Lovely #goldfilled raw #amethyst #ring heading out to its owner today 💍🛫📮#rawgemstone #semipreciousstone #jewlery #trinidad #caribbean #buylocal #handmade #handmadejewelry
“Throughout history, most mainstream religions have perpetuated extreme violence upon the world. To attempt to paint Islam as the problem is no better than labeling all Catholics murders for the inquisition.
But peace and empathy are enemies to the establishment who need you to hate others. When the establishment can paint things as black and white, it is easier for you to be controlled. Consequently, this is the exact mission of ISIS.
As the Free Thought Project’s Jay Syrmopolous points out, if there is one thing that Islamic fundamentalists and Islamophobic fascists agree on, it’s that there should be no “gray zone;” only black and white.”
I didn’t eat dinner cause I was in the studio kind of late plus I wasn’t really feeling hungry. And now I’m really hungry and all I can think about is all the stuff we have to eat but Chris is all cuddled up on me and sleeping and I don’t wanna wake him which I will if I get up. So I’ll just lie here and starve for love. If I don’t make it, know that I died for a good cause.
Went to a lime, ate food, drank rum, and all was well until I tried this Venezuelan rum one of the guys brought and promptly got sick and emptied the contents of my stomach (in the privacy of the bathroom thank god).
I was fine after that. But I feel so tired. 17 was home by his mom and wanted badly to get out of the house, so Chris picked him up and they went out to hang while I am happily in bed. I didn’t have to stamina to go with them and I think sometimes it’s nice for Chris just to spend time with the boys alone.
Honestly though, what the hell was wrong with that rum? I feel like I drank all the pain and struggle of the people who were making it and my body was like, er no, and made me get rid of it. That’s my theory anyway, and I’m sticking to it. I’m sensitive like that.
Anderson Cooper saving a boy in Haiti during a shooting. A slab of concrete was dropped of the boys head.
Anderson fucking Cooper, everyone.
Some journalists like to be strictly observers. they don’t intervene, they don’t participate. they just document what they see, even if what they see is terrible. But the way I see it, journalists don’t exist in a vacuum. They are human beings, living and working in a very human environment. And that humanity is essential in relating to their stories. When you lose your humanity, you lose any kind of journalistic integrity you have left.
#nevernotreblog
this is the guy who found out one of his ancestors was killed by one of his slaves and was like “he had it coming”
Serial killers tend to wear the skin and hair of their victims.
Next its making their noses wider and flatter
Wasn’t the bustle invented by Victorians to keep the “Gentlemen” from chasing African Women.
Correct
Wow
If I’m not mistaken the figure on the left was a plaster of her actual body as well .
Of course the info is a bit “sweet” (white ) washed .
Saartjie Baartman (more commonly known as Sarah or Sara Baartman) was born in the 1770s in the Gamtoos Valley of South Africa in the Eastern Cape province. In 1810, she went to England with her employer, a free black man (a Cape designation for someone of slave descent) called Hendrik Cesars, and William Dunlop, a Scottish doctor who worked at the Cape slave lodge.[1] They sought to show her for money on the London stage. Sara Baartman spent four years on stage in England and Ireland. Early on, her treatment on the Picadilly stage caught the attention of British abolitionists, who argued that her performance was indecent and that she was being forced to perform against her will. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of her exhibition after Dunlop produced a contract made between himself and Baartman. It is doubtful that this contract was valid: it was probably produced for the purposes of the trial.[1][4] Cesars left the show and Dunlop continued to display Baartman in country fairs. Baartman also moved to Manchester where she was baptized as Sarah Bartmann. In 1814, after Dunlop’s death, a man called Henry Taylor brought Baartman to Paris. He sold her to an animal trainer, S. Reaux, who made her amuse onlookers who frequented the Palais-Royal. Georges Cuvier, founder and professor of comparative anatomy at the Museum of Natural History examined Baartman as he searched for proof of a so-called missing link between animals and human beings. Baartman’s body became the foundation for racist science. Baartman lived in poverty, and died in Paris of an undetermined inflammatory disease in December 1815. After her death, Cuvier dissected her body, and displayed her remains. For more than a century and a half, visitors to the Museum of Man in Paris could view her brain, skeleton and genitalia as well as a plaster cast of her body. Her remains were returned to South Africa in 2002 and she was buried in the Eastern Cape on South Africa’s Women’s Day.[1][5]
South Africa had to fight to get her body back for years until they finally got it back in 2002.
Let that sink.
