Bag Lady

I really don't want to be that bag lady. I really don't want to check any bags this Friday. I need your help, if anyone actually is reading this? *crickets*

If anyone has flown recently, can I get away with this larger suitcase as a carry-on or am I stuck with the smaller one?

Great Journeys Books

I was reading a blog I love, when I came across a posting for a book series called Great Journeys. Aside from their collective aesthetic value, I would really enjoy reading books from this series. I am a sucker for a good travel book or stories from around the world. They're only 10$ each and about 100 pages. I wish I had known about these sooner so I could take a couple to the Bahamas!

Black Children with Blonde Hair and Crocodile Scars

In Melanesia (also referred to as the Black South Pacific?), a sub-region of Oceania, there are black people with blonde hair. This is seen more frequently in children. Click here for an article about the blondism trait in genetics and some theories on the isolation of this occurence.


Photo Credit-John Friedlander



Found at this link




Found here.


I saw this interesting episode of Taboo on National Geographic about Rites of Passage. Featured were boys from Papua New Guinea who "become men" through having their skin cut thousands of times to then heal and scar over to resemble the flesh of the crocodile. The boys featured were aged 14-18 years old, and they must go through with this ritual to be considered men. One man interviewed said villagers will refer to a boy/man who has not gotten cut as a man-woman. It is said the blood from the cuts represents the bleeding out of the mother's essence, so that all that is left is manhood. Below is video from the show. If you are squeamish, then sweet, minty Jesus don't watch it. Also, NSFW.



I would love to learn more about the Oceania region of the world, so I gotsta find some good reading material.

Death Rituals

Click here for the 5 Creepiest Death Rituals, courtesy of cracked.com. I just LOVE the one where Hindi widows throw themselves on the funeral pyre to be burned alive with their husband's corpse. (/sarcasm.)

Indifference Is One of the Worst Forms of Cruelty

Wow. Two Roma/Gypsy girls drowned in Italy, and their bodies were covered with towels, waiting for police collection. Italian beach-goers were photographed going about their own beachy-business; indifferent to the CORPSES LAYING RIGHT THERE! There is apparantly tension between Italians and the Roma/Gypsy minorities (many who are illegal immigrants).

How does this even work though? Even if some Italians hate Gypsies, how did they know that those bodies were Gypsy girls? Or did they just not care either way and refused to let dead bodies interrupt their merry day?! Did the Italians go up and look under the towel and said Gypsies! Bah! And then go back to sun-bathing? Did they sun-bathe and someone informed them that there were dead Gypsies? My mind is boggled. What hurts more than random sunbathers/onlookers is the fact that the bodies weren't at least cordoned off in some fashion---this part is where thoughts of racism/discrimination really seep in.

Here is an interesting excerpt from the events:

In a statement published on its Web site, the Italian civil liberties group EveryOne said Saturday's drowning had occurred in an atmosphere of "racism and horror" and cast doubt on the reported version of events, suggesting that it appeared unusual for the four girls to wade into the sea, apparently casting modesty aside and despite being unable to swim.
"The most shocking aspect of all this is the attitude of the people on the beach," the statement said. "No one appears the slightest upset at the sight and presence of the children's dead bodies on the beach: they carry on swimming, sunbathing, sipping soft drinks and chatting."

Click here for the full article from CNN.

Cat-Oh It's Like That?

This was peeped over at the blog of Qucifer. The music. The cat's expression at the end. I can't.

National Geographic-Places of a Lifetime

National Geographic has compiled a list of places of a lifetime; cities all curious travelers should consider. They include very detailed information and amazing photos of each place. Here are my favorites from the list (click the destination name for info about it):

Amsterdam
Budapest
Istanbul
Moscow
New York

Click here for the full list.

Pampers Commercial

Dudes, I told my husband that I thought this commercial was kind of racist a while ago, but I don't think he saw it at the time. Click here for the Sociological Images website's take on it. The website states some of the same issues I had with the commercial: The Western white woman is envisioning all the Asian, Black, Middle Eastern, and Latin babies she will be saving by purchasing Pampers. Just disregard all those other races/ethnicities that are just as representative as the white woman of the United States. Oh, and of course there aren't any white babies from any other poor or developing countries in need of the magical life-saving powers of Pampers-purchasing. Don't forget to show the babies and mothers the white woman will be saving in "native attire" for the most dramatic effect!

Sociological Images also brings up something else important. Why can't these companies just buy life-saving vaccines or other *insertgoodcausehere*? Why do we have to buy their junk to have a portion go toward the vaccines?

Food Suicides-California Raisins

My friend Alex mentioned another food suicide to me: The California Raisins. This is especially twisted because the Raisins sing about how good they are. I bet it is cutthroat in the Raisin world. One Raisin messes up on a note, and game over. Eat or get ate for real.

