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maximinnieandme · 3 years ago

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Over the last two weeks of cooler quiet, my mind is starting to bring some of this whole big journey into something I can see. Some things in the foreground and some things in a background.

Since August last year, I’ve dropped out of any obligatory use of my time or my days. Most days now, I need to use my phone to see what day of the week it is. And three out of five times I’m wrong when I’m asked for the date.

I don’t feel one bit bad about this. In fact, I delight in it. What difference does it make when I’m off the grid, outside the trance of authoritarian capitalism? Time is what I used to sell. Now it’s become something that I give away, quite deliberately, when I give it. And when I don’t give it, I relish every moment of personal solitude.

It’s been decades since I wore a watch. I tell time by the light, through all the seasons. That ability has been one of the most precious gifts of photography as I have used it to practice observation.

It’s come clear of late, though, that Maxi is just too small to be a healthy long-term home for me. I need to move around more than I can inside of her when the weather is difficult and that’s making me want to take a rest from the road. I need to walk more, swim more, bike more, dance more, make prints and draw again, and cook things for which I need a bigger kitchen.

Maxi is a made-to-order, super-solid traveling vehicle and it’s time for me to pass her on to another woman who’s ready to make her pilgrimage in a pandemic. Or whatever kind of pilgrimage she needs to make and take her bedroom with her. She’s a perfect place to drive, live and sleep in until you decide what more you want do.

Maxi is also perfectly equipped to be a temporary home - with all the necessary furnishings and appliances - for a single parent who wants to live off-grid most of the time (and travel sometimes) with a couple of small kids.

She’s equipped to support human off-grid life most or all the time. She can capture and store days worth of sustainable solar electric power and store it in three 100-amp-hour lithium batteries. Her inverter is a power-house! She’s got a brand-new on-demand propane hot water heater to conserve water and also deliver it hot when you need it.

Her powerful Ford 450 engine, as strong as a team of draft horses, has been well cared for by her previous owners and me while it’s just gotten broken in. The engine has been used for than 35K miles. Her Onan generator has barely 420 hours use. She stores up to 55 gallons of fresh water that you can use for drinking, cooking, bathing and dishwashing instead of flushing it down a toilet. She’s got an 8-month-old water pump. Her holding tanks both carry just gray-water that you can quickly and easily dump with no mess because instead of a gross, problematic home-style type of toilet, Maxi has a CHead eco-friendly, easy and elegant composting toilet. (My entire experience with this kind of toilet has made me a lifetime advocate of composting toilets! They’re so easy and they waste no water. I want to put them in any stationary home I occupy.)

Besides all this functional stuff, I equipped Maxi’s bedroom-in-the-back with a luxurious three-layered non-petroleum memory foam RV King mattress on which I’ve had the best nights’ sleep of my life, even parked behind a Cracker Barrel on an Interstate highway.

Maxi was made when boutique RV-manufacturers still made RVs out of real wood on strong metal frames. She’s built to last.

Her cabinets are deep and strong, with doors already equipped with shocks so you never have to worry about them flying open when you find yourself bouncing down a bad road. She has six deep overhead cabinets in the living room. In the kitchen, she’s got two deep overhead cabinets; another under the sink; three deep utensil and tool drawers; a Magic Chef 3-burner propane cooktop and oven; and a Samsung microwave.

In the bathroom she’s got a useful vertical tier of five shelves covered by a stay-put door next to the mirror and sink. She’s even got a built-in hamper for dirty clothes - right below the large clothes closet. Beneath the sink, there’s another cabinet and two deep drawers for whatever you need to keep in the bathroom; and three more drawers for towels or clothes. Across from the sink is a 3-sided sky-lighted glass shower equipped with an Oxygenics sprayer, the best water-saving power hand-held shower hose you can buy.

In the bedroom, Max has four deep square overhead cabinets, two additional small closets and three more deep drawers for clothes.

I replaced her older-style TV with a 12-volt flatscreen TV on a pull-out arm and installed both a regular TV antenna and a cell booster in the same cabinet. (I’ll be happy to show whoever buys her how I’ve been accessing the internet and streaming films to the TV using only my cell phone service which has freed me from worrying about lame campground Wi-Fi’s.)

She has some truly elegant conical sconce lights installed in the living room - which I really love. But I immediately replaced all their old-style power-pig bulbs with energy-saving LED bulbs. My dear friend, Dan, helped me remove the old-style carpet from the bedroom and the living room and replace it with some fine-looking neutral-greys-weathered-siding style laminate flooring that beautifully sets off the upholstery and neutral grey wallpaper.

Outside, Maxi has massive storage bays, where it’s been easy for me to store and access leveling blocks, power hook ups, water hoses, extra tools, cleaners, food, and anything else I wanted to bring for comfort or safety. She has a rack mounted on the back that I have used to carry Minnie, my fabulous e-bike. I’m keeping Minnie, but you can easily get your own ebike and mount it on the back to use for excursions and for quick trips to the store or the laundromat when it’s too much trouble to take the whole rig.

She’s been a fully reliable, top-functioning tiny home on wheels for me. (Tears are running down my face as I am writing this, I am so grateful for what a great RV she is.)

I haven’t had time yet to put together all I’ve learned traveling and living in her. And I can see that I need to get off the road to do that work.

It’s work I want to do now. Before there’s no time to do it.

So, as hard as it is to think about releasing the freedom of the road and letting her go, I know that’s what I need to do now. I need to be stationary for a bit, so I can funnel my mental energy into sharing what I’ve learned during this incredible post-wildfire pilgrimage.

What I mean saying I’m “getting close to getting back in the ring” is I can see that it’s time - in my time - to make myself a new space to live that is big enough for me to move around in more while I also concentrate on a reflection process. And I need to do this inside a set of prickly financial constraints. Okay. That’s what’s here to do. I need to maintain some kind of a legal residence in Oregon to keep my world class insurance, too.

I haven’t even counted how many photographs I’ve made on the road, but I know there are thousands. And hundreds and hundreds of written and voice notes in my iPhone and laptop that I haven’t shared because the daily process of living in a moving vehicle hasn’t left me enough energy to wipe the mud off the gems I’ve found.

I’m not going to stop driving Maxi tomorrow. Tomorrow’s Memorial Day and I’m still on the road. But I can see that the path ahead entails finding a sustainable way to live stationary again so I can corral and focus my energies.

The first steps in that direction will include finding a stationary home space I can enjoy and afford and then finding the right person(s) to pass Maxi on to. I don’t want to sell her to a dealer. I want to find the person(s) who need her for their pilgrimage in the second half of 2022 and beyond.

Wow! What a mouthful! God has been so good to me through the living hearts of everyone who has crossed my path after the Fire.

Will you please help me find the right person to pass Maxi on to?

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whatdoesshedotothem · 4 years ago

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Tuesday 3 November 1835

7 50

1 55

A- at Cliff Hill - ready in 50 minutes damp rainy morning F46° at 8 ¾ am downstairs reading in the north parlour till 12 last Quarterly Review finished article on English Lexicography - and read the articles on Barrow’s travels in Ireland, Cookes memoires of Lord Bolingbroke (much disapproved) and good and approving on Micalis’ history of ancient peoples of Italy - Had had Joseph Mann and Turner about springers stones to set on to the tail goit arching - Holt said 1/. per yard too much - said I could not therefore agree to give this - Turner would find them at this price if only to be 6in thick at the back .:. 1in. thick in front (being a foot broad) - but could not if they were to be according to Joseph Mann’s board model 9in thick at the back and 4in. in front (1ft. broad) - such springers delivered at the goit would be worth 1/11 per yard - ordered JM and T- beer and told them to go to Holt and to let me know what he said - the agreement to be made with him subject to my approval on the contrary -

SH:7/ML/E/18/0123

all the afternoon from 12 to 4 ¼ looking over Gentlemen’s magazine etc a few minutes with my father and Marian - about ¼ hour in the stables and farmyard then walked to Cliff Hill - would not sit down - merely staid 2 or 3 minutes - went to inquire after A- she seemed quite well - there and back from 4 40 to 6 ¾ - had Joseph Mann and Charles H- Holt not to be found - said I would wait this week out and then begin again at the Spiggs loose stopping - dressed - dinner at 7 10 Marian came in to me and stood talking till I had dined - coffee - read the newspaper - ¾ hour with my aunt till 9 50 - Letter 3 pages from lady VC- Brafield house wondering I had not written - ‘are you dead or alive? if dead, pray do not write to me, but if alive pray do, for it is more than an age since I have heard of or from you sometimes I think you are gone abroad, and if I get no letter within a week, I shall be confirmed in that opinion - aunt Stuart never mentions you, so I fancy you are equally communicative to her. Perhaps your aunt takes up much of your attention if her health is more declining than it was, your building occupies you too I dare say, but still, if you still love me, do snatch a quarter of an hour to write to me’ - Stupid but determined to write tonight so from ten to one - wrote 3 pages and ends and under the seal to Lady VC - none of it widely written the ends long and pretty close - very kind letter - ‘Shibden Hall Tuesday night 3 November 1835. My dearest Vere - a mixed feeling of shame and pleasure came over me as I opened the postbag, and took out your letter - I had been musing over my coffee (our Hastings coffee pot) and many a thought of Hastings had tenanted my mind - I used to have a custom of answering my letters immediately - you joked me out of it; and now I put off from day to day, dreaming what I will do, and seeming to forget even those whom I most constantly and affectionately remember - My 1st impulse is best, or I like it best, and when this is fitted away by too deliberate thinking, or too patient waiting, I am tame, and stupid and procrastinating - now while your pages of Sunday are fresh before me, I am determined to shew that I am yet alive, and neither sleeping nor slumbering over the host of recollections that the sight of your handwriting never fails to conjure up - It shall not be a week before you hear from me - ‘If you still love me, do snatch a quarter of an hour’ - enough - far more than enough - You shall not doubt my regard - at least, I cannot believe you will doubt it, because I cannot believe that you have so little penetration into human character as not to discern who are and who are not most subject to the ‘shadow of turning’ - the last three or four years must have swept from your remembrance a great deal, or you are still assured that you have your own place in my regard which time and circumstance seem to have little power to disturb - ‘Aunt Stuart never mentions you’ - this strikes me very much -I was going to say, I had a letter from her the other day - I see, it is a month since - I have all this while been perpetually thinking of writing to her, as I have been thinking of writing to you ever since my receipt of your 1st letter from Brafield house ‘Tuesday 1 September’! I was delighted with it’ ........ my aunt suffers a great deal - yet she may live over another winter - engrossed with my business concerns - difficult to make her (V-) understand them - laying out a great deal of money - in other ways than about the Inn - opening a new colliery - obliged to do this or let the coal be stolen - work as hard as I can to be the sooner at liberty in the event of the death of my aunt - ‘my spirits is impatient of confinement - I have much to see before I can sit down and tell you I have done - but I hope, and think to pay you more than one visit, somewhere, and surely the time will come when you and Donald, the elder and the younger, and Anne Louisa, cum multis aliis, will visit me at Shibden - It would delight me to have you all’..... wish I could go to them now while lady Stuart will be with them - but wishing vain - much pleased with V-‘s description of Brafield house - ‘I could not help exclaiming to myself It will cost me £10,000 to make Shibden equal to what I might have for £200 a year, with a clear atmosphere and no din of trade! But here is my native place and that of fourteen generations before me’ -.. ‘Miss Walker is with me’ -..... ask after V-‘s household - ‘I am interested in all about you - my maid left me unexpectedly on the 3rd ultimo - It is too late to inquire after the one you mentioned - I must have a clever, steady, fond-of-travelling person, if such is to be found - How Charlotte’s being at the Lodge would remind you of your own sojourn on the like occasion! How long will Louisa remain as she is? God bless you, my dearest Vere - Ever affectionately yours AL’ ‘Excuse my sending you this letter by the post - I want you to have it as soon as you can - Mr Fox [Maule] shall be put in requisition very shortly after I hear from you again.’ - F47 ¼° at 1 ¼ tonight - very rainy day

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youllneverknowrac · 5 years ago

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Oscar Diaz-Moody (pm)

For @alight-inmydarkness

2:56 pm

You decided to make a late lunch, the boys complaining about being hungry since one o’clock. You agreed to cook, deciding that it would help pass the time. You had music playing, Oscar sitting at the table smoking a blunt while Cesar sat on his phone.

