#a) how does one ‘do diversity’ improperly?

[script-a-world]

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My world's main agriculture is farming but I'm wondering if that's truly viable in terrain that's not ideal for growing stuff. Though I am certainly having the world be advanced enough to have greenhouses and so on but nothing too fancy other than some rudimentary GMO. With greenhouses, I assume the majority of land could possibly be used - including desert/polar regions. Just as long as they can transport all their needed supplies.

Ebonwing: If so much of your terrain is unsuited to farming that they’d have to build greenhouses everywhere, why would the main agriculture be farming? In areas where farming crops isn’t feasible, people have traditionally found other ways of feeding themselves, often by having animal herds and maintaining diets based on meat and dairy.

Tex: Arable land depends on soil fertility. While it’s true that this is climate-dependent, there are, for example, plants that grow in both the Arctic and the desert. There is currently an interest in some farmers adopting no-till farming due to more research being conducted on soil microbiology (Nature portfolio).

Successful agriculture is heavily dependent upon the health of the soil and the greater biome. Greenhouses are a popular concept for alleviated perceived issues with the production of crops, but also have issues with decreased microbial diversity, something that plants need in order to be healthy (Legein et al.). Accordingly, this microbial diversity has a perceptible impact on human health (PDF Samiran &  van der Heijden).

Genetic engineering is a new field and has only recently been involved in agriculture, with selective breeding of animals and plants the predominant method of cultivating desired characteristics the typical preference of farmers, when they have not opted for domestication.

What are your world’s main goals for agricultural production? How many people are they feeding, how many animals are they feeding, and what is the general density of these populations? What does an ideal diet look like? Is the food mostly equivalent in quality and accessibility across all social strata, or are there visible disparities? What are their major obstacles in reaching these goals? Agriculture does have a side effect on the environment, particularly with the use of tilling and chemical applications - the natural biome is altered, and sometimes permanently. When over-used and improperly maintained, it can create inhospitable environments (Wikipedia).

Further Reading

Lee, Sang-Moo, et al. "Disruption of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria abundance in tomato rhizosphere causes the incidence of bacterial wilt disease." The ISME journal 15.1 (2021): 330-347.

PDF Chen, Tao, et al. "A plant genetic network for preventing dysbiosis in the phyllosphere." Nature 580.7805 (2020): 653-657.

PDF Gu, Shaohua, et al. "Competition for iron drives phytopathogen control by natural rhizosphere microbiomes." Nature Microbiology 5.8 (2020): 1002-1010.

PDF Wolinska, Katarzyna W., et al. "Tryptophan metabolism and bacterial commensals prevent fungal dysbiosis in Arabidopsis roots." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118.49 (2021): e2111521118.

PDF Wei, Zhong, et al. "Initial soil microbiome composition and functioning predetermine future plant health." Science advances 5.9 (2019): eaaw0759.

Licorice: “Agriculture” derives from the Latin for “cultivation of fields”; “ager” is a field, and an ”agricola” is a farmer. So agriculture = farming. Agriculture is defined as “the practice or work of farming” by the Cambridge Online Dictionary; other dictionaries give a similar definition. 

The first time I read your query, I thought you meant your world was one where little or none of the terrain was suitable for growing stuff. However, on a second reading, it seems your question is more along the lines of “how do the inhabitants of marginal land produce their food”? If that’s the case, then it sounds to me as if your world is a lot like Earth. 

Human beings have settled in just about every environment on earth, adapting their lifestyles and diets to the local conditions. Some regions of earth have traditionally produced an abundance of food and been well suited to farming; others have not, and in those cases the indigenous people have generally relied on hunting and gathering for their food. Some places, like the Welsh Hills or the slopes of the Alps, are more suited to animal husbandry than to the cultivation of crops. And, of course, there was a time when the different regions and human societies of Earth each had their own unique food crops. 

There’s been a lot of interest in greenhouse farming in the Arctic, but as far as I know it remains small-scale and somewhat experimental. That could change.

https://www.arcticwwf.org/the-circle/stories/bringing-leafy-greens-to-northern-sweden/

And of course the inhabitants of your world will be trading with each other. Regions that produce a lot of fish will salt it and trade it with regions that produce a lot of wine or spices. Tea can be exchanged for gold. Maybe potatoes are abundant but wheat is a luxury? And so on; it’s up to you to decide what your world’s most precious food commodities are.. 

[razzle-dazzle-dandy]

Alright I’ll give it a shot 1)Asha is not Afro Latina, she’s Afro Hispanic. She does not live in Latin America so she isn’t a Latina. Her father is white spainard or at least vaguely described as from the Iberian peninsula, which would include Portugal. Her mother is Amazigh, which is a group of people that reside in different parts of North Africa. Which leads us to point 2)Box braids are not reflective of typical North African hairstyles. You can see some Amazigh people wear them, but not the way Asha has them. It’s super disappointing hearing how Disney apparently did the research on hair of Amazigh people, and they decided box braids were such a staple to the culture when they aren’t. That’s more of a West and South African hairstyle for groups that usually have the hair texture for box braids in the first place. You made that comment about why white people shouldn’t wear braids? Cultural appropriation aside, simply these hairstyles are made for certain hair textures in mind, hence why white people that wear African based braids find themselves crying over their bald patches. Africa has a wide range of diversed features thus different people have different garments and hairstyles to suit the environment. Asha’s design hardly tells us she’s Amazigh or Spanish which leads to point 3) Those are some ugly poorly designed box braids. I’ve had all sort of box braids styles and when I was told Asha was shocked, like where? Not to mention they didn’t bother giving the poor girl any hair accessories, some that can help reflect her Amazigh heritage, so it’s boring. Poorly animated too, which is weird because Disney can make entirely new programs to animate Rapunzel’s hair or Mirabel’s but not braids? Not something simple like braids? Then again, they did lay off a bunch of people, so that’s probably part of the reason they tried to apply straight hair animation logic onto braids, which is another issue people tend to have with her braids. Like did animators truly give her braids to reflect the culture(it didn’t) or because they thought it was easier to animate than afro hair which is still a frustratingly stupid argument in animation. It comes across as nonblack people did not ask Black people for guidance on how to design Black hair. Yknow how everyone uses the Killmonger haircut and the one ugly afro in games because they don’t want to explore different looks? It’s giving ‘that’.Now I do side eye people that make Asha’s hair just straight, like dang not even the concept art did that. But I would some people are drawn into Asha’s concept art that seems better designed for her character. Because honestly, if the point is Asha is a character that constantly needs to be on the move, and is clumsy, and forgetful, she’s not going to have long flowing braided hair like that. And you can still blame Disney as a corporation for poor animation and poor character design, we are seeing more and more people that worked on Wish come out to say how rushed and underdeveloped made this movie. Sorry for long message but something like a character designed to have braids does need to a lot of thought put into it, and unfortunately Asha with braids tells me nothing about the character vs what I’m shown

Thank you for your reply, genuinely!

I used Afro-Latina because I'd heard someone else use that term, so I appreciate that correction and clarification.

I made the comment about white people and braids because I was frustrated about people's response to Asha's hairstyle, not because I think they should go out and get braids. I do agree that those styles were developed for certain hair types and that they can cause damage when worn improperly, not to mention the cultural aspects which I'm well aware of.

Again, I mean this genuinely, where was it said that Sakina is based on the Amazigh people specifically? I've definitely seen North African, which would include that group among many others. Is it from the art book?

The braids honestly look fine to me (minus the point about decorations, that's definitely a missed opportunity)? That might come down to preference so I won't argue it too much. Braids definitely don't move in the wind that way, but I can understand that at some points they're trying to invoke the look and feel of classic Disney movies. Whether or not that's part of it, that's up to the animation team to answer. It's possible that the newer animation style may not have worked well with their current hair tools, a problem that may have been solved with more time/manpower.

When it comes to wonky animations, lay offs, and crunch, that's what I mean when I say genuine criticism. I can admit that I worded the last part poorly. You can absolutely critique animation and design, especially when they're affected by poor corporate practices. I'm more upset that people seemingly just want to be mad about anything Disney makes right now than anything else. Even if it strays from the initial concept, isn't the idea of a Disney princess or hero with cornrows and box braids kinda cool? We know that people move to Rosas from around the world, wouldn't it be fun to think of it as a melting pot the same way New York or other large cities are? I'm not saying Disney as a corporation is worth defending, it is not, but we can acknowledge the good with the bad. We should make pushes for improvement, and Disney should be better, but I think it's okay if a team just takes inspiration from something and decides to make something new with it.

[netsolwatersblog]

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[vordemtodgefeit]

*eye twitch*

[secret-engima]

In Fangs and Feathers, what are everyone else's reactions to meeting Xanxus, and vice versa? Are any other reincarnations going to pop up?

