who have access to the ( Read more... )

Cuba: Going Home for the First Time: A Return to Cuba by Monica Castillo.

Going to Cuba, I heard plenty from others who had been there before: the people are wonderful and it is a land stuck in time; be sure to get pictures of the cars and cigars! I'm glad visitors like the Cuban people--they may be talking about my family after all--but they're ( Read more... )

Jeopardy, Racism: Life in Jeopardy! I assumed that I was selected for the Teen Tournament because I’m black by Alexis Stephens over at Rookie Mag is a really interesting, emotional piece about how it felt being a teen contestant on Jeopardy.

At the open call, I was granted an audition in front of the show’s producers. Looking around the room, I ( Read more... )

Yosemite, Trademarks: Yosemite Changing The Names Of Popular Park Landmarks Following The Most Ridiculous Trademark Dispute Ever by Mike Masnick at TechDirt is absolutely ridiculous. Basically, a concession provider ended up owning registered trademarks used throughout Yosemite, and when Yosemite started accepting bids from different concession ( Read more... )

Death, Grieving, SOLANIN: "Reading SOLANIN Helped Me with the Death of My Grandmother" at Panels is really touching and a little painful.

Solanin, at least for me in that moment, wasn’t about any of that. It was a single chapter, chapter five, that hit me the hardest. My grandmother passed away from stomach cancer and had been suffering from ( Read more... )

One of the things I'm working on in 2016 is clearing digital clutter. It surprises me just how difficult it can be to unsubscribe or delete a bookmark or remove a blog from my reading list. My life has changed in gigantic (sometimes terrible, sometimes wonderful) ways over the past few years, and some things just aren't pertinent to my interests or ( Read more... )