“You two could help me out.” You say as you let the oil heat up in the pan, everything you would need set out on the counter,”You always talk about how you were such an amazing cook.” You tell Oscar

“I am, but now I got a girl that will cook my meals for me.” He smirks,”Cesar.” He whistles to get his attention,”Go help her, I’m busy.”

“You’re smoking, that’s not being busy.” The little Diaz reply’s as he gets up with a sigh,”What do you want me to do?”

“Peel the potatoes and mash them up for me.” You order, going over to your boyfriend and standing in front of him,”Come help us.”

“Mami.” He groans, blowing out the smoke from his mouth

“Come on Oscar, you have nothing better to do anyway. It’ll be done faster if you help.”

“Lo sé pero no quiero.”

“Just like always.” You say with a eye roll,”If you don’t help you don’t eat. You can starve to death for all I care.”

“Stop it mamas. I’m getting up, where do you need me?”

“No, I’m not gonna force you to help us. I’ve been bored all day and just want to do things with you, but it’s fine. Go sit back down.”

“I want to help, I mean it. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“You’re just saying that.” You pout, picking up the raw chicken that was already seasoned and dipped in the batter,”You don’t love me.” You add as you place it into the oil.

“I do love you, even when your being a moody brat. So just tell me what to do.” He says as he stands behind you.

“I’ll tell you what to do, come finish this. I’m not going to listen to you guy’s.” Cesar says as he drops what he’s doing and hurry’s out of the kitchen.

“Well there’s you’re job.” You sniffle

“Are you sure you want to cook nena? We can order something in.” He says as he takes over his brothers place.

“No I do want to.” You reassure him,”I just wanted you to help me.”

“I’m helping. I’m here.” He says softly,”Let’s get this shit done so we can grub down.” He says amusingly, trying to get a smile out of you,”Me amas o no?”

“Obviously.” You mumble,”Hate that I love you.”

“Yo también te quiero, mi gordita.” Oscar smiles as he focuses on the potatoes, causing you to smirk and shake your head as you move on the another piece of chicken,”So are you gonna tell me what’s up with you today?”

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess.” You huff,”Thanks for putting up with me, I still have a bit of annoyingness left in me though.”

“Oh I know you do...but it’s okay. Don’t forget that I’m the only one that’s ever gonna put up with your ass.” He laughs, the two of you working together through out the kitchen until everything is done. Cesar re-emerging from his room so you three could all eat together.

5:03 pm

“Mi niña hermosa.” Oscar says softly as the two of you lay in bed, laying in his arms as he strokes your hair,”Tomorrow will be a better day.”

After lunch you all tried to watch a movie, but you just couldn’t seem to get into it. Wanting to do anything but that...but nothing at all either. Oscar noticed you growing fidgety about half way in and decided to bring you to the bedroom to lay down, trying to console your moodiness away.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He says seriously,”Do you want to get up? Or stay here a little longer?”

“A little longer please.” You answer, burying your face in his chest and inhaling his scent,”Could we go to the pool tomorrow?”

“Anything you want mamas.”

“I want that, I want to go with you.”

“Then we’ll do that.”

“Can we take a little nap?” You ask him a few minutes later, already falling asleep as your eyes close.

“Shh, sleep mami.” He says, placing a kiss to the top of your head. Letting his eyes close as well.

7:11 pm

You’re startled awake by music playing from outside on the front yard, you slowly sit up and stretch. The spot next to you empty as you look around the room. You get up and slide your sandals on before exiting the comfort of your room, a bit upset that you woke up alone.

“You left?” You ask Oscar as you come outside, the yard filled with Santo members. Your boyfriend and his best friend on the raggedy old couch.

“I’m sorry, I woke up like ten minutes after I fell asleep.” Oscar says as he pats his leg for you to sit, which you accepted.

“It’s fine...Didn’t know they were going to be here.”

“What you’re not happy to see me Y/N?” Sad Eyez asks as from the other end of the couch.

“To be honest, no.” You reply smugly

“Ouch.” He laughs, Oscar chuckling in your ear.

“Y/N isn’t feeling good today, or not the two of you would have been gossiping it up by now like a pair of hynas in high school.”

“No doubt.” Sad Eyez laughs, the two of you always clicking up at any get together.

You force a smile and look around at the yard, wishing that nobody was here and that you could be alone with Oscar,”Can we go inside?” You whisper into his ear.

“Why mamas?”

“I just don’t want to be out here, I just want to be with you. Um, if you don’t want to it’s fine.” You tell him as you slide off of him and stand up,”I’ll be inside, you stay out here with your friends. It’s okay.” You tell him with a half smile, excusing yourself before heading back in and trying to find something to occupy your time with.

10:23 pm

“Can I join you?” Oscar asks as he enters the bathroom to find you sitting in the tub with soapy bubbles all around you.

“What about your friends?”

“They all left, now I can spend some time with you.”

“Oh, now.” You say as you gather some suds in your hands and blow them off

“Come on Y/N, I couldn’t exactly tell them to leave after just getting here.”

“Oh.” You repeat

“I’m getting in.” Oscar says with a eye roll as he starts to undress.

“Oh.”

Oscar doesn’t reply, keeping his comments to himself as he steps in behind you,”Scoot up.” He demands, sighing when you don’t move and wedging himself between you and the tub,”So mean to me mami.”

“You’re mean to me, you left me for your homies.” You retort quickly, leaning back against his chest.

“I was just outside...nah you’re right. I’m sorry, I knew you were having a shitty day and I chose to stay with them. I shouldn’t have done that to you mami.”

“I mean I did tell you to stay outside.” You shrug,”but still.”

“Yeah but I know you, and I should have known that you saying that meant to do the opposite.” He chuckles, his arms wrapping around your from underneath the water,”Me perdonas?”

“I guess.” You smile as you feel him press soft kisses to the side of your neck, a small laugh escaping afterwards. Never being able to be upset with him for too long since he was able to sweet talk his way out of things,”I hate you.” You say as your hand reaches up to cradle the back of his head so his lips can still work on your neck.

“No you don’t.” He smirks

“You’re right.” You say, a small moan following after as Oscar nips at you’re sweet spot,”I love you too much.”

“Hm, not as much as me.” He says as his hands wander lower. The two of you making the time fly by faster than it has all day.

11:55 pm

“Are you tired muñeca?” Oscar asks as the two of you once again lay in bed, the room pitch black as you hold each other.

“Hm, how could I not be after all that?” You giggle, the bath time running a bit over schedule. Oscar bringing your body to a wonderful high more than once.

“Had to make up for my actions.” He chuckles,”How did I do?”

“Oh you did more than make up for it.” You smile,”I forgave you after the third time.”

“And you still let me continue after that?”

“I mean you weren’t complaining and I sure wasn’t.”

“Yeah but my hand was cramping up and shit, and I got lock jaw after.” He laughs

“Alright I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” You offer,”After you give me an amazing day at the pool that is.”

“Deal...aye look at the time mamas. It’s a new day.”

“It is.” You smile as you read the bright red numbers on the alarm clock that read 12:01 am,”Yay.” You croak softly, your voice growing tired.

“Fresh start tomorrow, no worries. Buenos sueños mi amor.” His words being the last thing you heard before you fall asleep. All your emotions from today being slept away for a better tomorrow.

#spooky diaz #spooky x reader #netflix on my block #on my block imagines #netflix #freeridge #omb #one shot #omb season 3 #on my block season 3 #oscar diaz x reader #oscar diaz

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paperanddice · 4 years ago

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Image Description: Three stat blocks for 5th Edition D&D. Each is for a demonhive creature. The first is an attendant, the second is a swarm, and the third is a queen. Full text available below the read more. End ID.

Demonhives are a plague across the lower planes. They replicate quickly and are overwhelmingly destructive in their predations, two features that enamour them to powerful fiends quite quickly. While a demonhive planted on your doorstep can be annoying, planting one on your enemy’s doorstep is quite the frustrating hassle to deal with, and so all manner of fiends continue to allow these creatures to breed and spread. The wastes between important locations are often filled with these hives, battling against lesser fiends and planar travellers for the necessary food to continue growing.

Demonhives loosely resemble a beehive, though amplified by the innate evil of the lower planes. A single queen gives birth to thousands of demonets, tiny, winged larvae that feed desperately on food brought in by the attendants. Many eventually grow into more attendants, which are the hunters and tenders for the queen and the demonets. Groups of attendants scour the surrounding region for food, collecting carrion and fresh meat to bring back for the queen and larvae to feast on. A small number of demonets carry the possibility to grow into another queen, but they do not do so as long as the queen that birthed them is around.

The key feature of demonhives is the hive mind that the queen can set up. Most social insects are believed to have some kind of hive mind, though that in ants, termites and bees is far overstated from the truth of how those creatures function. In a demonhive however, it is a literal thing. A queen establishes a massive area within which she can link to the minds of all attendants and demonets present. Each of these creatures shares all it sees and hears with the others, allowing them to quickly gather to sources of food or rush to the defense of the queen. This hive mind also feeds into the members of the hive, causing flashes of pain and rage through it as important members take injuries. If a queen demonet leaves this hive mind, or the network created by the queen ends due to her death, each queen demonet will call out to the surviving attendants and demonets, splitting the survivors between them as they spread out to seek new territory to make their own, after which they grow into a new queen. As a queen is capable of birthing a new demonet every 10 minutes, and each swarm consists of at least a thousand demonets, several of these new queens may survive the death of the previous one, causing more hives to spring up each time one is destroyed.

Demonhives have no instinct to prevent them from spreading beyond control. One will feed on a region, devouring all life within the queen’s 2 mile hive mind, after which the queen will allow herself to starve to death while feeding her remaining attendants to the demonets, after which the survivors will scatter to plant new hives where there’s food available again. While the outer planes have enough power to eliminate these hives quickly, when one reaches the Material Plane it can often cause an out-of-control spiral, with more and more hives popping up faster than the creatures there can destroy them. It often takes the interference of incredibly powerful creatures that are capable of eliminating entire swarms and leaving not a single surviving demonet to risk growing into a new queen, or finding a hive before it can begin birthing swarms and eliminating the queen.

Attendants are roughly the size of a large dog, and look quite similar to flies. Their limbs are more humanoid in shape however, four having clawed hands on the end and two with humanoid feet, and their wings are blood red. Their mouths are full of wolf-like teeth. Demonets are thin, black maggots with red wings, each one just a few inches long. The queen meanwhile is a massive creature, with a worm like body that curls up at the front to a separate torso. Four arms, two much larger than the others, a set of uselessly small red wings, and a head with an oversized mouth grace this upper body.

As with the topiary animals, these stat blocks have been split into two updates. Three stat blocks linked off of each other is enough for each individual post, so today is the 5th Edition conversion and tomorrow the 13th Age version will be posted.

Originally from the 3.5 Monster Manual IV. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as a spot on the Paper and Dice Discord server, consider backing me there!