In GENERAL reactions are shock (the king has another son?), horror (he’s so VIOLENT AND RUDE), and incredulity (why does Noctis LIKE this guy???). Some more specific ones would be-

-Cor. Cor and Xanxus DO NOT get along for the longest time. It’s like introducing two cats very, very improperly. They tolerate each other at best. Cor thinks Xanxus is violent, uncontrolled, reckless, and selfish. Xanxus thinks Cor is a very, very dangerous man playing at being more calm and in control than he is and that triggers bad memories of Nono’s guardians and their trickery.

-These two will eventually come to a more stable neutrality toward each other after Xanxus stops acting like he’s going to stab Regis at any moment (ie when Xanxus realizes that Regis genuinely does love his illegitimate son and has all the snake-like qualities of a sad fluffy dog) and after many very bloody sparring matches that leave them both exhausted and in need of an elixir.

-Ignis is straight up horrified. He knows Noctis attracts strange people (look at Crowe) and forgives the dangerous ones (look at the various assassins that Noctis has converted) but .... but THIS is Noctis’s brother? Regis’s other son and Titus’s nephew? He’s so .... ANGRY. He walks around like he’s about to commit murder at any given second and yet Noctis ADORES him. It’s only the fact that Ignis can see Xanxus adores Noctis in return that keeps Ignis from trying to poison Xanxus’s tea or something.

-Xanxus, for his part, actually likes Ignis? He’s a Bby Inverted Sun who is clearly very protective and loyal to his Sky. Very smart for his age, and smart enough to be both wary and willing to throw the rule book out the window in favor of protecting Noctis (or better yet, using the rulebook to tangle someone up and trip them legally down the nearest elevator shaft). Ignis knows Xanxus is dangerous and is prepared to fight him to the death the moment Xanxus proves a threat to Noctis. Xanxus approves. He knows Ignis won’t WIN, but he approves. Finally Small Trash gains an Element that isn’t useless or suicidal and hasn’t tried to murder him beforehand.

-Xanxus’s arrival is before Gladio’s Nicked Lung incident (we’ll all just assume Xanxus was out on a Hunt or something when that happened k?) but he’s always ... been neutral toward Gladio. Neutral leaning toward negative. The kid is a brat. Arrogant brat that takes pride in his duty while also being scornful of the bby Sky in his care and THAT makes Xanxus dislike him. BUT, he’s also a kid and kids can change. Plus this is Small Trash’s Storm, he is fully expecting some kind of violent Incident to happen to turn the kid’s attitude around. This does not mean Xanxus won’t join Crowe in kicking the pants off Gladio after he gets back and hears about the Nicked Lung Incident OR from holding it over Gladio’s head for years after but it does mean he won’t outright try to kill Gladio because he knows this is ... how Tsuna-Noct always courts his Elements.

-Gladio thinks Xanxus is SCARY, but also admires him. He ... almost wishes he could be Xanxus’s Shield instead of Noctis’s at first (until the Incident) and thinks Xanxus is a “real man” for always being on the move and ready to fight and get things done. But he also dislikes Xanxus to an extent because Xanxus tends to ignore him or call him Trash instead of his name so....

-After Xanxus hears of the Nicked Lung Incident, Gladio upgrades his opinion of Xanxus from “scary but kinda cool” to “UTTERLY TERRIFYING DO NOT ENGAGE ABORT ABORT ABORT” and also becomes glad he is NOT Xanxus’s Shield because Xanxus is a feral mass of instincts, magic, and wrath tied together in the rough shape of a prince.

-Clarus always knew Regis’s reckless youth would come back to bite. He just ... didn’t expect it to be QUITE this bad. Or violent. Or magically powerful. Or CUNNING because this boy has never touched the political scene before yet he maneuvers through it with the careless abandon that only comes from knowing EXACTLY what all the rules and dangers are and just not giving a flying tonberry.

-He is ready for YEARS for Xanxus to either turn on Regis or turn on Noctis. Or both. Especially after Xanxus’s Shield shows up (more on him later). It ... takes him a long time to accept that yes, Xanxus is loyal and loving, he’s just a feral Cor turned up to 11 all the time and age is not going to make him Chill like it did Cor.

-Xanxus equates Clarus to Nono’s favorite Guardian. Specifically the one that abused Xanxus as a kid and continued to belittle him and treat him as a mad dog for the rest of his life. For obvious reasons, even if this first impression is incorrect, it sours Xanxus’s view of Clarus for years. They come to a silent non-aggression agreement for Regis’s and Noctis’s sake eventually, but not without much glaring (on both parts), snarling (on Xanxus’s part), swearing (on Xanxus’s part), and veiled comments (on Clarus’s part). Once Xanxus is wayyyyyyy older and has been around long enough, their antagonism mellows into something of a snarky frenemies thing, but it takes a while.

-Prompto thought Xanxus was terrifying for all of the ten minutes it took Xanxus to walk in glaring and then let himself get bowled over by a happy Noctis. Seeing the man lying on the floor complaining about “Small Trash get a diet you’re heavy” while absently petting Noctis’s hair went a long way to turn Xanxus from “nigh-eldritch demon” to “really grumpy cat” in Prompto’s brain. It helps that Prompto is the sweetest thing on the planet and even Xanxus doesn’t have the heart to be mean around him (plus Prom is a kid, the most kid-like of all Noctis’s friends, and Xanxus has always had a soft spot from brats as long as they weren’t threats to his Elements or the Vongola).

-Xanxus takes one look at Prompto and goes “ah. Bby Inverted Cloud. Abused bby Cloud. I will protecc.” then hides it under fifty billion layers of Gruff that fools everyone but Noctis, Prompto, and Xanxus’s own Shield.

-Is secretly ECSTATIC when Prompto shows a talent/interest in firearms and proceeds to gleefully train Prompto up to Varia Quality in them. Needless to say, Prompto is now the deadliest thing on the planet (Xanxus is more deadly, but Prompto looks like a cinnamon roll and thus is always underestimated, making him more deadly in the long run).

-The glaives are terrified. Captain’s nephew is powerful, is the King’s oops baby, AND has the general temperament of a rabid Coeurl stabbed to a chainsaw.

-Check that, all the glaives are terrified except for Tredd and Nyx. Tredd loves to antagonize despite the bruises it leaves him and Nyx wants to be friends because HUMAN COEURL. Lib and Luche are a Despair.

-Everyone is a Fear (even Nyx) the day they realize that Xanxus is Titus’s choice for Captain replacement. Which explains why Xanxus signed up the day after he turned 18 despite hating the military but STILL.

-Xanxus ... secretly loves the Glaives. These absolute morons are like his Varia but slightly less psychotic and loud. They are also his Uncle’s People so they must be protected (even if protection comes in the form of chasing them around the training ground shooting at them until they learn to dodge properly NYX). Tredd is a pest, but what do you expect of Storms, and Nyx is a blast because he can actually keep up with Xanxus’s crazy and is usually up for 90% of it. Xanxus’s favorite is actually Lib because Long-suffering Braincell Cloud but shhhh Xanxus isn’t supposed to play favorites with his future troops.

...

-To answer your last question ... yes there will be more reincarnations, but I haven’t decided which ones yet? I know that most of Tsuna’s guardians are NOT present because that makes the cast too big and risks overthrowing the Chocobro dynamic. I also have no plans to bring in any of the Arcobaleno so far and most of the Varia are also not present because I wanna focus on Xanxus and the glaives but.... There IS one member I’ve decided to bring. XDD

-Xanxus spends the three month trial run being kept secret from the world just in case he decides he hates Regis. Obviously he doesn’t, because Regis is the Best Dad™ and that means AFTER that, Regis has to man up and hold a press conference on the existence of his eldest son (who there are rumors about because even the best can’t keep Xanxus completely off the radar).

-Literally one week after the press conference where Regis did his speech and then was surprised when Xanxus actually PLAYED NICE for the camera (ie: didn’t cuss everyone out and only used the word trash ten times, even if he did scowl the entire time and ignore any questions aimed his way), all of Insomnia is thrown into a panic because someone just kamikaze ran a gunship at the Wall and used the diversion to slip through the opening that had been made to let in the weekly trucker convoy of foodstuffs and whatever. Naturally all the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive are up in arms to find the infiltrator that punched the border patrol in the nose and then disappeared into the back alleys.

-Another week goes by with no sign of the infiltrator until he once again rigs a diversion in the form of a truly astronomical amount of firecrackers set off at 4 AM right next to Crownsguard HQ. In the chaos of responding to the “gunfire”, the Nif infiltrator proceeds to careen his way through Citadel security, avoiding capture or death through truly insane shenanigans that make Crowe’s invasion years earlier look like a kitten run.