🗣🗣Her DEAD BODY WAS on display from the 1800s to 2002 . ( skeleton , vagina , brain and other organs )
so my dad fixes hot tubs for a living which means he goes to people’s houses and has all these crazy stories, but he has some regular customers that really like him. he’s also basically a dog whisperer, so every customer’s dog loves him (even ones that are usually “dangerous”). recently, my family’s little poodle elphie died from breast cancer, and it really hit my dad hard. he doesn’t show his emotions outwardly but it’s been really tough for him lately. apparently, he went to this one regular customer’s house that has a big black lab, a pedigree dog that they use for breeding. usually the dog is really friendly with him, but this time he got there and the dog was howling and whimpering, and ran right up to him and started nuzzling into his lap. he started talking to her owner, and she talked about how the dog just had puppies, and because she’s a regular customer she knew my family had a dog, too, so she asked about elphie. my dad had to tell her that elphie just died, and he got a little choked up. as he talked about our dog, the lab noticed and started to nuzzle and push him, and him and the owner were really confused, so he let the dog push him. she ended up leading him to her newborn puppies and pushing him to hold them. the owner was really surprised because the dog wouldn’t even let HER near the puppies, let alone touch them. somehow this dog knew my dad was hurting for our dog and wanted to make him feel better by being with other dogs. i’ve just…never heard of anything so pure in my life.
I’ve never read Lolita. The whole concept of the story always repelled me. I was never a “precocious” teen and the idea of a man old enough to be my father being my lover always felt gross to me. As an adult I just find it disgusting and disturbing. So I guess I’ll just never read it.
Today my inspiration was the ocean 🌊 I wanted to recreate the movement of the water, waves, sea foam. I’m really happy with the results! #enamel #earrings #ocean #waves #seafoam #jewelry #trinidad #caribbean http://ift.tt/2lt5nef
I used a piece of scrap metal to try to recreate the shoreline at the beach. Now I’m kind of upset that I didn’t bore a hole in it before I created it. It would have made a really nice pendant. Good thing I’m diligent about taking notes I can recreate it! http://ift.tt/2ltatas
This Valentine’s Day with be the fourth anniversary of my father’s death. I can’t believe it’s been four years already. It feels like just yesterday. Well except for in my heart. I’m not angry or sad anymore.
I’ve found that as I get more distance from his death, I need to distract myself with Valentine’s Day celebrations less. This year we’re just doing dinner, no gifts. And really it’s just an excuse to eat out at a restaurant. I take it as a sign of healing that I’m not fussed at all this year. Or maybe I’m just lazy.
The book that I was reading that I thought might have been a cheesy romance turned out to be a book about domestic violence.
What I really liked about it was that it showed how women in these relationships can, despite being incredibly vigilant about the signs, still end up in them. And also it was very humanizing. It showed both the victim and the perpetrator not as stupid or bad people but simply human beings who had both found themselves caught up in a cycle that neither of them wanted. Most importantly it showed how hard that cycle is to break.
There’s been a lot of conversation about domestic violence in Trinidad lately, and it’s very hurtful to me how little compassion people have for women who find themselves in these relationships, worse yet for those who stay. I was the last person I ever thought would end up in one, and yet I did, to my shock, find myself married to a man who it turned out was abusive. If it can happen to me then it can happen to anyone.
It was in a way, healing to read a book like that, that showed from the inside, that abuse is not a 24 hour thing. That it often surprises both the victim and perpetrator alike. That it can happen to all walks of life. And that it can happen in a relationship where two people truly and deeply love each other.
Apparently when I wake up early I clean. Yesterday it was straightening out the Tupperware (it wasn’t actual Tupperware but you know) cupboard and this morning I decided the apartment needed mopping.
Well this is kinda nice. Early morning Natasha has freed me up from chores for the rest of the day!
“Tonight, Eisenberg and a small group of friends will take up the mantle and read King’s speech on C Street NE, right outside McConnell’s home.
“We felt he should have listened to it last night on the Senate floor, and since he wouldn’t listen to it last night, we will read it to him tonight,” says Eisenberg, a lawyer in her 60s whose practice represents non-profits. Though she’s participated in protests before, including the Women’s March and another recent rally, this is the first time Eisenberg is helping lead the charge.
It started with another friend’s comment on Facebook, saying women should read King’s letter to McConnell at his own abode. The conversation grew from there.
Eisenberg asked if anyone knew where the Senate majority leader lives. Somebody did. She asked if anyone had a bullhorn. Someone else had one.”
This feature is part of #MadeToCreate, a series highlighting our community of entrepreneurs, makers and artisans on Instagram.
(This interview was translated from Japanese.)