Demonhive Attendant Small fiend, neutral evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 55 (10d6 + 20) Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. Str 11 (+0) Dex 15 (+2) Con 14 (+2) Int 2 (-4) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 1 (-5) Skills Perception +3 Damage Immunities thunder Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages - Challenge 1 (200 XP) Frenzied Haste. If a demonhive queen is reduced to 0 hp while its hive mind is connected with the attendant, the attendant enters a frenzy for 5 minutes. Until this frenzy ends, the attendant has advantage on attack rolls and can make an attack with its claws as a bonus action Actions Multiattack. The demonhive attendant makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) slashing damage.

Demonhive Swarm Medium swarm of Tiny fiends, neutral evil Armor Class 13 Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10) Speed 15 ft., fly 40 ft. Str 3 (-4) Dex 16 (+3) Con 14 (+2) Int 1 (-5) Wis 9 (-1) Cha 1 (-5) Skills Perception +1, Stealth +5 Damage Immunities thunder Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages - Challenge 1 (200 XP) Fiendish Drone. Each creature except other demonhive members that starts its turn within 60 feet of a demonhive swarm must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened as long as it remains within 60 feet of a demonhive swarm. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the Fiendish Drone of all demonhive swarms for the next 24 hours. Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny fiend. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points. Actions Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 15 (6d4) piercing damage or 7 (3d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half its hit points or fewer.

Demonhive Queen Large fiend, neutral evil Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 119 (14d10 + 42) Speed 20 ft. Str 17 (+3) Dex 9 (-1) Con 17 (+3) Int 2 (-4) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 2 (-4) Skills Perception +6 Damage Immunities thunder Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages - Challenge 5 (1800 XP) A Mother's Lament. If all demonhive swarms within the queen's hive mind are destroyed, the queen can use Maternal Scream as a bonus action on each of its turns. Hive Mind. The demonhive queen is aware of the presence of all demonhive attendants and swarms within 2 miles of it. It knows the distance and direction of each creature, and can telepathically communicate with any number of attendants or swarms at a time. All attendants and swarms connected to the queen's hive mind are aware of all threats and creatures that any one of them is aware of, and no creature connected to this hive mind can be surprised unless all of them are surprised. Actions Multiattack. The demonhive queen makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d6+3) piercing damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage. Reactions Maternal Scream. When a demonhive swarm is reduced to 0 hit points while within the queen's hive mind, the queen releases a horrible screech. All creatures within 60 feet of the queen must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) thunder damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful save.

#D&D #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #5th Edition #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #fiend #long post

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nouveaunovelist · 5 years ago

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closed starter for @ravishinglyravenous

Ibuki swallowed audibly as he assessed the neon sign overhead. The Red Chamber. The words glowed down invitingly, casting him in a wash of sultry color. The market air was heavy with smoke and... other odors, all mixed together into an intoxicating invitation to peruse what the Chamber had to offer.

The atmosphere reeked of Carnivore even more heavily than usual for the Back Alley Market; he, however, was here to follow a different trail. The Lion gave a nervous glance over his shoulder; he usually didn’t venture this far into Shishigumi territory - not since he left the outfit - but there was no avoiding it tonight. Cosmo needed her book, and he needed... well, Louis gave him good advice. He checked himself over: his good suit was freshly dry cleaned and pressed, a brand new, stripey tie resting proudly on his shirt. Feeling something was missing, he tucked the hand not holding his cane into his pocket and fished out a small bottle of cologne and spritzed his mane. “There,” he mumbled to nobody in particular, “much better.”

He pushed his way into the club, mumbling “excuse me”s and “pardon me”s as he carefully navigated his way towards the bar so that he could occupy the space without being questioned. He checked his watch: 10:50. Enough time to get a whiskey rocks, move to the back of the floor, and wait. Louis’ advice played out in his head over and over: you can pursue almost anything you want. So if that thing is Cosmo, then you should do it. “Thanks, boss,” he mumbled. He glanced warily about - the way a few customers were eyeing him was enough to tell him that, true to Cosmo’s word, his old friends were no strangers to the Red Chamber. He hadn’t seen any of them yet, but expected that he should be ready; hopefully he wouldn’t need the sidearm tucked into his belt, but with his Pride, you never knew.

Ibuki got his drink, gave the bartender a nod and a tip, and patted his jacket for the hundredth time to make sure that the fresh print, alternative cover art copy of The Leatherskin Vault was, in fact, still there, and checked his watch. 10:55. Only a few minutes left now. He took a deep breath, navigated his way to the back of the room, and resolved himself to wait for the stage to change.

He didn’t think he’d have trouble moving back through the crowd when he needed to.

#ravishinglyravenous #Ibuki the Big Nervous #let me know if I need to change anything!

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voiceappagency · 4 years ago

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Voice app agency

Many customers' everyday routines have been revolutionized by the rise of voice assistants. They're becoming increasingly prevalent in devices and settings, which means they're helping consumers discover information, accomplish activities, consume content, and make transactions. Brands now have a new way to interact with their customers thanks to social media.

Our Speech team is responsible for the conception, design, development, and implementation of voice apps from start to finish. With speech assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, we want to provide a great customer service experience.As a new way of looking for products or services, customers are increasingly connecting with companies via voice. Voicebot.ai found that 20% of adults in the United States possess a smart speaker. Use this trend to your advantage and raise the perceived value of your offerings. Entice consumers with a fresh experience and transform them into value by putting your brand in the consideration set while answering their questions.

Voice Services Offered

The development of voice devices and applications is a significant step forward in artificial intelligence (AI), allowing us to use numerous services without the need for our hands. By now, voice assistants' functional and qualitative features have advanced to the point where they are indispensable in daily life as well as the world of work.

According to Techcrunch, “smart devices like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Sonos One will be installed in a majority – that is, 55 percent – of U.S. households by the year 2022”. Only in the last year, the number of voice platforms users in the United States has grown by 128.9 percent.

The number of voice assistants available today is overwhelming. Have you already met Nina, Silvia, Dragon, Jibo, Vokul, Samsung Bixby, Alice, or Braina? If not, you must have heard about Cortana for Windows, Siri for IOS, Google Assistant for Android, and Alexa for Amazon ― they are undisputed leaders in the field.

They may be accessed via stand-alone devices, for instance, Alexa Echo or Google Home, or via a smartphone, a laptop, a smart TV set, or a tablet. Users connect to a voice assistant using a keyword, such as “Hey Siri” or “Ok Google”.

One of the most impressive companies in this area is Google Duplex. With the most recent Google Assistant update, you can now have your personal assistant do things like place a restaurant order or order pizza for you. Your assistant will sound so real, with "umms" and "aahs," that you'll be forgiven for thinking he or she is a real person. Sophia the Robot is the pinnacle of AI voice technology use. Isn't she amazing?

For those of us who work in the voice technology industry, the most significant benefit is the ability to convert traditional messenger bots into more user-friendly voice chatbots.

Potential Benefits Voice Services Are Available To You

The most advanced voice interface technology can detect a person's age, gender, and mood in order to provide the most relevant and suitable response. They may also be employed as a security precaution because they can recognize a specific person's vocal patterns. Even the voices of two young ladies, for example, will be distinguished.Voice assistants have the potential to be both useful and amusing. They may be used to obtain a response to a general query, listen to a news short, check the day's agenda, or control a smart home. Voice assistants also make online shopping more convenient by allowing users to place, track, and cancel orders.

Fascinated? We were, indeed. Several years ago.

Since most modern people have become accustomed to them, such qualities do not appear as amazing as they formerly did. These features appear to be useful, but they may simply be disabled. If you're being honest, how frequently do you talk to your voice assistant because you have a pressing need to do so?

As a result, the pressing issue is to increase voice technology's functionality to the point where it becomes necessary. And they can become such in situations where individuals require a voice assistant because their hands are occupied, dirty, or damp, or when interruptions have a negative impact on performance and productivity. A speech platform will assist drivers in staying focused on the road and avoiding distractions. Voice applications will be used by hefs in restaurants to verify recipes, add things to the "To Order" list, and evaluate or close orders. To guarantee the safety of the production process and increase efficiency, workers at a factory can use speech apps to operate machines. The possibilities are limitless. The issue is that the possibilities are restricted.

Voice Composer for Chat Compose

Our VoiceBots are voice-based interfaces that can communicate with your users using natural language. Virtual Voice Agents are computer-assisted systems that respond to consumer requests without the need for human interaction. Our voicebots may be interacted with via a variety of channels, including the web, desktop, and API.

You may develop and deploy a voicebot for a variety of purposes, including scheduling meetings, generating leads and qualifying clients, conducting surveys, and answering support inquiries.

Press the microphone icon, speak, and then send the message to the chatbot.

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Our voice bots may draw assumptions about what users truly mean or their purpose using Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing technology.

They modify the categorization parameters automatically based on the success rates of the replies.

#voice app agency #voice platform #build voice app for google assistant #voicebot ai #how to build a voice app #voice bot app #voice apps #build voice app for amazon alexa #how to build voice app for amazon alexa #ai voice app

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yepic · 5 years ago

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (/tʃɪˈpoʊtleɪ/, chih-POHT-lay),[7] often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom,[8] Canada,[9][10] Germany,[11] and France,[12] specializing in tacos and Mission burritos.[13][14] Its name derives from chipotle, the Nahuatl name for a smoked and dried jalapeño chili pepper.[15] The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CMG.[16]

Chipotle is one of the first chains of fast casual dining establishments.[17] Competitors in the fast-casual Mexican market include Qdoba Mexican Grill, Moe's Southwest Grill, Rubio's Coastal Grill, and Baja Fresh.[18] Founded by Steve Ells on July 13, 1993, Chipotle had 16 restaurants (all in Colorado) when McDonald's Corporation became a major investor in 1998. By the time McDonald's fully divested itself from Chipotle in 2006,[19] the chain had grown to over 500 locations. With more than 2,000 locations, Chipotle had a net income of US$475.6 million and a staff of more than 45,000 employees in 2015.[3]

In May 2018, Chipotle announced the relocation of their corporate headquarters to Newport Beach, California, in Southern California, ending their relationship with Denver after 25 years. Founder Steve Ells attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Afterward, he became a line cook for Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco.[20] There, Ells observed the popularity of the taquerías and San Francisco burritos in the Mission District. In 1993, Ells took what he learned in San Francisco[21] and opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado, in a former Dolly Madison Ice Cream store at 1644 East Evans Avenue,[22] near the University of Denver campus, using an $85,000 loan from his father.[19] Ells and his father calculated that the store would need to sell 107 burritos per day to be profitable. After one month, the original restaurant was selling over 1,000 burritos a day.[16] The second store opened in 1995 using Chipotle's cash flow, and the third was opened using an SBA loan. To fund more growth, Ells' father invested $1.5 million. Afterwards, Ells created a board of directors and business plan, raising an additional $1.8 million for the company.[23] Ells had originally planned to use funds from the first Chipotle to open a fine-dining restaurant, but instead focused on Chipotle Mexican Grill when the restaurants saw success.[24][25]

In 1998, the first restaurant outside of Colorado opened in Kansas City, Missouri.[26] The company opened its first location in Minnesota by opening near the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in March 1999.[27]

In 1998, McDonald's made an initial minority investment in the company. By 2001, the company had grown to be Chipotle's largest investor.[19] The investment from McDonald's allowed the firm to quickly expand, from 16 restaurants in 1998 to over 500 by 2005.[28] On January 26, 2006, Chipotle made its initial public offering (IPO) after increasing the share price twice due to high pre-IPO demand. In its first day as a public company, the stock rose exactly 100%, resulting in the best U.S.-based IPO in six years, and the second-best IPO for a restaurant after Boston Market. The money from the offering was then used to fund new store growth.[29]