Click here for my original Food Suicides post.

A Murder....

Did you know that a group of crows is called a Murder of crows? True story.

Oh, and this fact just makes the movie, The Birds even more awesome.

The Meaning of Safari

Did you know that Safari actually means journey in Swahili? True story!

Tidbits

I've been busy moving to my new place of residence and everything that is involved with that. Why is it that when you hang a shower curtain and liner up (especially when you're already tired at the end of the day), you feel like you really accomplished/defeated something? Or is it just me? I felt so powerful when that last hook was snapped, don't take my victory away dammit! Lol.
I also had jury duty this week. I got called to a panel and went to the Criminal building, but our case accepted a plea. I would love to go up there on a free day to see how things work and the procedures. It was so interesting to me to see lawyers walking around with their notes, defendants, crying families, and etc.
Anyhoo, without further ado, I present you with tidbits of information that caught my attention this week (For non-bloggers, click on the link where the font is a different color):

Wyclef Jean supports and promotes programs for Haiti to help the country get back on it's feet. This is so much more important than just pumping in aid. You have to put the helping opportunities in the hands of the people and have them work for themselves and each other instead of just accepting handout.
Click here for a website of an orphanage in Haiti that is taking significant strides to help children of Haiti who could not be raised by their own parents. You can donate money for food; it goes directly to the children. It also has a section for adoption.

15 African immigrants die trying to reach Spain, many of them children.

Essential information on making sure women save enough money for retirement.

Lettuce wraps. Yum, and more lettuce wrap recipes.

Upcoming Journey-Nassau, Bahamas

I will be traveling to Nassau for a family reunion in the beginning of August. This branch of my family tree (paternal grandmother) can be traced back to 1800, to the original three men/family names. Two were from Scotland; one was from England. Unfortunately of course, the African part of the family cannot be traced as far back. Anyhoo, here is what I want to and/or will see and/or do:

1. National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
2. Family Banquet/Entertainment
3. Family Beach Picnic
4. Family Dinner Cruise/Entertainment
5. Offer souls to Sun-god on the beaches of Paradise Island
6. Sunset at the Cloisters
7. Birding tour?
8. Emancipation Day Celebration

Shopping will be sprinkled liberally throughout the days I'm sure.

Things I Need Before Nassau/Things I Want To Get In Nassau
Restaurants

Natacha Atlas: When I Close My Eyes

I saw this video while watching my newest favorite TV show---NatGeo Music. They play music videos from around the world from about 2-5 am. This is definitely going on my world music playlist on the IPOD. How can you not groove to this? Also, the video is very dreamy.

Natacha Atlas is a world singer in the true sense of the term. She is a Belgian singer with Moroccan, Egyptian, Palestinian ancestry, and Muslim and Jewish roots, she is multilingual and her music is a very nice reflection and fusion of this. Her Wikipedia page alone makes me want to learn more about her. Here is her Myspace.

Advertising Cannibalism

This is something that has disturbed me since childhood; just ask my mother. I hate when I see advertising that has the product being promoted by the same damn product. Case in point: James Coney Island.Why is the hot dog promoting eating a hot dog?! And why is he rubbing his hot dog tummy?! Why is he even alive?! This is sick.

Another example is the Kool-Aid man.

Why is he always so crunk about giving away his life force?! I assume if all those happy-ass kids he's always partying with (by the way, where are the parents? I am not ok with my kids randomly partying with a grown-ass ALIVE pitcher who just destroyed my home by busting through the walls.....but I digress) actually drank all the Kool-Aid inside him that he would shrivel up and start to convulse and die a horrible death of dehydration. That, I imagine, would be very traumatizing for children to see.

I also hate animal shaped food. This goes for Goldfish crackers (why is the goldfish in that link wearing sunglasses? Does it think it's cool to advertise yourself to be eaten?), Animal Crackers, smiley-face sandwiches, and so on. This may explain why I always hated seafood. Oh, and Gummi Bears and Gummi Worms? That is sick. As I come across more images, I will be updating this topic. Gross.

Infinity Blue

I've been infatuated with blue lately. Turquoise, teal, that sort of infinity blue. Majorelle blue (as celebrated in Marrakech). These blues invoke the ocean, peaceful sky, relaxation, and just a general satisfaction with life to me. I dream of waking up in a restful, peaceful, sensual, cocoonish Majorelle/cobalt blue bedroom.....like this one:

I want teal/turquoise for my living room walls, so friendly but not overwhelming....something like this wall color:

This penchant for peaceful, serene, tranquil, jewel-box blues is seeping into everything I covet including drinkware:

Pier 1 Imports

Target