Three days — that’s how long it takes Tomoro Mizuno (@tomoro.m) to create one small bowl or sake cup. “It takes about eight hours to make the pattern alone,” he says. Tomoro makes nerikomi pottery, a centuries-old technique that consists of coloring white clay with different oxides and minerals (nerikomi means “kneading” in Japanese) and carefully laying strips into patterns that appear when you slice the clay slab laterally. “My father and grandfather also made nerikomi pottery, so I’ve seen it since I was young,” says Tomoro, who studied pottery and woodworking in school and gradually moved to work full time from his studio in Seto, Japan. He has a steady sale of his intricate designs of wildflowers, pandas and human faces, but it’s still exciting to see people engage with his creations. “I’m always surprised when people have such a reaction to my work,” says Tomoro.
I opened my studio door this afternoon to find two brown doves flying frantically back and forth. I opened the remaining windows for them and closed the door. An hour later they hadn’t found their way out and all attempts to help were futile. So… I may have just acquired two studio mascots.
I was just wondering why I was so hungry and then I realised I had breakfast super early this morning.
I have an order to mail off and I think I’ll pick up some sushi on my way home. I’m really not in the mood to cook anything that can’t be done with minimal effort. Bleh.
I’m gonna finish the rest of my illustrations this afternoon.
I’m in the mood to paint this week. I can’t because I have actual work to do though. Unlike with jewelry, where I just get in my studio and make stuff, a lot of times I struggle with what to paint even when I feel like doing it. But today I have a clear picture and I don’t have time to work on it. Steups.
I got up at 5 this morning and realised quickly that I wasn’t going back to sleep. I think I was a little hyped up by a very vivid flying dream I was having.
Anyway I decided to make myself some tea and somehow that ended up with me reorganizing the cupboard where we keep all our plastic containers. So now it’s nice and neat and I have a bunch of stray containers I’m going to have to sneak out of the house because Chris never likes to throw away anything.
I’m going to ease into my morning and avoid the news today cause who needs the damn stress? Happy Hump Day y’all!
Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart. Be the one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.
For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that ‘unless you love yourself, no one else will love you’ …The truth is, you cannot love yourself unless you have been loved and are loved. The capacity to love cannot be built in isolation.
When you are with the wrong person, you always feel like you are asking for too much. When you are with the right person, you don’t have to ask for much at all.
“The first of its kind, the findings of the Good Hair Study are striking, revealing data that illuminate a pervasive problem women of color were always aware of and have dealt with personally. As expressed by black women throughout the centuries, the research confirms that they experience more anxiety surrounding hair issues than their white female counterparts, and often feel more pressure to straighten their hair for work. Furthermore, across all demographics, the study suggests that “a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their hair,” with white women in particular being the worst offenders.
Thankfully, though, it also showed that disdain for natural hair is merely a result of societal conditioning and can effectively be changed with more exposure to positive visual representation via mainstream and social media.“
There’s a song that’s been proven
to reduce anxiety by 65%. It’s called
Weightless by Macaroni Union, and it
was specifically designed to slow your
heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and
lower cortisol levels. It’s so effective
that it’s dangerous to drive while
listening to it because it
can make you drowsy. SourceSource 2Source 3
Sound therapists and Manchester band Marconi Union compiled the song. Scientists played it to 40 women and found it to be more effective at helping them relax than songs by Enya, Mozart and Coldplay.
Weightless works by using specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as ‘entrainment’. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm.
Dr David Lewis, one of the UK’s leading stress specialists said: “‘Weightless’ induced the greatest relaxation – higher than any of the other music tested. Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for processing sound but also ones associated with emotions.”
The study – commissioned by bubble bath and shower gel firm Radox Spa – found the song was even more relaxing than a massage, walk or cup of tea. So relaxing is the tune, apparently, that people are being Rex advised against listening to it while driving.
The top 10 most relaxing tunes were: 1. Marconi Union – Weightless 2. Airstream – Electra 3. DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix) 4. Enya – Watermark 5. Coldplay – Strawberry Swing 6. Barcelona – Please Don’t Go 7. All Saints – Pure Shores 8. AdelevSomeone Like You 9. Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria 10. Cafe Del Mar – We Can Fly
One of the comments suggests pairing it with Rainymood.
I had an illustration job to do today. It was a lot of work but also so much fun. Plus it’s nice to take a day out of the messy studio and sit on the bed and work for a change.
Chris is taking me for a drink. Oh there he is gotta go!
Let’s not fight what we fear, let’s just show up for what we love.