-Xanxus disobeys orders to stay in his room to instead go hunting for the Trash daring to invade his new home and, being Varia quality, successfully finds the infiltrator before anyone else does in the gardens. Xanxus pulls out a pistol, intending to shoot the Trash through his kneecaps because no doubt the king will want to interrogate him, when the Nif teenager, who has to BARELY be enlistment age and probably only four months out of Imperial boot camp, whirls around and CUTS THE BULLETS with his sword. Which promptly shatters.

-“VOI!” The teen yowls loud enough to shake the leaves of the trees and maybe a few window panes and Xanxus freezes. The teen drops his useless sword hilt on the ground and bares his teeth at Xanxus, green eyes glittering with fury and white-blond, waist length hair left to fly every which way in the breeze (noble’s kid then, no way he’d escape regulation haircuts if he wasn’t from some high noble’s spawn), “You! Get over here and let me stab you!”

-Xanxus holsters his pistol and stalks forward without a word. The teen gets nervous the closer Xanxus gets, Xanxus’s magic flaring around them to box them in with a Shield spell. Once he’s nose to nose with the teen, he reaches out with his magic, poking and prodding angrily at the soul in front of him. The teen doesn’t flinch, just glares with something feral and desperate in his eyes, something manic and NEEDY that reaches out and catches at Xanxus’s burning magic without fear.

-Xanxus takes a breath and its shaky, “Squalo?”

-The Niflheim teenage officer bursts into tears even though he’s trying not to, cussing Xanxus out in between his sobs because Xanxus DIED and he LEFT THEM and HOW COULD YOU YOU IDIOT TRASH BOSS.

-Because they are alone, and because this is his Rain that he thought was forever lost, Xanxus pulls Squalo into a hug that was almost spine breaking and shakes as he pours his magic into the gaping hole in his Shark’s soul.

-The Kingsglaive find them in the garden an hour later, no tears in sight (but eyes suspiciously red) yelling at each other and wrestling like long lost playmates on the ground. Titus, who is used to assessing his nephew’s condition via magic sensing, picks out the vibrate bond of magic between them and groans. “Xanxus, HE’S A NIF. HE’S LITERALLY THE ENEMY.”

-Xanxus hauls the boy (who’s birth certificate would tell you is Tempestas Highwind) to his feet and then pulls him protectively behind him with a snarl of, “Back off, Shark Trash is mine.” When Regis and Clarus, just arriving on the scene and already getting flashbacks to Crowe, make faint noises of protest, he grins and declares-

-“Shark Trash is my Shield, and if any of you have a problem with that you can put it where the sun don’t shine.”

-And Regis wonders what kind of horrible person he was in a previous life to deserve this. Son. Son pls, son he is AN OFFICER OF THE ENEMY FORCES YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM A SHIELD.

-Tempestas/Squalo, loud enough to shake window panes, “VOI I DEFECT FROM THE EMPIRE.”

-Titus just ... groans. Because he knows that look in his nephew’s eyes, that’s both Xanxus’s innate stubbornness AND Lucis Caelum possessiveness. The only way they’re getting rid of this Nif kid is by prying him from Xanxus’s cold dead hands.

-Also fun fact, YES, Squalo is related to Aranea. He is her older brother by a year and YES this is going to lead to the sibling spat to end all spats when she learns her brother uP AND DEFECTED TO LUCIS for seemingly no reason. Tho honestly she’s not surprised, because Tempestas has always vocally hated the empire.

[befitnesshub1]

How Long Does It Take To Get Food Poisoning?

You get food poisoning from poisoned or polluted food eating or drinking with pathogenic viruses, bacteria, parasites, poisonous chemicals or toxins.  It doesn’t surely come from rotten or spoiled food.  It might come from the delicious food that was just improperly handled or cooked.

What is food poisoning?

We think of food poisoning or illness; it’s a broad term that includes more than 250 kinds of disease-causing bacteria, germs, including Salmonella, E. coli and rotavirus. Those germs can cause diverse degrees of nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, depending on several factors.

Infectious germs or their toxins can spoil food at any point of processing. The food is contaminated by bacteria that can also occur at home if food is incorrectly controlled or cooked.

What are the symptoms of food poisoning?

When you consume contaminated food and first experience symptoms, it could be anywhere from under one hour to one week.  Food poisoning symptoms depends upon the cause of the contamination.

As an example, symptoms of a bacterial disease linked to undercooked pork (Yersiniosis), can appear between four to seven days after eating the contaminated food.

Food poisoning symptoms vary that usually arise within one to two days of eating spoiled food. However, they may start between a few hours and several weeks later with the source of infection.

This mainly includes one or more of the following signs and symptoms:

Feeling Sick (Nausea)

Abdominal pain and cramps

Vomiting

High fever

Lack of energy and weakness

Loss of taste

Diarrhea

These sickness symptoms will last for a few days, and you will make a full recovery. Food poisoning usually affects the digestive tract and throat.

Types of food poisoning

Escherichia coli (E. coli):

E.coli is the leading cause of bacterial spread on beef. It poisoned the meat with feces during slaughter and spread mainly by undercooked beef. Other causes include unpasteurized milk and apple cider, alfalfa sprouts, and polluted water.

Enteritis:

Intestinal infection (enteritis) is an extremely common illness. You’ll need to avoid food for a while and start taking plenty of fluids. In most cases, the illness will pass in one to three weeks. If the symptoms come on suddenly, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Clostridium botulinum:

Botulinum spread on homemade foods with low acidity, improperly managed commercial foods, smoked or salted fish, potatoes baked in aluminum foil, and other foods kept at warm temperatures for too long. Clostridium perfringens commonly spread when serving dishes like soups and sauces don’t keep hot enough or chilled too slowly.

Anaphylactic Shock:

If you’re allergic to a particular food, you may develop a rough reaction after eating that food. Sometimes, you won’t even notice the problem to consider as mild food poisoning symptoms. You will have to tell that you’re allergic to any particular food before eating to avoid getting an attack.

You can minimize your exposure by staying away from that food as much as possible. That’s better than suffering an embarrassing reaction right in front of everyone at the party.

Related Article: Causes of Depression | Symptoms | Treatment and More

How long does food poisoning last?

As we told, more than 250 types of food poisoning. While the symptoms may be similar, the length of time it takes to get better differs. Depending on: what substance caused the contamination and how much of it you ingested?

Food poisoning recovery time depends on many factors. These factors include the amount of food ingested, your general health, severity of the problem, and your symptoms’ seriousness.

If you suffer only minor symptoms, you may be able to recover in a day or two. If you have severe symptoms, you may need a week or two. Sometimes, people recover within a day or two without needing medical attention.

You may be out of work for a couple of days. You may experience some discomfort after the initial signs of food poisoning. But, over time, you should be back to your old self.

However, in some cases where the illness is severe enough, the symptoms don’t go away for a few days. The best thing how to know if you have food poisoning, is to consult your doctor for more advice. Some medicines can help you recover faster.

How to prevent food poisoning?

You can avoid food poisoning by following the basics of food safety in your home:

Be sure to protect yourself if you will drink any water from rivers, streams or lakes.

Make habit to wash your hands after treating raw meats, using the toilet, or being around ill people.

Wash fruit and vegetables, even if you’re going to uncover them.

Don’t share a plate of uncooked meat, poultry, and fish with different foods.

Use separate cutting boards and knives for meat, poultry, and eggs.

Don’t use food that has passed its expiry date.

A bacterium multiplies fast between the temperatures of 40 ͦF (4 ͦC) and 140 ͦF (60 ͦC). So, you need to preserve food above or below that temperature range.

Use a meat thermometer for cooking. Meat, fish, and poultry should be cooked to at least the recommended temperature.

After marinating meat, please don’t use the remaining marinade without boiling it.

Refrigerate or freeze perishable food inside at least two hours. Frozen food should be melted in the microwave, or under hot water.

Keep yourself, hydrated! And, remember to throw away leftover food.

What does food poisoning feel like?

Viral gastroenteritis is also known as a stomach bug. It spread through viruses that most frequently include norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus.

The norovirus affects around 21 million cases of the stomach bug in the USA each year.  Other viruses such as astroviruses may also cause this condition. Stomach bug caused by a rotavirus or norovirus disease is extremely contagious.

In the United States, the infection most commonly occurs between October and April.  The most common way to spread this by knives or an infected food handler. You can also get the virus from contact with something somebody infected has touched that contains raw or contaminated meat, poultry, milk, or egg yolks having faeces, saliva, or vomit substance with the virus in it.

