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I can officially say that my history class is everything I’ve ever wanted in life. For homework last night, we read an article about how hand-written notes enhance learning and help students analyze and remember content, verses the less helpful effects of note taking with a laptop. We split into groups of four and discussed things we noticed, disliked, and were intrigued over from the article, later writing observations on the board. Though I wasn’t able to talk, the whole time I was thinking about my own theories and observations about what technology has done to our generation. 

With the Internet, wifi, and the world of updates, social media, and handy gadgets upon us, today’s citizens are more connected, involved, and consumed with information than ever before. It definitely has it’s benefits - efficiency, safety, and knowledge among them. We can call, text, learn something new with the click of a button, have the world only a few types away. But today, studies are constantly popping up about how what you do on a screen effect you in negative ways. I often think about times before typing and Google existed: a time of writing, book research, correspondence and script, because the only options were pen and paper. And no distractions! How many more blog posts could I have finished during the hours I spent watching YouTube? Were the eras before the present day tech boom smarter and less cluttered? Obviously the world today has it’s beauty and benefits verses time of the past, but sometimes I still wonder.   

My history teacher was going through what we’d written on the board, briefly discussing each before she moved on to ask us: “In three words, tell me how you think our world is going right now?” I straight-up gave a thumbs down sign. Other classmates provided adjectives - “divided, angry, messy”. “Okay, why do you think so?” She called on me, and I said, “I think a big issue today is climate change and global warming in general. It is a very global issue that people aren’t doing enough about, when it comes to who gets what and who does what, and I think our generation is very much at the cusp of this issue. Because, going back to the technology topic, our generation has the most opportunities, but we also have the most responsibility, and that’s a very real thing in regard to this problem.” My teacher responded with a take-apart of what I’d said about “who gets what and who does what” adding on with “and who doesn’t get what.” She agreed with me, concluding with a statement about how humanity has been through rough patches and didn’t think they’d get through it, but they did. Sometimes I just need to hear something that hopeful.   

She went on to show us a slide show of covers from The Economist magazine. All the covers had pictures and titles about one of four countries: Russia, China, Great Britain, and the USA. Specifically, how Russia and China are becoming more powerful and economically prosperous, and how the contrasting Western countries are declining in strength. My history teacher said that everything with history has one bigger theme, a story, if you will. We told her that the story for these images was a rising East and falling West. She explained that for us, as Westerners, it comes as a moral crisis in our eyes, that these countries that don’t share all of our American values are becoming more powerful. How are these governments, without all our liberties of democracy, capitalism, free trade of goods and services, and freedom of speech, rising and supporting their people? Why are we, citizens of the greatest country on Earth, watching our government decline in contrast to more “corrupt” governments? What’s going wrong? 

I really love my history class. I know this didn’t tackle one set issue or topic, but I found these discussions to be very interesting. I hope something in this gives you a different outlook on the world today, sparks a discussion with you and another. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

I hope this makes you feel better.

It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t in the wrong place at the wrong time, wearing the wrong clothes in front of the wrong people, living the wrong person in the wrong life.

It wasn’t because you were born to suffer through that, or because something about you seems to say they have a right, because they don’t.

You have the right to your body, your mind, your lips, your breasts, the space between your hips. You have the right to the word no, to your defensive fists, to your shoving hands, to your screams and sobs for help. You have the right to let those tears fall, to let yourself mourn  for something that is not normal, nor justified, nor appropriate, nor kind, nor acceptable, nor right. You are your own person, and I wish you all the happiness, acceptance, and peace you are infinitely deserving of.

You are not wrong. They are wrong, as are those who taught them such behavior. They are wrong in their actions, and you have the right to call them out on it. You have the right to speak about it, to not feel ashamed or at fault. You have the right to find people who will listen to you, respect you for your pains, and love you in the way that makes you comfortable.

It is not normal. It is not okay. It is not because of you or your gender or the situation. It is them, and they are wrong, and always do what makes you comfortable and happy in the future.

Seek help. Seek support. Seek love. Seek confidence and comfort, in all aspects of yourself and your life. You deserve it, and you’ll find people who care. Someone loves you.

You will persevere. You will wake up one morning and realize that you can go on. You will count your blessings in the morning, list your aspirations at noon, and remember your virtues at night. You have something for all three. Read. Breathe. Sleep. Clear your mind of negativity. Smile. You have so much to live for, and we’ll be rooting for you.

Look at your reflection. Put your hands on your hips. Say to yourself, in whatever language or wording or way, “There is something glorious on the other side of the storm.”

Stay strong, my beautiful friend. You are deserving of so much more than they ever showed you. Don’t forget your strengths and talents in the time you’ll need them most.

Have a good day. I admire your ability to rise above the stormclouds.