In March 2005, Monty Moran was appointed president and chief operating officer of Chipotle while Ells remained chairman and CEO.[30]

In October 2006, McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle.[31] This was part of a larger initiative for McDonald's to divest all of its non-core business restaurants — Chipotle, Donatos Pizza, and Boston Market — so that it could focus on the main McDonald's chain.[32] McDonald's had invested approximately $360 million into Chipotle, and took out $1.5 billion.[23] McDonald's had attempted to get Chipotle to add drive-through windows and a breakfast menu, which Ells resisted.[33][34] In 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto.[10]

In January 2009, president and chief operating officer Monty Moran was promoted to co-CEO, a position that he would share with Ells, while Moran retained his president position.[35]

In a list of fastest-growing restaurant chains in 2009, Chipotle was ranked eighth, based on increases in U.S. sales over the past year,[36] and in 2010 Chipotle was ranked third.[37] Consumer Reports ranked Chipotle as the best Mexican fast-food chain in 2011.[38] The company serves approximately 750,000 customers per day.[39]

In December 2010, Chipotle hired chef Nate Appleman to develop new cuisine. Appleman has won Rising Star Chef from the James Beard Foundation, was named "Best New Chef" by the Food & Wine magazine, and competed on The Next Iron Chef.[40]

In 2010, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audited Chipotle's Minneapolis restaurants, and found that some employees had been hired using fraudulent documents. In December, Chipotle fired 450 employees from its Minneapolis restaurants as a result of the audit, resulting in protests by local groups.[41][42] In February 2011, ICE expanded the audit to include 60 restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C.[43] which resulted in 40 workers being fired. In April 2011, the criminal division of the attorney general's office in Washington, D.C., joined the case, and ICE agents began interviewing employees at 20 to 25 restaurants in other locations, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta.[44] In response to the government investigations, Chipotle hired former director of ICE Julie Myers Wood and high-profile attorneys Robert Luskin and Gregory B. Craig.[45]

In December 2016, Chipotle announced that co-CEO Monty Moran has stepped down from his role effective immediately with Ells becoming the sole CEO.[46][47] Eleven months later, Ells announced in November 2017 that he would be stepping down as CEO.[48]

In December 2017, Chipotle announced it signed a 15-year lease and in late 2018 will move around 450 corporate employees – currently housed in multiple buildings around downtown Denver – into the new 1144 Fifteenth Tower and occupy around 126,000 square feet or 5 floors of the 40-story tower.[citation needed]

In February 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ellis would retain his chairman position.[49] Many industry analysts praised Niccol's appointment saying that Chipotle "needed new blood."[50] Chipotle stock went up $30.27, or 12.04%, as a result of the announcement. However, other analysts criticized the announcement by saying that "the move goes against everything the burrito chain stands for."[51]

In May 2018, Chipotle announced that it would relocate headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach, California in Southern California. Corporate functions handled in their Denver and New York offices would move to Newport Beach or to an existing office in Columbus, Ohio. This move would impact 400 workers, some being offered relocation and retention packages.[52]

In June 2018, the company announced the closing of 65 under-performing restaurants.[53][54]

Other restaurant expansion[edit]

In 2011, Steve Ells was a judge for the TV show America's Next Great Restaurant and investor of ANGR Holdings, the company that will be running the winning concept's restaurants. Chipotle has agreed to purchase Ells' investment in ANGR at his cost, provide support for ANGR operations, and invest a total of $2.3 million in cash contributions.[55] The winning concept, Soul Daddy, was quickly closed after operating for less than 5 weeks.[56]

In September 2011, Chipotle opened an Asian fast-casual concept restaurant named ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen in Washington, D.C.[57] The company has said the new restaurant "would follow the Chipotle service format and its focus on 'food with integrity' in ingredients."[58] Chipotle's plan was to start with only one store, and see how the restaurant works out before expanding the concept.[59]

On December 18, 2013, the company revealed that it had opened its first fast-food pizza chain in Denver back in May 2013. According to Associated Press, Chipotle partnered with a local full-service restaurant called Pizzeria Locale to create a fast-food version of the eatery, keeping its name. The company plans to open at least two more pizzerias in the Denver area.[60]

In April 2014, Chipotle announced an increase in menu prices for the first time in nearly three years, due to increasing costs for steak, avocados, and cheese. The price increase was expected to be rolled out from the end of second quarter of 2014 through the end of the third quarter.[61] In late 2015, Chipotle expanded its mobile strategy through delivery partnerships with tech startups like Tapingo, a delivery service that targets college campuses.[62]

On July 29, 2016, the company announced the opening of its first Tasty Made burger restaurant in the fall. Chipotle was still dealing with the various virus outbreaks with additional marketing. The company was also reducing the number of new stores for the year from 235 to 220.[63]

The newer restaurant concepts did not perform as well as expected so that ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Tasty Made were respectively closed in March 2017[64] and February 2018[65] leaving only Pizzeria Locale operating besides the parent company.

International[edit]

According to an article in The Motley Fool, Chipotle had 17 locations outside of the United States by October 2014 with the majority in Canada, and the UK was in the process of opening more locations.[66] The rate of overseas expansion was slower than expected.[67] Many of the press reviewers thought that the food was overpriced for their area.[12][68]

As of 2018 there are 33 locations outside of the United States with 19 locations in Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Mississauga, Oakville, Vancouver), 6 locations in The United Kingdom (London), 6 in France (Paris), and 2 in Germany (Frankfurt).[better source needed][3][69]

Canada[edit]

Chipotle Mexican Grill in Canada

In August 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto.[10] The second location in Toronto–and in all of Canada–was not opened until 2010.[67]

The first Canadian location outside of the Toronto area was opened in Vancouver in December 2012.[70] A second Vancouver-area location was opened in Burnaby in October 2014[71] followed by a third in Surrey in January 2016,[72] a fourth in Langley in October 2016,[73] and a fifth in West Vancouver in March 2018.[74]

The first location in the nation's capital of Ottawa was opened in February 2017 at the Rideau Centre.[75]

Chipotle rapidly expanded in the Greater Toronto area, and is still opening new locations.[citation needed] As of 2018, there are 11 locations in Toronto, 2 in Vaughan, 2 in Mississauga, 1 in Oakville, and 1 location in Markham.

United Kingdom[edit]

The second Chipotle Mexican Grill location in London, located on Baker Street

Chipotle expanded to Europe with the first European restaurant opening in May 2010 in London.[8][76][77] A second location opened in London in September 2011.[78] The following year, three additional locations were quickly opened in the London area.[79] After this growth spurt, the rate of further expansion in London slowed greatly with the sixth location appearing in 2013[80] and the seventh in June 2015.[81] Although Chipotle blames the slow growth in the United Kingdom on the British unfamiliarity with Mexican foods,[82] several locally owned burrito chains had opened locations across the United Kingdom during the same interval.[83]

France[edit]

The first location in France opened in Paris in May 2012.[12][84]

Expansion in France was much slower than that in the United Kingdom or Canada, with a second location in Paris opening in 2013[85] and a third location in 2014.[86] At 7,000 square feet, the restaurant at La Défense is, as of 2015, the largest Chipotle location in the world, while a typical Chipotle restaurant is usually between 2,200 and 2,500 square feet.[87] A fourth Parisian location was opened in Levallois-Perret in 2015[88] followed by a fifth[89] and a sixth[90] Parisian location in 2016, both in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Germany[edit]

The first location in Germany opened up in Frankfurt's Skyline Plaza shopping mall in August 2013.[11][68]

A second location opened in Frankfurt's MyZeil shopping mall in April 2019.[91]

Corporate management[edit]

Chipotle's team includes a residing corporate office of managers and its board of directors. Members of both teams are appointed to serve on committees: audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance.

The top management team consisted of the chief executive officer, Steve Ells; the chief financial officer, Jack R. Hartung; the chief marketing and development officer, Mark Crumpacker.[92] The current board of directors consists of: Ells, Patrick Flynn, Albert Baldocchi, Neil Flanzraich, Darlene Friedman, Stephen Gillet, Kimbal Musk and John Charlesworth.[93] On March 14, 2018, it was reported that Mark Crumpacker, who had previously been charged in a 2016 cocaine ring indictment, would be leaving the company.[94]

Ells serves as chairman of the company, and served as Chief executive officer until November 2017.[95][48] He has a 1.25% stake in the company.[96] The labor-market research firm Glassdoor reported that Ells earned $29 million in 2014, versus a median of $19,000 for Chipotle's workers, making the CEO-to-worker pay ratio 1522:1.[97]

On February 13, 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ells would retain his chairman position.[49]

On March 6, 2020, Ells resigned as chairman and left the board of directors, breaking his final ties to the company. At the same time, Niccol was appointed chairman and the size of the board was reduced from 10 to 7 directors.[98][99]

Operation and distribution[edit]

All of Chipotle's restaurants are company-owned, rather than franchised.[100] As of December 2012, 1430 restaurants have since opened throughout the United States and Canada, with locations in 43 states, Ontario, British Columbia, and the District of Columbia.[101][102]

The field team are the employees who work closely with but not directly within specific restaurants. The field support system includes apprentice team leaders (step up from restaurateurs), team leaders or area managers, team directors and regional directors (not atypical for them to oversee more than fifty locations).[103] Because Chipotle does not franchise, all restaurants are corporately owned. Thus, whenever Chipotle is in the process of launching a new location, the field team hires a new general manager and trains them at a current location so that they will be ready for the new location when it opens for business. The corporate office takes care of finding and funding new locations as well.[104]

Menu[edit]

A Chipotle restaurant in Brandon, Florida, having the typical service-line layout with menu above

Chipotle's menu consists of five items: burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. The price of each item is based on the choice of chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa, steak, carne asada, tofu-based "sofritas",[105][106] or vegetarian (with guacamole, which would be at an extra charge otherwise). Additional optional toppings are offered free of charge, including: rice, beans, four types of salsa, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.[107][108]

Chipotle regular sized chips and queso with a side of sour cream.

When asked in 2007 about expanding the menu, Steve Ells said, "[I]t's important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else."[109] Chipotle also offers a children's menu.[110][111] Most restaurants sell beer and margaritas in addition to soft drinks and fruit drinks.[112]

The majority of food is prepared in each restaurant. Some exceptions are the beans and carnitas, which are prepared at a central kitchen in Chicago, Illinois.[113] None of the restaurants have freezers, microwave ovens, or can openers.[114]

Chicken Burrito Bowl

The chain experimented with breakfast foods at two airports in the Washington (D.C.) metropolitan area but decided against expanding the menu in that direction.[115][116][117] Starting in 2009, selected restaurants had offered a pozole soup,[118][119][120] which has since been discontinued.