Diarrhea, intestinal cramps, nausea and vomiting, are the main symptoms of stomach bug.

Do you get a fever with food poisoning?

Viral or bacterial food poisoning can seldom cause fever. It’s best to focus on balance and high energy diet.  That would be rice, bread, rice pudding, applesauce, toast, bananas and chicken noodle soup.

You want to drink a lot of fluids, rather than just water.  Water is isotonic. Suppose you’re ill and you are losing plenty of water or having sweating and get a fever with food poisoning.

In that case, the best supplement is not exactly water.  It really should be a not-isotonic fluid.  That would be something with sugar, salt or electrolytes inside, such as Gatorade, broth, ginger ale or juice.  When you consume that sort of fluid, you usually keep it in your body to recover from fever. It’s less likely just to run off or go straight to your kidneys where you’ll urinate it out, or you have diarrhea.

It would be best if you stayed away from food that is harder to your digestive tract to digest, such as greasy, fried or spicy foods.

[love-the-aftertaste]

So I finally got around to watching His Dark Materials on HBO; I haven’t fully processed all my feelings about it but here are some of my preliminary thoughts, in no particular order. 

SPOILER WARNING

I really like the racial diversity in the show. They took many, many opportunities to case people of color and not just white people. Also, the POC play a wide range of roles from good characters (Will Perry, Lord Faa, the Master of Jordan College, etc.) to villains (Lord Boreal)                   

Also super loved all the interracial relationships.                                          

Ruth Wilson is an amazing actress and I think she was improperly cast or maybe the role was written strangely? I always saw Mrs. Coulter as this strong and very powerful woman who could basically bend the world to her will and as hard as I tried, I could not see that in the version of her played in this show.                                                                                        

Also one of the things I always really really loved about the books was the lack of any kind of (for lack of a better term) “slut-shaming” of Mrs. Coulter. Like yeah she had an affair and a kid out of wedlock and yet, everyone still fauns over her. Like they all know her story but she has just such a strong charisma that people can’t help but get caught up in her wake. In this show they were like, oh she’s a mean bitch because she was a social pariah after the affair with Asriel. That really bothers me and I can’t seem to get over it.                                                                             

But I also feel it was done to explain why a woman would be so heartless and like one of the things I really liked about Mrs. Coulter is that she didn’t need an explanation. She was who she was. Yeah she was power-seeking and cruel and manipulative but she owned it and never apologized for it (until like the very very very end basically). That’s super rare for a woman and I feel like it shouldn’t be.                                            

Also, I liked how book Mrs. Coulter was so unmaternal. Asriel too was not a paternal figure to Lyra. He was cold and distant and disdainful. She wanted nothing to do with Lyra from the time Lyra was a baby what is this “I want her with everything I have/ my place is with her” thing? It’s like it is so hard to conceive of a woman who doesn’t want her child than even in a fictional universe we cant let go of that.I liked that in the books, HDM didn’t play into our preconceptions of how parents are “supposed” to be. I also read something once that was like HDM really showed the kind of historic disinterest the upperclass have for their offspring day-to-day - like they care to have them but not care to raise them - and I feel they tried to water that down for the show.                       

I did like Ma Costa tho. I like how the show took out that weird thing about the Gyptians not taking women to the North bc they would get in the way. Ma Costa was a badass fighter and that was cool.

I feel Lin Manuel Miranda was poorly casted. Obviously very talented but he’s just like too happy and upbeat and hopeful to be the hard worn pragmatic Texas aeronaut, in my opinion.                                                      

Why did the armoured bear fight not feature armour?                                   

Also, I feel like the show never properly conveyed the gravitas of cutting away kids daemons because I also feel the show never properly showed just how important daemons were. Like even Pan was not that big of a character. Like there were several scenes where Pan could have been with Lyra but they choose to have him hiding in her clothes (presumably) so you couldnt see him, or having him running either behind or in front of Lyra, but just off screen. Like if I hadn’t read the books I don’t think I would have understood just how much Pan and Lyra are a single person. They did this weird invert where Lyra’s relationship with Roger seems much more significant than her relationship with her own soul. Frankly, in the show, daemons feel slightly more than glorified pets. I get that was probably a budgeting thing but it destroys what makes HDM unique and interesting and demonstrably different than just any other story.                                                                                                                  

And then because of that, it was kind of like, oh, yeah, cutting kids daemons away is bad, but kind of whatever. Like there was a little with seeing how limp and lifeless the children were after intercision, but there was really nothing just how abnormal or horrible it is. In the book, at one point they described seeing a person without a daemon would garner the same disgust as seeing a person without a head. But literally no one had that reaction to seeing any of the kids without their daemons. Even with Kaiser showed up without Serafina, no one see all that shocked to see a person and daemon separated. And like that is such a huge part of the books and a huge part of the book of dust so, idk, it will be interesting to see if they ever try to correct for that.                                                           

Serafina flies without cloud pine. Interesting...                                                 

That scene at the end of ep7 when Asriel realizes Lyra didn’t come alone, oof, chilling, truly marvelous.                                                                           

Why does Pan only take like 3 shapes? Pan is supposed to change with Lyra’s mood and emotion. Lyra is an intelligent child. Frequent changes in a child’s daemon is a sign of intelligence. Pan is only ever a pin marten/ferret, a fox, and sometimes a bird. That’s basically it.                                                               

I did really like how they wove Will’s story in with Lyra’s so they are happening simultaneously. Super excited to see those to threads come together in season 2.                                                                  

[novuscorporationau]

Novus Corporation Au How to Choose a Commercial Cleaning Service

Novus Corporation Au Professional tips provider. One would think choosing a commercial cleaning service to maintain their facility would be a relatively easy task. Most maintenance managers of facilities, responsible for overseeing the cleanliness and health of their building, know this is not as simple as it sounds. The type of facility and its needs dictate the services required.

The appearance of the facility plays a large role in the success of the business, whether it is a supermarket, retail store or even a hospital. A dirty appearance always makes a bad impression! With cleaning being an $80 billion dollar industry, there is an extensive list of commercial cleaning services, some of which have decided to franchise. They range from small, mid-size and large, and all have their own menu of services to offer. So, what are some things to look for when making a decision?

Let's start with the facility and size. Depending on the kind of business and size of your facility helps narrow down the list of commercial cleaning services to research. Do you have multiple locations requiring service? Next, decide on the services you need; the type of surface(s) that need to be cleaned, and what kind of frequency are you looking for? Lastly, decide on your budget. Once this list is in place it is time to start the interview process. Write down all your questions.

Novus Corporation Au Proficient tips provider. For a mid-size to large facility there are most likely more than one area or type of areas to be cleaned. Whether it is a supermarket, retail space, school, hospital or even a warehouse, every place has floors to be cleaned and maintained. But what kind of surface is it? Is it ceramic, vinyl, concrete, carpet? Don't forget the windows.

If it's a supermarket you may require department cleaning, such as meat rooms, bakery, deli & hot foods, etc... Is it a hospital? Hospitals and schools have their own level of "clean" to maintain, with strict rules, regulations and procedures to be followed. Choosing a larger commercial cleaning service who offers a diverse menu of services will probably be your best choice. Make sure to add to your list commercial cleaning service franchises, as they tend to always offer the services you will most likely require and can provide them to multiple locations should you need this.

Here are a few important questions to help you make your decision on the choosing the right cleaning service:

1. What services do they specialize in?

2. Are they a franchise company? Can they service multiple locations if necessary?

3. Do they have the man-power to accomplish the services you require?

4. What is their experience?

5. What types of cleaning products do they use? and why?

6. What types of clients do they currently provide services for? Do they have experience with other businesses like yours?

7. Do they have references? A commercial cleaning company who will give you at least 3 references of current clients also is a strong indication this company is confident of their abilities to provide the services you need and in the way you deserve to have your facility look.

Novus Corporation Au Proficient tips provider. You want to look for a well rounded commercial cleaning service which has a proven track record of retaining its clients. After all you don't want to have to keep repeating the hiring processing. Review the answers to these questions carefully to help narrow your list of possible cleaning services to choose from. Before making your final selection there are a few additional items just as important in the decision making process.

Insurance:

Does the company have liability insurance and is it adequate enough to protect you against a potential liability claim arising from the cleaning? Do they maintain worker's compensation insurance for their workers? Most states require this type of insurance. Don't just take the cleaning company's word stating they have insurance. Many companies do not carry insurance, or only carry a minimal amount. Get a copy of their insurance certificate. If you hire them insist on being added as a certificate holder and additional insured, so you are updated with a new certificate when it expires or if the policy is cancelled.