Blessings and good wishes to all on this day, Veterans Day. May we forever honor those who served our country and fought for it’s ideals. Let us support their families and know that we are here today because of their time and service. God bless.

Every man on the radio these days is telling his crush how beautiful she is. He’s crooning “How can you not see how beautiful you are? You capture my attention every time you step in a room, and I would do anything if I could tell you so each day.” His crush, a girl with immense physical attraction, does not know how many are captivated by her, and he takes it upon himself to gush to her about her own gorgeousness. A good sentiment, kind hearted, for how many girls out there are self-conscious about their body, hair, features? Isn’t it every girl’s dream to be noticed by a guy who looks at her as though she is his everything?   

    But what if this girl, being serenaded by every male pop star out there, was aware that she was beautiful? What if you complimented her, and she responded with “Thanks! I thought this dress looked nice too.” Would the man she’s wooed be attracted to her self-assured stride, the way she holds her chin high - or would she seem too arrogant for his ego? Would she be more appealing for her confidence, her knowledge that she is exactly where she’s meant to be, or would he loose interest because the need to shower her with appreciation is gone?   

    These are questions in our society that must be asked. Are men more attracted to weak, unsure women, or determined ones who know the only person they need are themselves? Why? Why does a woman have to conform to men’s standards of how much self-love you can have? The only person a woman needs to keep her happy and strong is herself. She does not need to have you gush through the false speakers of the radio to tell her she is beautiful. She’s not arrogant for knowing she deserves the world, she is not a “bitch” for condescendingly thanking the whistlers on the corner, she is not stuck-up for taking compliments and knowing they have a reason to be said.   

    But a girl at peace with herself is deemed unattractive by a man who wants to be emotionally dominant in a relationship. Because a girl is not supposed to know her own self worth.

In the past few weeks, turning on the news every day is another sensation of “Yep. Been there, done that. What else is new?” 

I’m talking about sexual assault. All the recent publicity and endless accusations from women - what do you think we’ve been putting up with since the beginning of time? I’m grateful for the actual acknowledgement - it’s about time women were heard, and our society started working toward a safer future. But I can’t help feeling bitter that it’s taken this long. No matter where she was, what she did, or what she looked like, every woman from every time period has had to fear the kind of behavior. Maybe there was less risk than in other places, but across centuries and miles and nations, it has been a collective fear. It isn’t our fault, our actions, our clothes, it’s because we live in a society where women have less of a worth. In a society that has made us have less of a worth.  

I often wonder what actually goes through the mind of the man assaulting or raping a woman. We say we don’t want it, we tell you no, but still you keep coming. It’s frightening. It’s disturbing. The behavior being broadcasted recently makes us feel unsafe and confused. Why would you do something to someone, when your actions are clearly having a negative impact on the person? Why is it so difficult to grasp the basic human indecency it takes to not heed other’s reactions, and therefore the severity of this problem? You wouldn’t hit a little kid when he clearly didn’t welcome the action. But you would do something much more intimate with a woman? 

And that’s just the thing: “with a woman.” Sexual assault and rape everywhere should be a no-no. It shouldn’t just be about women and our rights - but it is, and that makes the battle that much harder, hence my statement from earlier. Women and girls everywhere are told to change their behavior - their own, not that of their attacker! - to avoid being violated in such a way. We are taught that it is our fault - not that of a world where the wrong lessons are taught to children. Such societal messages are exactly why there are ignorant, arrogant men in power, and why they make the mistakes women are blamed for. A cycle that must be broken.   

We can blame men all we want - and some definitely deserve it. But what the most recent accusations show, the “newest” revelation is that our society is to blame. Women have less of a say, but men are also held to such low expectations. We must work together - men and women, assaulted and accused - to raise the next generation so that they’ll make the world safer and more equal for all. Let’s teach them to do better than we have.

Small Steps: Household Chores Edition

to produce less trash, don’t use dryer sheets (they don’t really do anything anyway)

scrape plates rather than rinsing them before you put them in the dishwasher - they’re gonna get wet anyway

sweep first, then vacuum what you couldn’t get - it saves electricity

Hey, it’s the little things - home cleaning doesn't have to be as wasteful as it could be. We sometimes think that our tiny daily habits don’t have an effect on anything else, but added up, it’s resulted in where we are today. The things you were taught in kindergarten, about littering and recycling - they wanted you to know that stuff for a reason. Preserving our planet is more important than ever, wether you care about keeping trash out of the oceans or the effects of deforestation.   

It isn’t all money and politics, though the actions of global leaders can do a lot of good - or bad. This is our world, our future, and we have a responsibility to make it a good one. Start small, and work your way up from there. Changing our habits seems daunting, but just keeping these little alternatives in mind will help you remember next time. And for a good cause, why not?