In June 2015, Chipotle began test marketing a pork and chicken chorizo-type sausage as a new protein option at selected locations in the Kansas City area.[121][122][123] Some food writers have expressed their health related concerns over the protein's relatively high sodium content since a 4-ounce serving contains 293 calories and 803 milligrams of sodium[124] while the American Heart Association’s recommended daily amount is less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium.[125] In contrast, the protein options with next highest sodium contents are Barbacoa with 530 milligrams and sofritas with 555 milligrams.[124] An earlier version on the Mexican sausage was tested in Denver and New York City in 2011,[126] but that test was terminated when that version of the sausage was perceived as looking too greasy.[127] Chorizo was discontinued in September 2017[128] but was returned to the menu in the following year for a limited time.[129]

In July 2020, Chipotle began test marketing a cauliflower rice option at 55 locations in Colorado and Wisconsin.[130]

Chipotle accepts fax orders, and in 2005 the company added the ability to order online from their website. For both online and fax orders, customers proceed to the front of the line to pay for pre-ordered food.[131] In 2009, Chipotle released an app for the iPhone that allows users to find nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, and prepay with a credit card.[132] In 2013, Chipotle released an Android app that allows users to locate nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, prepay with a credit or gift card, and access favorites and recent orders.[133][134]

Nutrition[edit]

In 2003, a Center for Science in the Public Interest report stated that Chipotle's burritos contain over 1,000 calories, which is nearly equivalent to two meals' worth of food.[135][136] MSNBC Health.com placed the burritos on their list of the "20 Worst Foods in America" because of their high caloric content and high sodium.[137] When a burrito with carnitas, rice, vegetables, cheese, guacamole, and salsa was compared with a typical Big Mac, the burrito had more fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and sodium than the Big Mac, but it also had more protein and fiber.[138] The restaurant has also received praise – Health.com included the restaurant in its list of the "Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants".[139]

Chipotle's vegetarian options include rice, black beans, fajita vegetables (onions and bell peppers), salsa, guacamole and cheese.[140] All items other than the meats, cheese, sour cream, and honey vinaigrette dressing are vegan.[140] As of late 2013, Chipotle developed a new cooking strategy for the pinto beans, eliminating the bacon and making them vegetarian and vegan-friendly.[141] The cheese is processed with vegetable-based rennet in order to be suitable for vegetarians.[140] In April 2010, Chipotle began testing a vegan "Garden Blend" option, which is a plant-based meat alternative marinated in chipotle adobo, at six locations in the U.S.[142][143] The flour tortillas used for the burritos and soft tacos are the only items that contain gluten.[140]

Food sourcing[edit]

In 1999, while looking for ways to improve the taste of the carnitas,[20] founder Steve Ells was prompted by an article written by Edward Behr to visit Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).[144] Ells found the CAFOs "horrific", and began sourcing from open-range pork suppliers. This caused an increase in both the price and the sales of the carnitas burritos.[76]

In 2001, Chipotle released a mission statement called Food With Integrity, which highlighted Chipotle's efforts to increase their use of naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones.[7] Chipotle only uses the leg and thigh meat from its chickens; the breast meat is sold to Panera Bread.[145]

Customers at a Chipotle restaurant in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Ells has testified before the United States Congress in support of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which aims to reduce the amount of antibiotics given to farm animals.[76][146]

Since 2006, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a Floridian farmworker organization, has protested Chipotle's refusal to sign a Fair Food agreement, which would commit the restaurant chain to pay a penny-per-pound premium on its Florida tomatoes to boost tomato harvesters' wages, and to only buy Florida tomatoes from growers who comply with the Fair Food Code of Conduct.[147] In 2009, the creators of the documentary film Food, Inc. (along with 31 other leaders in the sustainable food movement) signed an open letter of support for the CIW's campaign, stating that, "If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights."[148] In September 2009, Chipotle announced that it would sidestep partnership with the CIW and instead work directly with East Coast Growers and Packers to increase wages for its tomato pickers.[149] Ells framed the dispute as a fundamental issue of control, stating that, "the CIW wants us to sign a contract that would let them control Chipotle's decisions regarding food in the future."[150] In October 2012, Chipotle signed an agreement with the CIW and became the 11th company to join the organization's Fair Food Program.[151]

In January 2015, Chipotle pulled carnitas from its menu in a third of its restaurants; company officials cited animal welfare problems at one of the suppliers, found during a regular audit, as the reason.[152] Subsequently, a false rumor spread online claiming it was done to appease Muslims who consider pork to be unclean, leading to some protests on social media.[153] The company still uses antibiotic-free and hormone-free steak in its restaurants, despite being briefly forced to "serve beef that is not naturally raised" during the summer of 2013, posting an in-store notice each time that occurred.[154] Roberto Ferdman of The Washington Post opined that Chipotle's stated mission to sell "food with integrity" may be "untenable" if meat producers continue to breach Chipotle's ethical standards.[152]

Also in 2015, Chipotle stopped using genetically modified corn and soy beans in their foods, claiming to be the first nationwide restaurant to cook completely GMO free.[155] This was done in response to increasing consumer demand for GMO free products.

Food safety[edit]

External video "How Chipotle made hundreds of people barf". Vox report dated January 6, 2016, explaining Chipotle's "food safety crisis".

Since 2008, a former Kansas State University food safety professor has accused Chipotle of confusing the public by using such terms as "naturally raised meats", "organic ingredients", and "locally sourced" and trying to equate those terms with food safety.[156] In rebuttal, a Chipotle spokesperson told The Daily Beast that "all of our practices have always been very much within industry norms. It's important to note that restaurant practices are regulated by health codes, and restaurants are routinely inspected by health officials. Everything we have done in our supply chain and in our restaurants has been within industry norms."[156] Yet, FiveThirtyEight pointed out that the 2015 norovirus outbreak appears to be unusual[157] and others are criticizing their food sourcing or handling practices.[158][159] MarketWatch wrote that the result of all of these outbreaks will be to force Chipotle to obtain their produce from larger corporate farms that can afford the more extensive microbial food-safety testing programs and to process vegetables at centralized locations instead of at the individual stores, both of which are industry-standard practices that the company had previously criticized.[160] The New York Times implied that the company's insistence on maintaining its long standing rhetoric about "food integrity" seemed to be quite opposite with the realities of recent current events and made it appear that the management was just ignoring their current problems.[161] It also has been pointed out that Chipotle's current record-keeping system is actually hindering the health authorities' investigation in locating the sources of the various infections.[161]

A writer for the magazine Popular Science pointed out that Chipotle had publicly acknowledged that they "may be at a higher risk for food-borne illness outbreaks than some competitors due to our use of fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation."[162][163][164] Henry I. Miller, a medical researcher and columnist and the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology, asked: "One wonders whether Chipotle’s "traditional methods" include employees' neglecting to wash their hands before preparing food, which is how norovirus is usually spread. And the fresh versus frozen dichotomy is nothing more than a snow-job. Freezing E. coli-contaminated food does not kill the pathogens; it preserves them."[165] Describing food poisoning outbreaks as "something of a Chipotle trademark; the recent ones are the fourth and fifth this year [2015], one of which was not disclosed to the public", Miller notes that "a particularly worrisome aspect of the company's serial deficiencies is that there have been at least three unrelated pathogens in the outbreaks – Salmonella and E. coli bacteria and norovirus. In other words, there has been more than a single glitch; suppliers and employees have found a variety of ways to contaminate what Chipotle cavalierly sells (at premium prices) to its customers."[165]

A writer for the North Carolina newspaper The News & Observer called Chipotle's "food with integrity" a "lucrative farce" and a "marketing ploy" by pointing out that organic food is "often grown with manure (an 'all-natural' fertilizer), which can certainly increase the risks of accidentally spreading fecal bacteria like E. coli."[166]

In December 2015, Seattle health officials closed a Seattle-area Chipotle for a day after it had repeatedly had small numbers of violations during recent consecutive inspections that previously would not have generated a closure order.[167] On December 10, 2015, CEO Steve Ells released a press statement apologizing for 2015 outbreaks and promised changes to minimize the risks of future outbreaks.[168]

March 2008 hepatitis outbreak[edit]

In March and April 2008, the Community Epidemiology Branch of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency traced a hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County to a single Chipotle restaurant located in La Mesa, California in which 22 customers were infected with the virus.[169][170]

April 2008 norovirus outbreak[edit]

In 2008, Chipotle was implicated in a norovirus outbreak in Kent, Ohio, where over 400 people became ill after eating at a Chipotle restaurant.[171] Officials at the Ohio Department of Health said that the outbreak was caused by Norovirus Genotype G2.[172] Many of the victims were students at Kent State University.[173] The initial source of the outbreak was never found.

February 2009 Campylobacter jejuni outbreak[edit]

In 2009, an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health traced an outbreak of campylobacteriosis to a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Apple Valley, Minnesota.[174][175][176] The investigation found that chicken was sometimes served undercooked by the restaurant and determined that lettuce which had been cross-contaminated with raw or undercooked chicken was the vector for the outbreak.[177][178][third-party source needed]

July 2015 E. coli outbreak[edit]

In early November 2015, The Oregonian reported that there was a little-known E. coli outbreak that had occurred earlier in July in which five people were infected with the O157:H7 strain of E. coli. The outbreak was traced to a single Chipotle location in Seattle and that the incident was not publicized at that time.[179][180] Seattle public health officials defended their actions at that time by saying that the outbreak was over by the time they made an association with Chipotle. Health officials were unable to trace the source of the July outbreak and said that the cause of the July outbreak is unrelated to the October/November outbreak.[179]

August 2015 norovirus outbreak[edit]

Another norovirus outbreak was confirmed to have occurred in August 2015 at a Simi Valley, California location in which 80 customers and 18 employees reported becoming ill.[181][182] Ventura County health inspectors found various health violations during two inspections following the outbreak report.[183] Despite those violations, the county health officials did not close the restaurant and allowed it to continue to operate.[181] In a January 2016 article, The New York Times reported that the number of victims involved in the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak was actually 207, twice the number that was reported earlier.[184]

In an unusual move, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration has gotten a federal grand jury to issue a subpoena in January 2016 as part of a criminal investigation seeking documents and information from Chipotle concerning the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak.[184][185] As of January 2016, it is too early to tell which organization is the actual target of the investigation. In most cases involving norovirus outbreaks that involved a single location, state and/or local authorities are the usual jurisdiction responsible in the investigation and prosecution of those type of cases. However, Ventura County officials had been criticized for their handling of parts of their investigation, and for allowing the restaurant to continue to operate after finding health violations during consecutive inspections.

Less than two weeks later, a federal class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California claiming that Chipotle knowingly allowed an ill kitchen manager to work for two days before sending that person home. Then, the restaurant actively deep-cleaned the restaurant to remove all traces of contamination prior to notifying the Ventura County Environmental Health Division of the existing outbreak, hindering their investigation. The lawsuit also claimed that the number of known victims was as high as 234 and estimates that the number of meals that the infected employee may have come in contact with could be as high 3,000.[186][187][188]

August 2015 Salmonella outbreak[edit]

At almost the same time as the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak, Minnesota health officials confirmed a Salmonella outbreak that affected 17 Minneapolis-area Chipotle restaurants in mid-August 2015. The source of the outbreak was traced back to contaminated tomatoes that were grown in Mexico.[189][190] The Minnesota Department of Health reported that samples from 45 victims were tested and found that their illness was caused by the Salmonella Newport bacterium as determined by DNA profiling.[191] Later, the state officials reported that the total of persons who became infected was increased to 64 and the number Chipotle locations in which they had acquired the bacterium was increased to 22, all located within the state of Minnesota.[192]

October 2015 E. coli outbreak[edit]

In October 2015, at least 22 people were reported to have gotten sick after eating at several different Chipotle locations in the states of Washington and Oregon. At that time, an epidemiologist for the Washington State Department of Health said the culprit appeared to be a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli bacterium, but they were still waiting the outcome of several laboratory tests before they could give a definitive result.[193][194][195] As a precaution, Chipotle had closed 43 stores in Washington and Oregon pending the results and recommendations of the involved health authorities. On November 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported that the number of persons reported ill had risen to 40 known cases and that the bacteria samples taken from 7 infected persons in Washington and 3 persons in Oregon states were confirmed to be infected by the same strain of E. coli, the Shiga toxin-producing STEC O26 strain, as determined by DNA profiling.[196] At least 12 persons required hospitalization, but no fatalities. As of November 2015, Health authorities were still trying to trace the exact source of the bacterial contamination, but suspected fresh produce.[197]

On November 12, the CDC increased the number of known cases to 50, the number of persons requiring hospitalization to 14, and the number of DNA fingerprint confirmations to 33.[198] Through a match via Pulsenet, the DNA fingerprint also matched a recent case in Minnesota, but the ill person did not eat at Chipotle. The source of the bacteria infection still had not yet been determined at the time of the report released by the CDC and the CDC is trying to use the more definitive, but more time-consuming whole genome sequencing procedure to see if they are able to determine the relationships between all of the STEC O26 cases. In the meantime, Chipotle reopened the closed restaurants on November 11 after disposing all of the food within the closed facilities and deep cleaning those facilities.[199]

On November 20, the CDC reported that the number of STEC O26 cases, as determined by DNA fingerprinting, had increased to 45 with 16 persons requiring hospitalization and the total number states being affected had increased to six.[200] Besides Oregon and Washington, new cases were reported in the states of Minnesota, California, New York, and Ohio.[201] 43 out of 45 of the affected individuals had reported that they had eaten at a Chipotle in the week before they had become sick.