Every reputable commercial cleaning service will be happy to provide proof of insurance. Choose a commercial cleaning service that has insurance to protect you and your commercial facility in case of damage to your property and injury to the cleaners while they are on your property.

Cleaning Products & Equipment:

For Your Protection before you hire the commercial cleaning service go through the facility to find out what they plan to use on the various surfaces. Many inexperienced commercial cleaners use the wrong products or use the right products improperly. Some in-experienced cleaners even use the wrong equipment. This can cause permanent damage or stains to your property. A reputable and experienced company will gladly take the time to tour your facility, see the work which needs to be done and even assist you in developing a schedule to keep the facility clean and shiny.

Cleaning Checklist:

Novus Corporation Au Proficient tips provider. Ask the commercial cleaning service for a cleaning checklist which will list all the services performed for each cleaning. This check list or "work order" should be signed by management in order for the commercial cleaning contractor to submit billing. This insures you will only pay for services that have been provided to your satisfaction.

[mitchelrusso-blog1]

Tips on how to Find a Commercial Cleaning Company

You are likely to think picking a commercial cleaning plan to maintain their facility will be a relatively simple task. Most maintenance managers of facilities, in charge of overseeing the cleanliness and health with their building, know this is not as simple as it sounds. The sort of facility and it is needs dictate the skills required. The appearance of the power plays a big role from the success in the business, whether it be a store, outlet or even a hospital. A unclean appearance helps make a negative impression! With cleaning becoming an $80 most important industry, there's an extensive set of commercial cleaning services, some of which are determined to franchise. They vary from small, mid-size and enormous, and their very own menu of services to provide. So, precisely what are several things to find when creating a determination? Let's begin with all the facility and size. Based on the the category of business and sized your facility helps limit their email list of economic cleaning services to analyze. Have you got multiple locations requiring service? Next, determine the assistance you'll need; the type of surface(s) that must be cleaned, and how much frequency do you need? Lastly, determine your allowance. Once their list is in put it is time to start an interview process. Write down all your questions. For the mid-size to large facility you can find probably many area or kind of areas to become cleaned. Whether it's a supermarket, retail space, school, hospital or even a warehouse, every place has floors to be cleaned and maintained. But what form of surface could it be? Would it be ceramic, vinyl, concrete, carpet? Remember the windows. Should it be a store you may require department cleaning, like meat rooms, bakery, deli & hot foods, etc... Can it be a medical facility? Hospitals and schools their very own degree of "clean" to keep up, with strict rules, regulations and operations that must be followed. Selecting a larger commercial cleaning service who provides a diverse menu of services is usually the best choice. Make sure you supplment your list commercial cleaning service franchises, since they usually always provide you with the services you'll more than likely require and may provide them to multiple locations in the event you need this.

Here are some important inquiries to help you produce your final decision on the choosing the right cleaning service: 1. What services will they specialize in? 2. Could they be a franchise company? Do they really service multiple locations if necessary? 3. Have they got the man-power to accomplish the skills you're looking for? 4. What exactly is their experience? 5. What forms of cleaning products can they use? and why? 6. What sorts of clients can they currently provide services for? Internet site knowledge of others like yours? 7. Have they got references? An advert cleaning company that will provide you with at the very least 3 references of current clients is also a strong indication this business is confident with their abilities to offer the assistance you need and in how we getting your facility look. You would like to choose a well rounded commercial cleaning service that includes a proven track record of retaining its clients. In the end ensure must keep repeating the hiring processing. Look at the solutions to these questions carefully to help you narrow your report on possible cleaning services from which to choose. Before making one further selection there are several additional items equally as important in your decision making process. Insurance: Will the company have liability insurance which is it which will cover protect from a potential liability claim arising from the cleaning? Will they maintain worker's compensation insurance for their workers? Most states require renters insurance. Don't merely consider the cleaning company's word stating they've got insurance. Many organisations tend not to carry insurance, or only carry a minimal amount. Have a copy of these insurance certificate. In the event you hire them insist upon being added like a certificate holder and further insured, and that means you are updated once you get your certificate in the event it expires or maybe the policy is cancelled. Every reputable commercial cleaning service will probably be very happy to provide proof of insurance. Pick out a commercial cleaning service which has insurance to guard both you and your commercial facility in case there is damage to your house and injury to the cleaners when they're in your yard. Cleaning Products & Equipment: On your Protection before you decide to hire the commercial cleaning service feel the facility to find out what you plan to use on various surfaces. Many inexperienced commercial cleaners make use of the wrong products or utilize right products improperly. Some in-experienced cleaners use the wrong equipment. This may cause permanent damage or stains to your property. A reputable and experienced company will gladly spend some time to tour your facility, see the work which should be done and in many cases aid you in developing a schedule to maintain the ability clean and shiny. Cleaning Checklist: Ask the commercial cleaning service for the cleaning checklist which will list all the services performed for every cleaning. This check list or "work order" must be signed by management in order for the commercial cleaning contractor to submit billing. This insures you'll spend on services which were given to your satisfaction. Pricing Structure: Ask the commercial cleaning service for their costs not only for your services you will require regularly but also for any incidental services which might arise within your hire them. In order that they are cleaning your floors thrice per week? But, what if something occurs to require a strip and wax in the floor area? The amount will that cost? A reputable commercial cleaning service understands budgets and will understand you will want to have an idea, or else a good dollar amount to the types of services necessary or that might become necessary. Lastly, policies. Ask to view the firms policies on forms of payment they accept, their cancellation policy of course, if they provide security. Picking a commercial cleaning service does not have to become time-consuming task if you utilize the data using this article as being a tool to assist you to make an option. A commercial cleaning service that takes enough time to answer your questions, who takes some time to survey the facility and possesses a comprehensive expertise in the help to be performed is a lot more likely to meet and many likely will exceed your expectations! To learn more about commercial cleaners bondi resource: check here.

[witchcraftthings]

Blood Magic - Pt 1: An Overview

Blood magic can be considered a vague and somewhat touchy subject in the modern, western witch community, but it has a long and diverse history.

People have always believed there is power carried in blood. It is mystical and terrifying, and has been associated with witches and their craft across cultures.

Especially in cultures where blood is something of a taboo, the use of blood in witchcraft has instilled mortal dread in laymen for centuries. But there is a reason this practice lives on, and that is because there is power in blood.

Part I of Blood Magic will discuss an overview and some basics

Sometimes referred to as "pure or true" magic by ceremonial magicians, blood magic does not call upon outside powers. The energy in your blood is yours, and is not typically thought to require the blessing or presence of any higher being to utilize.

Typical scholars on the subject recommend understanding a few things before beginning into blood craft:

1. Understand that blood magic is a science. It will take some practicing and systematic testing and experimentation before you will nail down a method of your own.

- Tips:

💎Take samples from different parts of your body and make notes on what that made you feel, and how the blood resonates.

💎Use neutral magical items like scrying mirrors, quartz, and pages of your grimoire to smear the blood on. This will help you gauge the energy of the blood without interference.

2. Blood magic is not for all witches nor all spells/rituals. It is typically suggested that you need to be fairly healthy before beginning, so behavior leading up to your use of blood magic should be identified as a change for healthier lifestyle choices. Drawing blood while ill can be used for specific spells, but you must be careful not to endanger yourself (it's difficult to explain what you are doing to paramedics in a way that won't get you tossed into a psych ward).

Blood magic is not actually a common practice. Many witches who experiment with blood magic don't typically revisit it or make it an integral part of their practice, so while they may have performed blood magic rituals, they do not consider themselves regular users of blood magic. If you try it, and don't like it for any reason, remember that your craft is your own and you don't have to continue.

3. It is important to understand that bleeding yourself is dangerous. Cuts can lead to excessive bleeding if done improperly, which can cause dizziness and even fainting. They can also become infected, so be sure to have antiseptic and bandages on hand whever you are performing.

People have had to stop ritual to take people to hospitals or even call ambulances. Proper procedure will help prevent you from ending up in such a situation, but emergency situation procedures should still be considered (and expressly discussed if ever in a group).

How To Get Blood for Magic

There are three main ways to acquire blood, but the first option is not available to everyone.

Menstrual blood is rich in nutrients and oxygen, and is considered particularly sacred and powerful. It also has the added benefit of not requiring you to withdraw the blood via cuts or needles. This option is obviously only open to those who have the abilityto go through a menstrual cycle, and only during that time, which can be limiting.

The second option involves cutting sections of skin using blades. This option is obviously the most dangerous and the most visible once the ritual is complete. It also requires the most supplies and arguable effort (if you count disinfecting the tool, disinfecting the cut, covering and binding the cut, and heal time). However, it is probably the quickest option for getting blood right when you need it, and is the most popular (probably more for ritualist reasons more than anything).