Yesterday, I went shopping at Homegoods with my mom for some interior decorations and a few gifts. And what do you know: Buddha’s heads, either in brass and sold as “antique” or dipped in bright neon paint. My mom shook her head in disapproval and laughed. This really got my mind thinking that shoppers have literally no clue what these statues’ heads are really about.
This really got my mind thinking about that Thai movie “Ong-Bak“ about how a group of thieves decapitated a Buddha statue’s head & how a Muay Thai skilled warrior volunteered to return it before it is sold in the black market. Cutting off that religious statue’s head is seen as an act of vandalism & violence. It is one of the utmost disrespectful marks one could do in the religion. The original heads were stolen from respected places of worship. Cutting off Buddha statues’ heads have been happening for who-knows-how-long originally by greedy thieves.
And now they are replicated into fashion statements or interior decorating. They really have such a dark history behind them that nearly a lot of people had forgotten. (None of those pictures belong to me.)
The Buddha bust, usually in a faux Thai or Indonesian style, is one of the ugliest and most ignorant bourgeois accoutrements one can posses. Not only is it a bland and obvious attempt to purchase the appearance of spiritual depth, its presence immediately belies a total ignorance of the context and history of Buddhist images themselves! A severed Buddha head, plundered from Borobudur, in the corner of a gentleman’s study is a romantic relic from a bygone age when the world considered genocide and forced military conquest a viable means of affairs. To keep a stolen cultural artifact as a trophy is to deny a sovereign people access to their own cultural heritage to satisfy one’s own ego. That the idea of the severed Buddha head as decoration flourishes today is a disappointing remainder that the aesthetics marketed towards the middle class are a cheaper version of those objects collected by the wealthy, further divorced from their original context.
The Buddha is not an accessory or a complement for your decor.
Reblogging for historical context I didn’t know about.
Sometimes people send me pictures of jewelry that I do not have the capacity to make, asking if I can make it for them. And I always wonder why they just don’t buy it from wherever they got the picture from. It’s usually stuff that doesn’t remotely resemble anything I make either. It’s not my style. I can’t make that. Why?
I met Shaka Hislop last night. I didn’t even recognize him so when we were introduced I shook his hand and then leaned in to hear his name and when he said Shaka I felt sort of stupid for not realizing it was him. He looks a lot younger in person. I was a little bit star struck I have to admit, I’ve always had a lot of admiration for him. And I don’t get star struck so, yeah. Anyway that was pretty cool.
Yesterday when I got that massage that worked the left side of my back? It had an unintended result. The right side of my back started hurting! I guess since the left side always does all the work (because scoliosis) and it took a vacation, the right had to work for a change. Man what I would give for a completely pain free day.
UpMarket was a wash today. I’ve never seen sales this low. I’d have been better off staying home.
However there were these people giving massages today and they gave all the vendors a discount. I got a back massage from this nice young man, a trainee. I told him where to concentrate and he did a really good job. My back feels great!
So small good things right? We have another hour before we pack up, rush home to get ready for Saints fete.
I have my first UpMarket of the year tomorrow. After such a hectic Christmas season it was really nice having that break. I’m not mentally prepared for it.
We have a fete to go to right after. Get home, bathe, change and go out again. That’s gonna suck.
I went shopping yesterday for the first time in years. I normally just buy everything online cause that’s how much I hate shopping, but I didn’t have enough time to order anything for Saturday. I got one top. Surprisingly it wasn’t a horrible experience. Oddly enough most of the clothes were too big. Steups.
I spoke to a friend that I was feeling pissed off at and told her honestly how I felt. It was good to get it off my chest. She agreed with what I said and apologized. I feel grateful I waited to talk to her so I wasn’t so angry anymore. It took me a month. I would have gotten over it sooner but she kept pissing me over and over again.
Cause I finished in the studio around six. But I had some stuff running around in my head and went back in for two hours at about 8 and now I’m so wired I can’t begin to sleep.
…the older I get, the more I see how women are described as having gone mad, when what they’ve actually become is knowledgeable and powerful and fucking furious.
Today marks the beginning of Black History Month and to kick it off, Google’s Doodle honors Mary Edmonia “Wildfire” Lewis.
Lewish was a black Native American sculptor whose works earned her international fame and recognition in the art world.
In 2002, Lewis was named one of the 100 Greatest African-Americans in a biographical encyclopedia by Molefi Kete Asante, a professor of African-American studies at Temple University. Read more
1: Are you named after someone? Nope. My Dad just really liked the name Natasha
2: When was the last time you cried? Watching the movie Lion two days ago.