On December 4, the CDC reported that the number of STEC O26 cases, as determined by DNA fingerprinting, had increased to 52 with 20 persons requiring hospitalization and the total number states being affected had increased to nine.[202] New cases were reported in the states of California (1), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (1).[203]

The price of shares for Chipotle stock dropped a further 12% immediately after the CDC had issued their update on November 20.[204] Share prices had been dropping since the initial announcement of the E. coli outbreak in late October with investors unsure if the drop in share prices just a temporary aberration and that Chipotle management is handling the incident as well as they could. Chipotle has since hired a consultant to improve their food safety program and have their program reviewed by both the CDC and FDA.[205]

On February 1, 2016, the CDC official closed their investigations on the larger E. coli that started in Pacific Northwest in October 2015 and also the smaller outbreak that started in Kansas and Oklahoma in November since no new cases were reported since December 1.[206] In their final report, the CDC stated that 55 persons in 11 states were infected with the same strain of STEC O26 during the major outbreak with 21 of those persons requiring hospitalization. The five persons infected in the later outbreak were made ill by a genetically different strain of STEC O26. The CDC also reported that federal and local health and food safety authorities were unable to detect traces of the microorganisms in any of the food samples taken from the suspected restaurants or from their supply chain. The CDC, FDA, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service were unable to determine a point source that was in common in the meals that were consumed by all the victims since some of the restaurants were located far apart and had obtained some of their ingredients from different suppliers while other consumers of the suspected suppliers were not affected.

November 2015 E. coli cases[edit]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on December 21 that five more people became ill after eating at two Chipotle restaurants located in Kansas and Oklahoma in late November. Preliminary DNA fingerprinting results appear to indicated that the newer cases were caused by a different strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26. Scientists are waiting for the results of the more definitive whole genome sequencing analyses to determine if the organisms responsible for this outbreak are genetically related to the E. coli that are responsible for causing the outbreak that had started in Oregon and Washington in late October and thus an extension of that outbreak. The agency has not yet determined which food is responsible for the outbreak.[207] The Food and Drug Administration reported that they are trying to determine how the bacteria in these cases, along with the earlier Oregon, Washington, and other multi-state cases, might have been propagated through the food supply chain.[208]

December 2015 norovirus outbreak[edit]

The closed restaurant on December 16, 2015

In December 2015, eighty students at Boston College, including members of the men's basketball team, were sickened after eating at a single Chipotle restaurant. Affected students had been tested for both E. coli and norovirus in order to determine the cause of the illnesses.[209][210] Although it would take as long as two days before the results of more definitive tests became known, public health investigators reported that preliminary tests pointed to the presence of norovirus.[211] The health inspectors for the City of Boston had since closed this particular location on December 7 for a number of health violations that included maintaining meats at a too low of a temperature on the serving line and for allowing a sick employee to work at the time of the inspection.[212]

On December 10, officials from the Boston Public Health Commission reported that tests had identified a single strain of norovirus that is responsible for this particular outbreak.[213] Boston Globe reported on December 10 that 141 persons were reported to have gotten ill and that some of the newer victims had not visited Chipotle before contracting the virus[214] and most likely became infected by being in close proximity to someone who had gotten ill at Chipotle, such as a roommate or dorm-mate.[213] Boston authorities traced the cause of the outbreak to a sick employee who was allowed to work on the day of the outbreak. Chipotle has since fired the employee and also the manager who knowingly allowed the ill worker to complete his shift instead of following health codes.[215]

Consequences of the multiple incidents in 2015[edit]

On February 8, 2016, Chipotle closed all of its eateries nationwide for a few hours during the morning for an all-staff meeting on food safety.[216] The company hired a new head of food safety, who instituted changes including having all employees wash hands every half hour, having two employees verify that produce like onions, jalapeños and avocados have been immersed in hot water for five seconds to kill germs on their exteriors, and using Pascalization to pre-treat food ingredients.[217]

Since the series of food-poisoning outbreaks in 2015 lowered trust in the product, Chipotle has tried to lure back its customers with free food and heavier advertising. Same-store sales increased 17.8% percent in the first quarter of 2017.[218]

July 2017 norovirus outbreak[edit]

Despite corrective actions, the company faced another setback in implementing their safe food policies in July 2017. A norovirus outbreak is being investigated in Virginia. More than 130 people reported having norovirus-like symptoms and two individuals had tested positive for the virus after eating at a Chipotle restaurant in Sterling, Virginia. The Loudoun County Health Department confirmed the illnesses from July 13–16, 2017. Shares of Chipotle's stock stumbled more than 10% on this news[219][220] and also the news that customers had posted videos of mice skittering through a Chipotle restaurant in Dallas just a few days before the norovirus incident was reported.[221][222] On July 25, several news agencies reported that Chipotle officials confirmed that the "recent norovirus outbreak in Virginia was the result of lax sick policy enforcement by store managers" and that the company believed that an employee was the cause of the outbreak.[223][222]

July 2018 Clostridium perfringens outbreak[edit]

In late July 2018, Ohio public health officials launched an investigation after receiving 368 complaints from customers after they had eaten at a Powell, Ohio, location.[224] By mid-August, the U.S. Ce

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gatheringbones · 5 years ago

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Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst, The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things -— Stories from Science and Observation:

[”First, they target weakened spruce trees. Like all trees, spruce can defend themselves against insect attack, and who wants to die just before their first opportunity to have sex? Therefore, the beetles narrow their search to trees broadcasting scent signals that betray their weakness, because trees let each other know when they are stressed. For example, if there’s a dry spell and a dangerous lack of water in the ground, the first trees to notice can forewarn all their fellow trees in the area. These can then preemptively dial down their water use to make the remaining supplies in the root zone last longer. Unfortunately, the trees’ enemies also pick up on the fact that someone is in danger of running dry. Normally, spruce defend themselves against insects trying to bore into them by pushing out blobs of pitch to drown them. (Pitching them out, as it were.) If the trees are short on water or weakened in some other way, they don’t have enough energy to produce pitch.

(...)

This brownish frass is a red flag for foresters, because it is a clear indication that the spruce tree can no longer defend itself and is doomed. Once the beetle has succeeded in getting that far, it sends out a scent signal to summon more of its colleagues. It might sound odd to broadcast an invitation to other males at mating time, but there’s method behind this madness. A brief shower might be enough to re-energize the tree sufficiently that it could quickly dispatch the courageous pioneer with a fresh portion of pitch. And so the spruce must be weakened quickly until there’s no way it can recover. The more insects that bore into it, the more surely they can extinguish the tree’s life force.

(...)

Once enough males have assembled, they send out a signal to indicate that the tree is fully occupied to keep further rivals away. The late arrivals are not left out in the cold, however, as there are usually more spruce trees in the neighborhood that can now be tested.

(...)

Destruction caused by the mountain pine beetle, however, is on another scale altogether. This beetle lives in pine forests in western North America, where it is particularly partial to lodgepole pines. It behaves much like the spruce engraver beetle, except it is the females that lead the attack and summon the males with seductive scents. To shut down a tree’s defenses (its flow of pitch), the beetle carries a fungus that attacks and paralyzes the living layers of bark. That way, not only are the tree’s defensive mechanisms shut down, but it also cannot feed itself, and the defenseless victim can easily be colonized. In recent years, there have been increasing reports that these beetles have multiplied so much that they also decimate healthy forests. They have destroyed approximately 55 percent of all the commercially harvestable pine in British Columbia, and enormous areas have been stripped of all their old trees. You have to wonder how this can happen. Usually, a species doesn’t destroy its natural habitat. Scientists suggest it has to do with climate change. Higher winter temperatures allow more eggs and larvae to survive, and the beetles to extend their range farther north. Warming also weakens trees so that they have less energy to defend themselves against their attackers. This certainly is part of the problem, but most studies don’t mention the other part: extensively annihilating ancient forests and replacing them with gigantic monocultures that favor extreme increases in beetle populations.”]

#wasteland radio #peter wohlleben #jane billinghurst #book recs tag #terra preta

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bk-lostintranslation · 6 years ago

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ESSAY: Kali - Polysemantic Goddess

...Kali is, at her core, the embodiment of opposites. Through her, Hinduism has syncretized a variety of extremes: destruction and creation, death and rebirth, mother-love and sovereign sexuality, primordial violence and self-sacrificial wisdom.

Among the multifaceted pantheon of Hindu deities, the goddess Kali occupies perhaps the most fascinating yet frustratingly misunderstood position. Her iconography – filtered through the lens of parochial presuppositions – often distorts her persona into that of an ogress: bloodthirsty and warlike, with a penchant for destruction. However, this prescribed identity disregards the rich nuances of Kali's origins, reducing her instead to a chimera that arguably embodies the submerged fears of the archetypal, independent feminine. Too often, in text and media, she has been either devalued or demonized, consigned to the same spectrum of mythological would-be villainesses as Lilith, Hecate or Morrigan. New Age depictions of Kali are equally suspect for flattening her into a mere tool for social discourse. Neo-paganists and Western Kali enthusiasts have been accused of appropriating the goddess as a one-dimensional figurehead for Mother Earth, or as a self-serving expression of radical female sexuality, without taking into account her deeper symbolism within Hindu philosophy.

Modern cross-fertilization between the two cultures, thankfully, has allowed academics to defuse these seemingly irreconcilable caricatures. Today, a wealth of literature is devoted to understanding Kali's complex character and role. By navigating the maze between misconception and truth, what emerges is the realization that Kali is, at her core, the embodiment of opposites. Through her, Hinduism has syncretized a variety of extremes: destruction and creation, death and rebirth, mother-love and sovereign sexuality, primordial violence and self-sacrificial wisdom. Kali's incarnations, whether tranquil (saumya) or fearsome (rudra) are simply manifestations of omnipotent cosmic energy (sakti) which is the fuel within and behind every phenomenon of the manifested world. Kali, in short, is the fulcrum around which the cosmos revolves, and she wields her power in both transformative and terrifying ways.