This option can also be difficult for people who have had experiences with self-harm or have addictive tendencies. It's important to know that scarification (purposely cutting yourself recreationally) can actually be addictive and you need to be direct with yourself about why you are using blood magic at all times.

The third option is to draw your blood (or, have your blood drawn). My cousin is a phlebotomist, so I can typically get a vial or two from her in advance when I am planning on performing blood magic. If you don't have any personal connections to your own phlebotomist, you can request a vial whenever you get blood draw at your doctors. They don't typically care why you want it one (and most times they don't ask for you to pay), but you can always say it's for a science project if they press.

Some ceremonial magicians insist on drawing their own blood with purchased phlebotomy equipment. I would advise that if you don't have training, you shouldn't take this route.

How To Use Blood in Magic

You should decide what you want to use your blood for prior to obtaining it to help you decide how and how much. Blood magic is typically used as a way to transmit your pure energy directly into a spell.

This can be done by applying blood to objects, candles, sigils, and using it to write. It can be used to call upon spirits and deities, but it important to see the blood as enegry created by you as a being.

Your blood can also be used as a direct link to you as the target if needed. This is common in healing rituals.

Mixing blood with other ingredients can also boost and strengthen a spell's power. Witches who use blood magic will often keep a special bowl for mixing ingredients into their blood, which can then be burned to send off the spell.

Some magicians insist that, unlike other magical sources that will dull and fade away over time, blood magic is eternal. That's a matter of personal opinion, really, but you can certainly use blood magic to create powerful, lasting bonds on items. This is common to perform on an item such as a grimoire, wand, or divination tool. It empowers them with your personal power and links them to you.

This has been a basic overview of blood magic. Most witches seem to have their own opinion on whether it is safe, sane, and ethical, but as always, I'm here for any questions for general discussion.

Pt 2 will be posted soon. Thanks for reading~

WCT~☆

[theramblingonesie]

Facing Our Making, Part 3: Makeup and Gender

Welcome to Part 3 of my makeup blog series! This week we’re going to poke at gender and makeup. But before I begin, let’s review parts 1 & 2, and check in about where we’re at:

1. Beauty standards are impossibly harsh and cause a lot of unnecessary pain.

2. Let womxn decide what they want to do with their own damn bodies and stay out of it. Unless they hire you for a consultation.

3. Wearing makeup is awesome

4. Not wearing makeup is awesome

5. Your gender presentation and basically any presentation of your body and behavior do not determine who you are and aren’t attracted to sexually. And no one is the (*^*^%^$#%$#&*&^&%% authority to determine that for you. If they try, remember that they’re judging and labeling you in relation to their own internal gender/sexuality struggles. More on this in today’s blog below.

6. How toxic masculinity ruins the day in relationship to makeup or not makeup needs to die, and YES womxn also support and host this behavior (internalized misogyny). Just because a person has a vagina or presents as femme does not mean they are exempt.

7. Womxn who wear makeup are not whores unless they are, in fact, professional whores. Professional whores keep the world turning, and bless em for it. The problem isn’t sex work. It’s violence against sex workers. Consider your complicity.  

8. Womxn are reclaiming the hell out of the word “Slut”, so don’t get caught being a dumb idiot who uses the outdated, violent, misogynist definition. 1000 years vagina dentata upon your entire household.

9. If you want sexual attention because you enjoy sex, then FUCK YEAH GIT IT!!!

10. “Pretty girls are dumb” is a myth that our society desperately seeks to nurture and maintain. This is rooted in dominance, power, control, and whorephobia. Stop it.

11. “Ugly girls are smart” makes no damn sense. Okay, yes I can see the backwards logic, but also if you listen to flat-earthers long enough you could even be like, “ok, I see where you’re coming from with that”.  

It is not lost on me that certain beauty trends and habits can trigger and enable body image problems, ranging in severity. After attending a panel discussion that featured a speaker from Media Girls Boston, I learned that girls as young as 9 are learning that they essentially need to brand themselves through social media so that they can merely exist. Saying this is a problem is an understatement.

I support makeup and rituals of adornment. I support a lot of things that, if used improperly with dangerous motivations, can result in severe consequences.

Understand that there’s a lot of nuance in subjects like this, and utilize your critical thinking brain when exploring such topics. Continue your personal research if you’re curious about any subcategory in this series that I have not addressed.

If issues of beauty standards and pressure are uncomfortable or triggering for you, or if you or a loved one believe they may be suffering from a body-image related disorder, please know you are not alone, and there are people out there who are ready and available to support you through this. Links and hotline numbers are available in the resource section at the end of this blog. -------------------------------------------------------------

“If we are all members of one body, then in that one body there is neither male nor female; or rather there is both: it is an androgynous or hermaphroditic body, containing both sexes [...] The division of the one man into two sexes is part of [our] fall.” --Norman O. Brown, in Love’s Body, 1966

Okay! Let’s talk about this super important element of the art and ritual of beauty:

Gender!

To Marie Kondo this: This subject does not bring me joy, and I do not want to write about it, but I feel that I have a responsibility to not play floor-is-lava about it. It does not even bring me the type of righteous rage that fuels me to furiously complete a post. It fills me with doubt, insecurity, self loathing, trust issues, and a desire to disappear.

I need to say this because I know I am not alone in my feelings and experience. But I will keep it very brief because I’d like to move on.

I have experienced a lifetime of pain from the bullshit pressure the heteropatriarchy puts on female bodies. I never anticipated the heartache I would experience as a result of being judged and denied by fellow queers.

I am too butch, too unfeminine to be accepted as the right kind of woman in heteropatriarchal society. I make men question their sexuality, and I am the one made to suffer for it. I am too feminine for queers to believe and accept me when I tell them I’m genderfluid (which I have been, quietly and privately, my entire life). I am not feminine enough to be femme.

Too much woman. Not enough woman. Not woman. Not human. Once again, my body and my soul are everyone else’s to judge, determine, and own. Not mine. 

And no one wants to listen when we say the world hates women.

I highly suggest looking up the toxic concept of femme invisibility in queer communities. You can start by reading this great article by Bust:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/166081-what-does-femme-mean-the-difference-between-being-femme-being-feminine.

For the record, I still use she/her pronouns. I stand by my allegiance to the fullness and diversity of womxnhood in a deeply ferocious way. My reasoning for that is both very simple and very complicated. So I guess that just makes it very complicated. Ask me how.

Mood.

Anyway, makeup.

About a month ago, I had wrapped a film shoot with some friends who flew up from Mexico. It was an incredible weekend that filled me up with so much bliss. On the drive back to Boston, I was chatting with my beloved friends and fellow Scarlet Tongue artists, Creature and Cass, about how much I enjoy the company of Mexican men. A large part of that is because it is refreshing to be around men who so easily embrace and express feminine qualities of articulating their emotions, accessing their emotions, gentleness and nurturing. Creature presented the important argument that such qualities don’t need to be classified as feminine or masculine; they’re simply personality and behavioral traits that anybody can have.

Such a point is absolutely crucial in untangling the oppressive nature of the gender binary.

Exercise:

The following traits have been classically designated as “masculine” or “feminine” behavior, but I’ve jumbled them together in the list below. Which traits do you believe belong to whom?

Reserved Warm Sensitive Utilitarian Deferential Apprehensive Reactive Emotionally Stable Serious Lively Socially bold Shy Rule-conscious Expedient Private Perfectionism Anxiety Group-oriented Self-reliant Tolerates disorder Vigilance Extraversion Traditional Grounded Agreeableness Neuroticism Excitement-seeking Attraction to aesthetics

Answer:

Hahahahah, I’m not going to give you the answer. It doesn’t matter.

Yes, hormones do impact some behavior. And YES, how we’re socially conditioned impacts which traits are more dominant. But the point is, there is an imaginary line between the two categories. The saddest reality is that, even though any human is capable of any of these traits on the list, society has determined that consequence and punishment must befall anyone who strays from their category. An enforced gender binary is dangerous.

Enter makeup.

Makeup has served infinite purposes throughout the course of history. It’s an incredible vehicle for expression, as well as radical social and political rebellion. Makeup has shaped entire movements of art, social justice, philosophy, and construction/deconstruction of body politics.

Your lipstick is more than patriarchal pigment in a tube. It is a tool for revolution.

Most people assume that makeup is only for clowns and cisgender women, and anyone else who uses it is simply a deviant who has “stolen” it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nononononononono

This probably won’t come as a shock to most of you, but yes-- Christianity also temporarily ruined makeup. Once upon a time, it was quite normal for men to wear makeup. Then the Jesus toe-suckers made up a whole bunch of arbitrary rules about what we currently observe masculinity and femininity to be, and here we are in this stinky pile of crap rules. 