Well, this blog might not get very far. 

According to recent news, Net Neutrality, the set of rules that protect our Internet rights and freedoms, is on the line. The principle that enables online freedom to publish, access, and receive any content you wish might be impacted on December 14th, 2017. If Congress votes to change the bill, millions of Americans’ safety, First Amendment rights, and access to information would be affected. 

Almost since President Trump took office, his FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been pushing for Net Neutrality to be reconsidered on Capital Hill. Millions of Americans have spoken up, on social media and directly to our government officials, requesting that the bill stay the same. Pay has ignored these messages and insists that Net Neutrality limits innovation and economic growth. But what he’d really be doing, if he manages to get the bill off the board, would be clearing away regulations that prevent telecom giants, like Verizon or Comcast, from controlling what content users obtain. Right now, companies can’t pick what websites and services get to us faster, for censorship or economic reasons. They aren’t allowed to slow down or speed up their own content or sites to stifle a competitor. The general fear, and the reason for Net Neutrality, is that if they could, they would. Booming businesses could profit off of the violation of our constitutional rights, if Ajit Pai’s mission succeeds.   

You can say and view and do whatever you want online. All the information and opportunity on the planet is at your fingertips, because of Net Neutrality. Heck, while writing this I had to research the details of what’s actually been going down lately. How? Net Neutrality. Social media, websites, applications, databases - so much would be effected, and not for the better. A lot of people who use the Internet to make a change, marginalized communities standing up for their rights, all these people could be silenced. For money. 

We owe it to Net Neutrality, the result of millions of activists in 2015, that America is as safe, informed, and free as it is now. Hey, it’s the reason I’m able to run this blog - using my voice to talk about what I believe in, which not everyone out there can do.   

There’s still time. In just days, on December 14, the bill will be voted on. Send this to friends, contact government officials and politicians, take action now. While it isn’t too late.

I am the challenger. Standing in the ring,  your foolishness thundering at me, two beady eyes of human hate, two sharpened horns that prick where I’ve wounds. That turn on others when it hurts them most. I challenge you, counter you, shouting in rage at what you’ve done to hurt us; what you’ll do to hurt anything you fear. And you fear me, my swift foot, bent knee, flick of red from muscled knowledge. (I might be young, but I’ve the strength of a thousand fighters) Reading has done me so well, but experience, out in the real ring, is where I present my skill. Crowds are stomping, howling. You charge at me. I am the challenger - I will cut you down. Because I know I deserve better than this. As does all. You run, I swoop; You stomp, I switch; You bellow, I roar, and we are at it again, a bullfight of wit and change and progress. Your bright eyes are misinformed. Mine know enough to prove you wrong, to slow you, cut you down, and then we will be human again. I am the challenger, of all I see to be wrong, of all I know I can change. I am proud. You can be changed. Changed by I, the challenger. 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (simplified form): 

We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free, with our own thoughts and opinions. We should all be treated the same. 

Don’t Discriminate. These rights are everybody’s, regardless of our differences. 

The Right to Life. We all have the right to our lives, and to live in freedom and safety. 

No Slavery. Nobody has the right to subject us to slavery. We cannot make another person our slave. 

No Torture. Nobody has the right to hurt or to torture us. 

You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you. 

We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone, and it must treat us all fairly. 

Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly. 

No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison or send us away from our country without good reason. 

The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial, it should be in public. The people who try us shouldn’t let anyone tell them what to do. 

We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to prove it is not true. 

The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, read our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason. 

Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country, and to travel as we wish. 

The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being treated badly in our own country, we all have the right to go to another country to be safe. 

Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country, and to be granted citizenship. 

Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and raise a family if they choose to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married and when they are separated. 

The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our possessions from us without a good reason. 

Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, and to change it if we wish. 

Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with others. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet others and to work together peacefully to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join or leave a group if we don’t want to. 

The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the governance of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders and to vote. 

Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare. We all have the right to enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill, old, or disabled. 

Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to have a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union. 

The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax. 

Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life and necessary goods. Mothers, children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for. Everyone should have access to what they need to have a good life. 

The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free, so that all young people can get an education. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get along with others. Our parents and guardians can choose what we learn. 

Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life, and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring. 

A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so everyone can enjoy rights and freedoms in their own country, and anywhere else. 

Responsibility. We have a duty to others as well as ourselves, and we should protect others’ rights as well as our own. 

No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights. 

In December of 1948, the United Nations officially adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Resolution 217 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, France. It was created to ensure safety, security, and freedom for all people. At the time, there were 58 members of the UN. 48 voted in favor, with zero opposed, while eight abstained and two didn’t vote. The articles were drafted by representatives from all over the globe, from all backgrounds, and the document has been translated into over 500 languages since.   