Perhaps most remarkable is that, in Hinduism, Kali is affectionately referred to as Maa, or Mother. This title of respect, with its intimate subtext, is important not because her devotees attempt to distinguish between the maternal Kali and the sanguinary Kali, but because in Hinduism, destruction and creation are regarded as complementary, rather than diametrical, facets of a single continuum (Kinsley 15). With each rebirth, human beings are free of the negative traits conducive to social and personal downfall: cruelty, greed, egotism, self-interest etc. This blank slate goes hand-in-hand with the opportunity to do good karma. Each birth is a new beginning, a fresh start to awaken one's potential for self-transformation. Death, therefore, is not a stillborn story, but one that begins, instead of ending, with the power to sidestep adharma and tread fully across the true dharma path. To accomplish this, Kali is instrumental. She is the Divine Mother who frees her children from the limitations of the physical realm – in this case the cyclical tedium of samsara. Infinitely patient and benevolent, she nurtures the souls (atman) of human beings until they have perfected their understanding of the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) and achieved liberation (moksha). Her color, the pure black of nothingness, can be viewed as the primordial womb within which the enlightened souls merge (Frawley 133).

Of course, to fully appreciate Kali's extraordinary complexity, it is necessary to delve into her etymology and history. In his book, Devī-māhātmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition, Thomas B. Coburn remarks that while Kali is simply a feminine play on the adjective Kaalam, or "darkness," the latter can also be linked to the derivative noun Kaala, or time. Kali, then, is meant to symbolize "that which brings all things to an end, the destroyer" (108). Kali's mythology and the beginnings of her worship are difficult to trace. However, the earliest known mention of Kali is observed in the Mundaka Upanishad, where she is the name of one of the seven terrible black tongues of the fire-god, Agni. In the Mahabharata, she makes a token appearance as one of the "mothers" who become companions of Karttikeya as he boldly ventures forth to slay the demon Taraka. But it is not until the Markandeya Purana, within the chapter Devi Mahatmya ("Glorification of the Goddess") that she makes her awe-inspiring debut. Here, Kali is depicted as both the purest manifestation of divine wrath, but also as the delivering heroine who is summoned to salvage a disaster that threatens to tear apart the fabric of the cosmos itself. Her mission is to destroy the demon-lord Rakhtabeeja (blood-seed) who possesses the power to generate clones of himself with every drop of his blood spilled to the ground. In the book, Kali: The Feminine Force, Ajit Mookerjee describes how Kali:

...manifested herself for the annihilation of demonic male power in order to restore peace and equilibrium. For a long time brutal 'asuric' (demonic) forces had been dominating and oppressing the world. Even the powerful gods were helpless and suffered defeat at their hands. They fled pell-mell in utter humiliation, a state hardly fit for the divine. Finally they prayed in desperation to the Daughter of the Himalayas to save gods and men alike. The gods sent forth their energies as streams of fire, and from these energies emerged the Great Goddess Durga. In the great battle to destroy the most arrogant and truculent man-beasts, the goddess Kali sprang forth from the brow of Durga to join in the fierce fighting. As the 'forceful' aspect of Durga, Kali has been dubbed 'horrific' or 'terrible' in masculine-biased commentaries, without understanding of the episode's inner meaning (21-55).

It is certainly true that Kali contradicts the ideological construct of the feminine as subordinate to the masculine. However, while Hindu philosophy binarizes its deities into symbols of male and female energy, it should be noted that there is an implicit androgyny within each depiction. Collectively, the Hindu pantheon represent the various spatial aspects of Brahman. Each god is an alternate component to a singular theistic unity. Gender is not always integral to this classification, although one can argue that within the social framework of Hinduism, which is heavily male-dominated, it carries significant weight. But that is, perhaps, what makes Kali all the more fascinating. Here is a goddess whose depictions are unabashedly female, yet who embodies the integral Hindu tenets of power and nature (sakti/prakriti), while simultaneously defying orthodox constraints of traditional Indian womanhood. In the book, Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs and Practices, Lynn Foulston and Stuart Abbott remark that, by transgressing the limitations of conventional Hindu womanhood, Kali represents the "transcendence of social and worldly values and the freedom this brings... As one of the Mahavidyas (i.e. one of the ten aspects of the Goddess Shakti), Kali can be understood as a liminal symbol, both occupying and traversing the very boundaries of social purity and order, danger and pollution" (118).

The diverse Puranic oeuvre only heightens Kali's uniqueness. Mother, lover, warrior, martyr – her story runs the whole gamut of human experiences. In popular folklore, for example, Kali slays the demonic Daruka and consumes his blood. However, she becomes dangerously intoxicated by the evil flowing through her veins, driven into a rampaging bloodlust. Like an embodied natural disaster, she sweeps across the earth, spreading catastrophe in her wake. Implicit in this tale is the theme of self-sacrifice. While the ferocious Kali is born to vanquish evil, it is clearly at the cost of herself (157).

Other versions present a more empowering outlook. In the book, Questions on Hinduism, John Renard recounts how, in a desperate attempt to cool Kali's wrath, her consort, Shiva, throws himself beneath her feet. This act establishes him as her more passive counterpart, playing on the pun Shava (corpse). More to the point, Kali's story clearly "identifies the female as the energy, the divine spark at the heart of reality, which confers on creation the power of transcendence" (124). Indeed, in traditional as well as contemporary artwork, Kali is often depicted as dancing upon Shiva's supine form. In these portrayals, titled the Dakshinkali, she embodies the unstoppable dance of Nature, while her mate, Shiva, becomes the manifestation of Consciousness. Rather than an active force, Consciousness plays a silent witness to the dynamism of Nature. Shiva, sprawled pale and corpselike beneath Kali's foot, illustrates how all that Consciousness perceives is the force of Nature (Pattanaik 53-67).

In other versions, Shiva does not throw himself beneath Kali's feet, but transforms into a bawling baby. When Kali hears the cries, her fury is subsumed beneath a flood of maternal instinct. Gathering the baby to her breast, she nurses him; her violent potential is thus sublimated into motherly largesse. While this retelling can be criticized as a patriarchal misappropriation – a blatant attempt to tame seemingly-destructive female independence through motherhood – it can also enjoy a kaleidoscope of interpretations. In contemporary Western feminism, it is perhaps not always fashionable to exalt motherhood, which so often conflicts with female self-expression and autonomy. However, the fact that Kali, whose persona is so fearsome, is woken emotionally by a child, and is able to discover opposite yet apposite aspects of her own fiercely protective nature, holds a life-affirming sweetness (Mohanty 55-70).

Other narratives completely dispel the notion that even the all-powerful Kali is inherently submissive to the male form of the divine. In the Tantric version of the Kali's battle, Shiva assumes the guise of a beautiful man and lays himself across Kali's path. Here, as in other adaptations, Kali ceases her rampage after stumbling across Shiva's chest. However, in this case, it is because she is consumed with lust. Flouting the conventions of decency, she straddles Shiva out in the open and begins to make love to him. For many, this combustible blend of violence and sexuality is an empowering motif with a potentially subversive edge. For others, however, it comes as no great shock that Kali, as the purest and most dynamic representation of sakti, is equally unapologetic of her desires (75).

Indeed, Tantric depictions of Kali engaged in coitus with Shiva, which shocked early British settlers as prurient, in fact held intensely ritualistic and symbolic underpinnings. According to Tantric doctrines, the human body symbolizes the microcosm of the universe. As such, Kali's union with Shiva is neither sinful nor shameful, but integral to the process of creation. In the book, Encountering Kali: in the Margins, at the Center, in the West, Rachel Fell McDermott et al. analyze this particular myth, faithfully recreated in ancient and contemporary artwork: "Siva is the inert soul, purusa, whereas Kali is the active, creative prakriti.... Tantra emphasizes the 'erotic' (that is, the simultaneously sexual and religious) symbolism of the image. In defiance of conventional sexual mores, Kali engages intercourse with Siva in the 'reverse position' ....since siva depends on sakti for the ability to orchestrate creation, preservation, destruction" (53-55).

Equating this unadulterated female power with the negative – a proclivity often seen in patriarchal interpretations – would be fallacious here. So too would be the tendency to pedestalize the divine, to fit female deities into tidy, distinct boxes of "maidenly" or "motherly." Kali's very mythology allows these generalizations more breathing space. Her destroyer/creator/mother/warrior/temptress/martyr mystique encompasses every facet of existence, from the beautiful to the horrifying. At the most fundamental level, her mythos serves to provoke a reaction – primeval, visceral – from observers and devotees alike. Rather than reducing her extremes to intellectual abstractions, her stories allow her to feel close and human. One might even argue that Kali's presence extends beyond liturgy and theology. Hers is a tactile and emotional experience; she exists equally in the frailties of human life and in the inevitability of death, in the fierce desire to nurture but also to defend, and in the human capacity for infinite, unceasing transformation.

Iconography, of course, serves to highlight her polysemantic and multifunctional role. Every aspect of her appearance carries a potent philosophical epithet. She is often depicted as a ferocious four-armed woman with either pitch black or dark blue skin, a mane of matted hair, three blazing-red eyes, sharp white teeth and a lolling red tongue. She is typically nude, festooned only in a necklace of skulls and a girdle of severed limbs. In two of her four arms, she wields a scythe (kharag) and a severed male head; the remaining two arms are positioned in hasta mudras that communicate the seemingly-ironic message 'Do not fear.' Despite this frightening visage, she is sacrosanct for well-grounded reasons. Her dark skin is tied to earth and space; to the fertile soil of the physical realm and the infinite darkness of the primordial cosmos. Much like black represents the all-encompassing quality of darkness, so too is Kali's darkness the signifier of her benevolent and accepting nature (Harding 38-52).

Equally powerful is the message behind Kali's nudity. She is described as garbed in space, or sky-clad, and this "absence of clothes denotes the absence of illusion" (Mascetti 47). In that sense, she is Nature at its most sublime, transcending the boundaries of name and form. As the Universal Truth, she has conquered the illusory trappings of maya. Through her, devotees can transform blind consciousness into perception, just as a wash of intense light illuminates dark corners, dissipating the shadows of ignorance. Her unbound hair, too, is charged with symbolic and cosmological significance. In the book, Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahāvidyās, David R. Kinsley suggests that Kali's disheveled mane of hair, such a jarring contrast to the way traditional Hindu women plait their hair in deference to social order, is indicative of Kali's unbridled independence. "Kali is free from convention, wild and uncontrolled in nature, and not bound to and limited by a male consort." In the same vein, Kali's loose curtain of hair is interpreted as the swathe of Space-Time, with its tangled mass suggesting the dissolution of cosmic balance. "Her hair has come apart and flies about every which way... all has returned to chaos. The 'braidedness' of social and cosmic order comes to an end in Kali's wild, unbound, flowing hair" (83-85).

Similar dualistic interpretations are found concerning Kali's tongue – blood-smeared and protruding. According to Puranic lore, Kali's lolling tongue allows her to slurp up the blood of Rakhtabeeja, before it can drip to the ground and spawn clones. In other narratives, Kali's outstretched tongue takes on broader, more psychological connotations. In The Book of Kali, Seema Mohanty states that, "With the outstretched tongue, Kali teases and mocks her devotees. She sees through their social façade and knows the dark desires they try so hard to deny or suppress. She provokes them to delve into their subconscious and confront all those memories and thoughts that they shy away from" (10).