I highly recommend reading this article to learn a tiny bit more of the history of men and makeup:

https://www.byrdie.com/history-makeup-gender

Who wears makeup and how people wear makeup has shifted so much throughout history, and the struggles we experience around this today have only been relevant for a hundred years or so. One of the most common forms of rebellion we hear of is when women reject traditional femininity. Whether “burning our bras”, shaving our heads, or growing out our armpit hair, this is not an uncommon experience for a lot of women. The scandal!! The pet has escaped her cage!! So many women I know have experienced an anti-femininity phase at least once in their lives. Sometimes this “phase” transitions into a permanent rejection of gender norms, but it really varies from person to person. Often it’s set off by an overwhelming awareness of how much women are defined by superficial characteristics, traditionally determined and enforced by men. So we attempt to take ourselves out of the system by wearing neutral and aggressive clothing, switching up which parts of our bodies are hairy and which aren’t, and avoiding anything “girlie”. Revisiting my conversation with Aepril, my high-glam friend who inspired this blog and was mentioned in Part 1, she made a good point about honoring such an experience: “I went through a miserable phase in my feminist youth where I thought I was being uber feminist by not shaving or wearing makeup or wearing heels, etc, because to do so was giving into the patriarchy. I was miserable of course. It took my drag queen friends to wake me up to that, as I realized that they were willing to give up family, social status...their safety and even their lives for the privilege of expressing themselves in a glamorous, feminine way. While I had that privilege because I was born in a female body. I might be criticised by both men and women, but I wouldn’t be beaten in the street for transgressing gender roles. I realized how much it meant to me through seeing how much it meant to them. Why should I give that up either? Why should anyone have to?” In Aepril’s situation, she found that her place of authenticity was through femininity. In a world that is so divided between the shoulds and should-nots of who we’re supposed to be, I find it important to squeeze ourselves through and experience all sides so we can settle on what’s true for us. Then it’s no longer conformity; it’s an outlet.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the use of makeup norms has been subverted to amplify voices that demand human rights and fair treatment. Its application has been largely linked to LGBTQ+ visibility and gay rights movements. The anti-Vietnam movement in the late 60s and 70s utilized makeup to display over-feminization and homosexuality as a way to avoid being drafted. The glam rock movement gave us icons like David Bowie, exposing and exploding restrictive gender norms through outrageous clothing and makeup, utilizing pop culture to spread ideas and acceptance of androgyny. “Female impersonation” has origins dating back to the 19th century in Europe, and the art of Drag Queens & Kings is alive and well today, celebrating, mocking, questioning, and expanding gender in clubs and theaters, in film, and right in our homes through TV favorites like Ru Paul’s Drag Race.

For our trans-sisters, the decision to wear makeup could have life or death consequences. As a transwoman friend of mine disclosed a few months back, when she’s walking down the street and hears a man call after her, her immediate thoughts turn to, “will I experience violence because I’m a woman? Or will I experience violence because he thinks I’m a faggot?” There is a lot of discussion in the trans community about the privilege of “passing”, and I believe these conversations have further supported the struggles womxn generally face-- does wearing makeup make you more or less of a woman? As writer Lux Alptraum points out, “the idea that external appearance is what makes someone a “real” woman is the very thing that many trans women have committed themselves to fighting. To the extent that makeup is an essential part of any trans woman’s gender identity or notion of her womanhood, it’s largely because that’s the message the rest of the world aggressively forces upon her.” Read the rest of this article at https://www.racked.com/2017/3/23/14937266/trans-women-makeup

Makeup is incredibly powerful. It can be used for protest, and it can be used for comfort. It’s daily wear, and it’s political. It’s an expression of freedom, and a bold face confronting restriction. It’s transformative, giving people the opportunity to live in the bodies and images that feel right and true for them. Makeup is art, an embracing of life and physicality, a way to show up, be counted, and be present. It’s an act of defiance, and an act of love.

I recently read that Facebook now has 56 gender identities one can choose from. Facebook blows, but wow that’s actually really awesome! Within that list, some of the more frequently used terms include:

Agender/Neutrois Androgyne/Androgynous Bigender Cis/Cisgender Female to Male/FTM Gender Fluid Gender Nonconforming/Variant Gender Questioning Genderqueer Intersex Male to Female/MTF Neither Non-binary Other Pangender Trans/Transgender Transsexual Two-spirit (Important: this is Native American. Don’t pull a Jason Mraz. Don’t appropriate)

Out of this list, the following folks are allowed to wear makeup:

All of them Everyone Anyone Everybody The General Public The Whole World Human Beings Aliens Animals but only if they’re actually humans in animal costumes

If you’re interested in following makeup artists on IG who are trans or gender non-conforming, here is a great starter list (partially sourced from wearyourvoicemag.com):

@ brownbeautystandards @ vlad_theunicorn @ jade_poncee @ makeupby_bran @ rosalynnemontoya @ miles_jai @ completedestruction 

Again, there are infinite reasons why people of any gender do and don’t wear makeup, and I’m not going to be an authority on the matter. But I hope some of this information helps you on your journey to understand yourself better, and hold space of greater allyship and tolerance for others.

Below are some links and phone numbers if you feel you need greater support for the topics being discussed in this blog series. Being beautiful is cool, and so is being safe. You deserve to be here, and you matter.

Enjoy your week, and we’ll see you back here next week for Part 4: Performance Artists and Makeup!

National Eating Disorders 24 hr Hotline: 1-800-931-2237

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-0

TransLifeline Hotline: 877-565-8860

https://www.translifeline.org/

LGBT National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564

https://www.glbthotline.org/

National Suicide Prevention 24hr Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

http://sexworkersproject.org/resources/

[bearogenes]

Dear Bearogenes: I often hate myself because of my sexuality.

Hey um I’m really uncomfortable with my sexuality. To the point that I go through extended periods of hating myself. Can you help me 

Bear in mind, this is like asking a random person to paint the Mona Lisa using nothing but their breath and a sheet of steel. You've given me two pieces of information that are so generic I could write almost anything and it would sound like it was getting to the point, but I would be swinging blind and you’d know I’d missed completely but I wouldn't. That, however, has never stopped me from trying which is all I can do here without more information.

In the broadest of terms ‘being comfortable’ with one’s self is an intensely complex challenge. It’s up there as one of the ‘big ones’ like finding purpose, meaning, happiness or uncovering ‘destiny’. Even discovering this about yourself can be intensely emotional. I've seen boys breakdown because they weren't ‘normal’, having just discovered a new kink or even an aspect of their sexuality they hadn't explored yet, or that they were improperly gendered.

The revelation of ‘challenges’, which those things represent, can cause frustration, depression, self-depreciation, and much more as all non-’straight’, non-cis folk know well as all of us have experienced it first hand in varying degrees.

For the record: I hate labels with such a passion and fire that I do everything I can to dismantle them as thoroughly as I can because if there was a ‘demon’ in with the skeletons in the closet, it’s labels about who we ARE, what we ARE, and our value when what matters is that we ARE. To hell with those other notions, but that’s a much longer rant for another time.

Your ‘comfort’ is most likely, again speaking in the broadest/statistically common factor, the result of that kind of ‘challenge’. It represents you not being ‘average’ or ‘normal’ (insert angry bear sound at those words) and that means you have to either sacrifice being in the ‘normal crowd’ (insert laughter at the idea of normal crowd) or you have to do horrible things to yourself that have only one end: the destruction of any stable psychological/emotional/spiritual sense of self.

Upon discovering your uniqueness, the very first choice you are given is to be alone (which is untenable because of the nature of things) or to ‘end’ that self that is different. Is it any wonder we have such universal challenges like depression, anxiety, and the rest? We’re virtually never welcomed ‘into the world’ before the ‘world’ tells us we’re wrong. The truth is that none of that is real or true or both. This may sound a little counter-intuitive but I think that’s where we need to go here to find your answer: away from ‘cognitive intuition’ and into something deeper.

There is no such thing as those things that are pushing you to be different from who you are; They are the lie you've been told and accepted. There is no ‘normal’ person and if it does exist, it’s so rare that in 7 billion, you might find it every few generations. This person who is just like everyone else.. the idea frightens me really. A ‘blank’ who fits in everywhere wouldn't be a ‘person’ because what makes us so is that we don’t fit in everywhere.

We aren't meant to. That’s not how the universe works on any level so it’s rather deluded to assume that on our ‘level’ it does. That’s like saying you wouldn't get drawn into a black hole because you’re made of ‘special atoms’ because you’re homo-’sapiens’. There’s no amount of ‘fabulous’ that can change the way things work in the universe. 

As much as we’d like to think so, you just can’t ‘out Queen’ a black hole.