3: Do you like your handwriting? Yeah I have nice handwriting. Not the quick chicken scratch I use when jotting down notes but my cursive is really nice.
4: What is your favorite lunch meat? Corned beef yo Trini staple
5: Do you have kids? Nope. Step kids but they treat me more like a cool aunt. They’re big men now.
6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Yeah definitely although given my reticence I’m not sure how we’d make it happen
7: Do you use sarcasm? It only my main form of communication
8: Do you still have your tonsils? Nope
9: Would you bungee jump? Yeah why not. Check it off the list.
10: What is your favorite kind of cereal? Weetabix (no for real lol)
11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yeeeaaaahhhh?
12: Do you think you’re a strong person? I think I am. I think for the most part I’ve stood up and met life’s challenges.
13: What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate ripple.
14: What is the first thing you notice about people? Their energy
15: Red or pink? Red. Pink is nice but red suits my personality
16: What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? I was gonna say my thighs but you know, I can work on that. What I can’t do is straighten my spine. If I could be free of pain I’d be a really happy camper.
17: What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? No pants no shoes yay!
18: What was the last thing you ate? A chicken sandwich
19: What are you listening to right now? The sound of the air conditioner
20: If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Deep royal purple
21: Favorite smell? Dude food. Any food. Means I’m getting fed.
22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? My mother in law. I called to wish her happy birthday.
23: Favorite sport to watch? None I’m not into sports.
24: Hair color? In it’s natural state? Silver and dark brown.
25: Eye color? Brown. Just… brown
26: Do you wear contacts? Nope
27: Favorite food to eat? Italian. Or sushi
28: Scary movies or comedy? I think both are difficult to make well but if the quality is up there, I’ll take a scary movie. But it has to be REALLY good.
29: Last movie you watched? Lion
30: What colour of shirt are you wearing? Teal
31: Summer or winter? I live in a perpetual summer so I guess I’ll take winter. Depends on where though. Mildish winter is nice.
32: Hugs or kisses? If I have to choose, hugs.
33: What book are you currently reading?The Lost City of the Monkey God,
34: Who do you miss right now? No one really.
35: What is on your mouse pad? Don’t have one. I use my laptop.
36: What is the last TV program you watched? Jane the Virgin
37: What is the best sound? Babies giggiling
38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles? More of a Beatles fan but the Stones are great
39: What is the furthest you have ever travelled? Well… I guess that’s kind of a relative question. I mean, from where? Europe, Hawaii, Chile… they’re all far from where I am so I’m not sure.
40: Do you have a special talent? I have lots of special talents.
Tribal leadership of Tohono O’odham Nation in southern
Arizona said they won’t support a border wall project on their land.
Part of their reservation extends into Mexico and covers 75 miles of the
international border.
The tribe’s chairman and vice chair said the plan was always to try
to work with whoever holds the office of the United States President.
But, they added, it’s still too early to tell exactly how Donald Trump’s
administration will impact the tribe.
Vice Chairman Verlon Jose explained tribal members have traversed
their ancestral land since time immemorial, and a wall of any sort would
not be supported by the community.
“Over my dead body will a wall be built,” Jose said, describing some
community members’ sentiments. “I don’t wish to die but I do wish to
work together with people so we can truly protect the homeland of this
place they call the United States of America. Not only for our people
but for the American people.”
We need more stories like this to be revealed. These “Hidden Figures” we never knew about have done so much that we can’t even imagine. And noone knows about them! People need to know their heroes. This is one more story , where we see the miracle when a black person is given a chance to shine. Incredible story. I want a movie about this ,too.
These were a nice idea that was unfortunately not well executed. I think I overfired the second layer of clear fusing and it came out cloudy. I also think two layers was too much as it filled in all the texture and no longer had that tactile quality. I think I’ll remake these tomorrow. Crossing fingers I’ll get it right.
I had some so-so results in the studio today (some pieces are still not finished also) but this was one of my successes. I think they’d look better with silver ear hooks but I’m out of that gauge wire so gold it is. I think I’m gonna list these in my Etsy shop. #lilypad #earrings #enamel #copper #turquoise
Our internet’s been down all day. Weird how I feel like I can’t do anything without it. Things that don’t require internet at all.
I took the day off work today. I wasn’t feeling well and this migraine is doing things to me. I left the house to mail out an order but I’ve spent most of the day in bed NOT streaming Netflix. Luckily I had some episodes of Scandal I downloaded months ago so I’m catching up.
I’m gonna go put some potatoes to bake cause right now that’s all I want. It’s that time of the month and I wanna live in carb city.
soulsistrin 