For the colonial West, of course, this aspect of Kali's iconography seemed to fuse sexuality with brutality, social perversion with graphic violence. In the book, Encountering Kali: in the Margins, at the Center, in the West, McDermott et al. remark that Kali's tongue, filtered through the Western lens, became a blatantly phallic symbol, her persona little more than a terrifying figurehead of idolatrous depravity. Indeed, McDermott argues that for the colonial imagination, Kali was the embodiment of India itself, "imbued with debauchery, violence and death. Objectified under the 'colonial gaze'... Kali has always been an ambivalent source of mixed horror and fascination, of simultaneous revulsion and lurid attraction" (170-178). Unfortunately, such depictions, rooted in Eurocentric ambivalence, fail to appreciate Kali's full complexity. As a goddess, Kali explores and symbolizes all the uses and expressions of submerged human desire. It should be noted that in this instance, desire does not refer simply to biological imperatives with their natural rhythms of arousal and satiation. Nor is it linked purely to the erotic desire that is cloaked in visual and textual symbolism. This is desire at the cosmic, primordial level, beyond limits and civility. Taken in that sense, Kali's tongue "denotes the act of tasting or enjoying what society regards as forbidden, foul, or polluted... an indiscriminate enjoyment of all the world's 'flavors.' What we experience as ... polluted ... is grounded in limited human (or cultural) consciousness ... Kali invites her devotees to taste the world in its most disgusting and forbidden manifestations in order to detect its underlying unity or sacrality, which is the Great Goddess herself" (Kinsey 81-83).

Kali's ornaments and weaponry, too, carry a reservoir of allegorical and mystic nuance. Her garland of severed heads represent the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. These seedlings (beej) of sound – particularly the eternal syllable, Om – are the source of all creation. Adorned in the essence of reality, Kali is therefore the repository of eternal knowledge. She "decapitates words so that the seeker of truth is liberated from the limitations imposed by language" (Mohanty 13). Similarly, her girdle of severed limbs represents karmic annihilation. Each arm symbolizes the binding effect of deeds – karma – that Kali effortlessly chops down. Thus, she is instrumental in liberating her devotees from the cruel cyclicity of samsara, allowing them to achieve the ultimate spiritual realization (14).

Completing her otherworldly allure, the conjunction of femininity, monstrosity and strength, are Kali's four arms. According Bob Kindler's book, Twenty-Four Aspects of Mother Kali, her arms symbolize the cosmic circle of creation and destruction. The upper and lower right hands confer gracious and protective boons, the hands positioned in the Abhaya and Varada mudra respectively. The former is "a mystic gesture indicating the Divine Mother's serious warning to negative forces that attempt to harm Her precious spiritual children." The latter, meanwhile, signifies "gifts to those who approach Her for refuge" (22). Her left arms, brandishing the bloodied scythe and the severed head, symbolize Kali's power to eradicate ignorance. The head represents false consciousness, or the ego; the scythe is the weapon of knowledge. Thus, by slicing through the obstacles of ignorance, Kali frees her devotees from temporal bindings. Finally, her three eyes speak of her omniscience: they represent the sun, moon, and fire, which she uses as mediums to unlock the three facets of time – past, present and future (Kinsley 86-90). In ancient Greece, the ouroboros – a primeval serpent devouring its own tail – served to symbolize the coincidence of opposites, the infinite oscillation between destruction and creation, death and rebirth. In the same manner, Kali perfectly embodies the circular transience of being, the pivot upon which cosmic equilibrium rests.

Both legends and iconography reiterate her gift for transcending the broad spectrum of dichotomies because it is relevant. At her core, Kali's myth defies humanity's efforts to classify and control the unknown as a way of asserting its standing as a rational, privileged species. She corrects us of the dangerous misconception that human beings are a dominant outside force, rather than fragile stitches within the cosmic fabric itself. By understanding Kali, it is therefore possible to spark a genuine relationship with Nature in its manifold forms, and beyond them, with the all-pervasive life-force – sakti – that flows through the universe in its entirety. Renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell, in his classic work The Hero with a Thousand Faces, states it best:

The goddess is the fire of life; the earth, the solar system, the galaxies of far-extending space, all swell within her womb. For she is the world creatrix, ever mother, ever virgin. She encompasses the encompassing, nourishes the nourishing, and is the life of everything that lives. She is also the death of everything that dies. The whole round of existence is accomplished within her sway, from birth, through adolescence, maturity, and senescence, to the grave. She is the womb and the tomb: the sow that eats her farrow. Thus she unites the "good" and the "bad," exhibiting the two modes of the remembered mother, not as personal only, but as universal (95).

For the curious academic or the passionate devotee, there is no doubting Kali's appeal. But her paradoxical nature is the true crux of her uniqueness: at once a singularity and a multiplicity, she is immeasurable. Conceptually, Kali's presence is not just a part of the cosmos, but the same size as it. On one level, she is an abstract force that flows beyond the nacreous spectrum of time and space. On another level, she is a tangible, living presence swimming through the undercurrents of the real world we inhabit every day. Her voice may not always be audible to us, but the occasions when we do hear it are full of intimacy and truth.

Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1973. 95. Print.

Coburn, Thomas B. Devī-māhātmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1984. 11-112. Print.

Foulston, Lynn, and Stuart Abbott. Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs and Practices. Brighton: Sussex Academic, 2009. 110-160. Print.

Frawley, David. Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Deities and Meditation. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus, 2008. 130-136. Print.

Harding, Elizabeth U. Kali the Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Newburyport: Nicolas-Hays, 1993. 38-52. Print.

Kindler, Bob. Twenty-four Aspects of Mother Kali. Portland, OR: SRV Oregon, 1996. 22. Print.

Kinsley, David R. Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahāvidyās. Berkeley: U of California, 1997. 29-90. Print.

Mascetti, Manuela Dunn., Jennifer Woolger, and Roger Woolger. Goddesses: Mythology and Symbols of the Goddess. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1998. 47. Print.

McDermott, Rachel Fell., and Jeffrey J. Kripal. Encountering Kali: in the Margins, at the Center, in the West. Berkeley: U of California, 2003. 21-152. Print.

Mookerjee, Ajit. Kali: The Feminine Force. New York: Destiny, 1988. 21-55. Print.

Mohanty, Seema. The Book of Kali. New Delhi: Penguin India, 2004. 6-100. Print.

Pattanaik, Devdutt. 7 Secrets of the Goddess. Chennai: Wastland, 2014. 53-67. Print.

Renard, John. Questions on Hinduism. Mumbai: Better Yourself, 1999. 124. Print.

#essay #academic writing #kali #kali ma #goddess #hinduism #religion #globalization #philosophy

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whatdoesshedotothem · 4 years ago

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Saturday 30 September 1837

7 ½

1 55

fine but dullish morning F49° and breakfast at 8 55 with A- we lay awoke till after 12 last night talking of one thing or other I told if she would keep me that is the household taxes sservants wages and all so as to leave me my own income clear I could do very well she seemed not averse I asked to consider what she would like to be spent – for we might spend just what she could spare out of her income a thousand a year would do – and I repeated all this this morning – A- came to me for ¼ hour before breakfast – A- had SW. and I saw him – according to Mawson’s and Mark Hepworth’s bills for carting from front of house the stuff would cost 1/. per yard – I said I would take no notice of this – SW. must settle it some way – as well as he could – out – about – sat talking to A- ¼ hour till 1 – soon after when she rode off to Cliff Hill to stay all night (as she is to do henceforth every Saturday) and return tomorrow and the next Sunday after – she wrote to Mrs. Fenton by SW. this morning to say George should go over on Thursday to see and pay for the horse Mr. Fenton thought would suit – I told SW. about my having paid the land tax of Godley land and cottage and Staups and Barraclough cottage the tenants to pay it to me in future – some chance of my getting the Godley cottages but I will not buy them too dear – at my desk at 11 5 and till 12 ¾ wrote the whole of yesterday and so far of today – then out – about – Mr. Harper came at 1 ½ and staid till near 5 – latterly settling with Mr. Pollett and his engineer Mr. Wood – longish business – at last allowed as per estimate for the

water wheel 32ft. diameter and 5ft. breast 304.0.0. as per estimate

Pumps 2six in. more 176.10.0 as per ditto

Sundries (there ought to be no sundries) 53.2.10.

Rolling clow (land its accessories vix.)

of which paid by check n°171 today £334.12.10 and the remaining £300 to be paid at Xmas – For Mr. Harper certifies to there being due only £634.12.10

Pentrough 25.10.0

Forbay 47.0.0

Governor 23.0.0

Back shuttle 6.0.0.

whole expense of rolling clow and governor

101.10.0

635.12.10

Wheel 304.0.0

Pumps 176.10.0

Extras 53.2.10 = 533.12.10

Rolling clow 101.10.0

635.2.10

among the extras is included £15.7.6 towards connecting the wheel with other machinery yet nevertheless the estimate Mr. Pollett gave in today (he said nothing was to be paid for this estimate or that respecting the pumps) for shafting and geering for 20 worsted frames = £285. vid. line 17 of Tuesday last p. 355 Mr. Matthew Naylors’ estimate = £100 and Mr. Polletts’ estimate of taking in exchange the present 6in. bore pumps for 8in. ditto ditto = £112

Mr. Harper went away as Mr. Pollett came in to be paid the £300+ and tried to get me to pay him the £101.10.0 for the Rolling clow concern now, saying that that was his brothers’ and I had said it should be paid for immediately – yes! said I, but Mr. Harper knows all this and has made the present agreement; and as I have confided the matter entirely to him, I shall, of course, adhere to his arrangement, on which Mr. P- thanked me and civilly went away – nor do I nor does Mr. Harper much like the clutches of Messrs. Timothy Bates and sons! – afterwards had Mr. Joseph Culpan in a/c of the garden walls and Thomas Hinton to be paid in full for the great drain at Northgate which will suffice for the shops to be built in Broad street and for St. Annes’ street – 228 yards taken at 8/6 per yard but Mr. Harper knew it was too little and with my approbation allowed 10/6 per yard = £119.14.0 - £30 paid in a/c then out a few minutes tho’ the 2 Manns were waiting but wanted a little turnout and fresh air before beginning the long settling with them which lasted above an hour till 7 20 – dinner at 7 ½ - coffee – read the newspaper – came upstairs at 9 50 – dinner very dull without A- from 9 50 (at which hour F49°) to now 11 ¾ examining water wheel account and wrote all but the first 15 lines of today – the tackling broke (the jenny – the cogs of the new wheel we got yesterday – no fault of the new wheel – the other large wheel out of order) when the large yew was within an [hour] of its place – new wheels to get – Holt, engineer, to come and look at the Jenny – Parkinson and c° began the laundry court wall this morning and have finished their job at the terrace walls and steps except 2 flags laying that are not come – they (the Parkinson men) were likewise at the lowmost wall today – Booths’ men getting on with the home gateway and clock-place finished all but covering in – Baldwins’ man here and began this morning slating the new room adjoining laundry - Robert Mann and c° at rough strong wall against turret passage and kitchen court and in moving large yew tree they had as before James Sharpe the mason at the Jenny – Nelsons’ men finishing up coping etc. about turret – the 2 outside York joiners putting up awkward steam-doors to cover in brewing copper – the 2 inside York ditto putting up wood water-spouts against the house – Mr. Harper will be here again in 3 weeks – the Northgate hotel may be ready for a tenant to move into in a fortnight – H- and I agreed that C- is likely to have it at £400 per annum – he will not miss it – his deepness to get the hotel at a low rent has not profited him much – Greenwood is to paper the rooms with neat good paper at 2d. per yard – H- told him I should rather break up the hotel than let it to C- for less than £400 – I said I should write to night (but forgot it) to Mr. Parker to say I had given up all thought of purchasing the coaches of C- nor P- nor A- were at home last night when H- called to tell them this – has just written so far as the clock struck 12 – fine day – Robert Mann’s son David Mann took possession (‘flitted’) this afternoon of the Mytham back middle cottage lately occupied by John Green collier – agreement to be signed and rent settled on Monday – then at accounts till 12 55 and went downstairs and having told Oddy to leave a kettle of hot water and glass and teaspoon ready, took 2 teaspoon of Epsom salts to try if these would remove the excessive bilious giddiness I have felt for several days past

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prisonrose · 6 years ago

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