The universe has some pretty simple rules: Everything has a place, everything fits and it all works when it is where it belongs. Please note that ‘getting it’ or ‘understanding’ really aren't in those basic principles because what we do as humans (drawing lines, making connections between concepts and assigning value to unrelated things) has little to do with the universe itself and more to do with what we do in that structure.

Everything “Fits” :

There is nothing that isn't created using the same template, a base code of atoms and chemicals and structures. It manifests in an incredible diversity worthy of the duality of it’s source because it is both simple and complex in the same breath. You are you because billions of atoms obey the rule of “Fit” and “purpose” set out by that ‘template’ that created the code that became the chains of color pallets known as DNA. Every single human has the same base code because we all ‘fit’ in that same sense as an extension of our ‘atoms’ fitting in the cosmos.

This means that from long before you could possibly have existed, you were ‘right with the cosmos’ and belonged here but you aren't always aware of it or able to sense those things because you aren't yet ‘where’ you (as grand component) fit yet. This happens at every level as well. Things come together, form shapes, change and separate making new bonds and forming new things but ultimately nothing remains ‘rogue’ for long at all. It just FEELS like you don’t fit because you aren’t ‘fitting’ at the moment. You’re not wrong but you aren’t right about the grander scale on which you do, and will again, fit perfectly. By way of this metaphor for life, nothing is a ‘universal’ fit because we all have unique bonds to make as part of creating a structure.

Everything has a “Place”.

You are here. Virtually every map in a building has this marker so you know where you start your journey. There’s no indicator, on said map, of where you’re going or a hint or guide of how to get to that place you have an idea of but no clue where it resides. You’ve got an idea that the world is a big place and that somewhere in all of it, there’s somewhere you fit and are happy, but no clue how to get there.

This is where ‘feeling different’ becomes a threat to happiness. A triangle isn’t going to fit in a round hole of the same size without being bent, turned or cut down to fit but it will NEVER be a circle no matter how hard it’s ‘shaped’, it will always be what could have been a triangle. That’s what we do to ourselves when we try to conform every part of our uniqueness to the ‘hole’ given to us at the start. That’s the thing though, it’s just the ‘start’ and virtually never does a piece begin and end in the same spot. “You are here” is only the first rung on the ladder you’ll climb and no indicator of where you’ll go or what you’ll do on your journey. Those are as unique as you are.

So why does the map exist at all then?  It’s the result of people who have been before you but it’s not meant to say ‘this is the only way’ but it is the only ‘example’ you could be given: the result of someone’s journey who went before you. They weren’t ‘constructed’ like you are, weren’t meant to fit the way you will because they weren’t YOU.

Following the atomic metaphor a little further, atoms are passed along because of environmental stresses. Sometimes we come together to form greater structures and other times the bonds aren’t stable (read: aren’t the right fit) and so we break apart and then move along following that ‘ladder’ or ‘chain’ of elements as we move along searching for that ‘fit’.

It’s scary but the only way to truly find that ‘place’ is to be you. In the absence of a genuine sense of self, you can never find a sense of belonging because it won’t be YOU that belongs, just that version of you that was created (by you and outside pressures) for the sole purpose of fitting in. It denies the idea that you could fit in better somewhere else and that to one degree or another you must do so because that’s why you are here after all. Denying that creates false self of place that leaves us feeling uneasy, nauseous because it’s unstable, and we always turn to ourselves as source of that problematic perception. It is, again, a fallacy. The situation/place isn’t wrong and neither are we, but the fit is because you aren’t yet where you need to be.

Everything has purpose.

This one gets ‘sticky’ and is very messy because it can challenge everything else because it’s the big ‘debate’ in philosophy, religion and psychology. Do we have purpose? Does that purpose entail a ‘power’ creating that purpose? The questions go on and on but are a byproduct of assumptions about the universe that are entirely our own creation. They don’t ultimately have any impact on the fact that everything has purpose and that the purpose has no ‘value’ in and of itself.

What I mean by the last is that since we assign value, one of our many human traits, we create this sense of measure that one thing is better than another. We discriminate. It’s our nature.We choose left or right based on one of those being better because of experience/learning but as we are constantly evolving, those choices aren’t always the ‘right’ ones. We push concepts onto the fabric of the universe and somehow expect it to ‘agree’ with us but that’s not how it works.

We’re all the same basic things, a few different kinds of atoms being shoved around until we form shapes by Forces like gravity and such. So too with the nature of human existence. It has no ‘value’ in and of itself, but we create those things when we ascribe meaning and purpose to it which is why we so desperately search for something outside ourselves to give it to us: because we know we can make mistakes and being mistaken about our purpose feels like a terrible fate we want to avoid.

Let me tell you a little about me as a way of illustrating this point. I have chosen to move, to follow the ‘pattern’ and to ‘drift’ a little now and again. I go where I am ‘needed’ rather than where I feel like I ‘should’ go because I know that should is an expectation and not a reality. The reality is that where I am now is a byproduct of being tugged at by a situation, a need in a specific area, or just a sense that ‘this’ is the new ‘place’ for a time. I’ve migrated my whole life and what I’ve learned is that I belong everywhere. I’m far from ‘normal’ but what I do and who i am IS needed virtually everywhere I have landed.

I build connections, create community, strengthen bonds and heal rifts. I weave things and mostly spend my days ‘healing’ the fabric around me. It’s what I do here on tumblr in spite of my original intention of just being a dirty old man since that wasn’t a side of me I got to really express in my day to day because it didn’t ‘fit’ with that situation. Instead my natural tendencies came to the surface as reflex because they were needed by people like you who felt alone, lost or just frightened.

When I was younger I tried to take my own life because I didn’t feel ‘connected’ didn’t have a ‘group’ I felt I ‘belonged to’ because my sexuality made me feel ‘different’ and that in discovering it I had become disconnected. The terrible truth was that I didn’t ‘belong’ anywhere.

In.

Particular... 

Where I was at the time, the place and social groups, were made of disparate ‘isolated’ elements that came together around me. I brought those like me together, the ‘isolated’ lost and ‘cast out’, and formed communities. Eventually I found myself drifting away from that and to a new place where there was ‘nothing’. Only to repeat the process there.

How do you find “Purpose” when you have no “place”? You come to understand the illusion of those things while accepting that it was your understanding of them previously that created the illusions. The truth is, I belong wherever I am because I am needed there. Time will come, as it always does, that I will ‘move’ again. While I may yearn for the ‘quiet life’ of house, fence, kids and dogs, my ‘purpose’ is to ‘create spaces’ as I do here and to share what I have learned of being ‘place-less but with purpose’ because it allows me to form ‘greater’ structures around me than you might if you had a perfect fit in a particular place. My place, it seems, is the whole confusing, complex, crazy, thing. Anywhere. Everywhere. Right here and now because you reached out to me.

It is why I so desperately try to engender a simple understanding in others: that you are critical in your natural state. I don’t mean ‘younger you’ I mean the real you, the deeper true you, because that is what bears purpose and can help find or create place. I may have tried to be an artist, danced my way through years of my life, and been a warrior who defends those at risk around him, but those were never the real me. The real me.. you get to glimpse him here. None of this would exist if I had continued to fight the fact that I was endowed with my unique tool set and that with that came a ‘purpose’ that didn’t ‘fit’ everywhere.

You’re struggling with ‘fitting in’ and understanding why you are the way you are, but the struggle isn’t really with those ‘facts’ about yourself: it’s with the way they ‘fit’ with society and your environment. While it can be a survival strategy to ‘conceal’ those parts of yourself you must explore them safely. I don’t mean go out and do everything your sexuality entails, I mean explore: read, discover that you’re not the only person out there with your sexuality and that in such a discovery find community and get to know what it’s like when people with a shared trait create such a space together.

Remember to breathe. Give yourself a little time. Discover the borders of the pieces of your ‘self’ that don’t ‘fit’ where you are and the discomfort they create and then set yourself on the journey of finding that ‘place’ and ‘fit. It could be as simple as fitting with just one other piece with complimentary borders.

While the map may read: YOU ARE HERE, it’s only the beginning.

I know there’s much more specific you want to ask me. This was, you could say, a primer for what comes next. Ask me what you will and I’ll answer as best I can, but remember I’m the kind of person that will write a book in an answer because I feel you are worthy of it and because what YOU are enduring is a battle other people face daily and if I can ‘double down’ on what my work can do, I will do so.

Tell me what is truly bothering you about your sexuality and we’ll go from there but remember this lesson as a ‘square one’ “you are here” moment. The next steps we’ll take together and see what road opens for you that you might not have seen before.

Until then, you have  my best wishes,

Bearogenes