The United Nations was founded after WWII, in 1945, to ensure that such a horrific conflict would never again occur. In San Francisco, CA, 51 countries gathered to sign the Charter, officially creating the United Nations. Out of the 247 existing countries and territories, 193 are currently part of the UN. It’s objective is to protect everyone’s human rights, support sustainable development, and provide humanitarian aid and resources. Since then, it’s members and volunteers have been working with governments worldwide to maintain international security and peace. 

Each of these rights is important, and serves a purpose to benefit the lives of all people. Everyone is entitled to each of them, and is therefore an equal of everyone else. We’re all a part of the larger human race, and must respect and be kind to each other regardless of who we are and where we come from. Our differences make us who we are, and what makes this planet, 7 billion strong, so diverse and beautiful. It’s our job to give back to others.

Welcome back - hope you had a happy January 1st! Everyone has been talking about their hopes for 2018. I’ve heard themes of unity, peace, and working towards a better future. I’m happy that everyone is talking about about a better new year, but I’ve been thinking about something else. 

Climate change is an issue that is more important than ever. To kick off the new year, I wanted to take us on a short, much-needed tour of what it is and what could happen. Hope this answers some questions~ 

True or False: Climate change is real.     True. Climate change refers to the change in global climate patterns, seen from the late 20th century onward. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are produced by fossil fuel emissions; as atmospheric gases damage the ozone layer, heat from the sun’s rays is trapped between the earth and space. More heat means warmer weather, and scientists everywhere agree that temperatures have risen drastically in recent years.     There will be many negative outcomes of climate change, especially if nothing is done to prevent it. The earth’s temperatures are changing too much and too fast, and so many places will suffer - if they aren’t already. If a global effort to battle this issue doesn’t kick in, we’ll face the consequences.   

True or False: Humans have nothing to do with it.     False. Humans have everything to do with it: we’re the reason it’s happening. There are many harmful effects human activity has on the environment, and we have to understand what we’ve done before we can decide what to do.     With rising populations, more resources will be needed to provide the world’s population with food, transportation, medicine, and more. Countries need space to develop and harvest food for their citizens. Cars, trains, and other forms of transportation take people where they need to go every day. Public institutions like hospitals and schools are vital to a community. All these factors of daily life required energy sources and materials; often, those efforts end up creating excess waste.     Every day, humans produce trash just by going about their daily lives. Using a paper napkin, bagging groceries with plastic bags, ordering takeout - all these actions will result in something being thrown out. Our trash ends up in landfills, bodies of water, or as litter blowing around the street. When bits of plastic or other discarded materials make their way into the environment, habitats are polluted and species suffer. While we can’t totally eliminate the waste we produce, we can make those numbers smaller. By reducing how much we use, reusing what we can, and recycling what we can’t, we can make the environment a cleaner, healthier place.     ‘The Greenhouse Effect’ refers to the increasing levels of atmospheric gases harming our planet. As I said before, increased amounts of gases cause heat from the sun to be trapped in the earth’s atmosphere - the main culprit of climate change. Many of our activities require the burning of fossil fuels, which emits carbon dioxide and other gases. But there are better ways to power your home or car, such as solar power instead of electricity, or vegetable oil rather than gas. Unless we switch to these renewable energies, the main cause of climate change will remain.   

True or False: Ecosystems and species will suffer.         True. A warming planet will negatively effect many environmental patterns, habitats, and species.     In the arctic, ice is melting at an alarming pace because of warmer temperatures. Sea levels are rising, endangering many land habitats and the animals who live there. Polar bears, for example, are loosing homes and hunting grounds because of climate change.     Heat waves, shifting rainfall patterns, and other weather-related events will become stronger. A warming planet causes more heat waves and droughts, while excess rainfall and worse storms have become more frequent in recent years. All these disasters will cause global ecosystems to suffer, forcing threatened species to migrate - or go extinct.     Everything in nature is connected. Rising temperatures cause more water to evaporate into water vapor, which makes up precipitation in storms and hurricanes. If more ice is melting, there is more water in the oceans, which contributes to that risk. Underwater temperatures are rising as well, which harms the inhabitants of coral reefs and other habitats.     When an animal or plant species faces extinction, the biodiversity of its habitat suffers. Species that depend on it may loose a vital food source; if that species’ population shrinks, those that depend on it will suffer as well. When the food web takes enough hits, the entire structure could unravel at the seams. Climate change and what it means for the natural world is an issue with multiple moving parts, and some of those could be disastrous.   

True or False: Climate change effects us.     True. Rising sea levels threaten coastal cities, many of which could be underwater in just a couple of decades. Without biodiversity or stable ecosystems, the plants and animals we depend on for food could be wiped out in a similar time frame. Storms and other weather-related disasters have already damaged many people’s lives, and so many more would be uprooted. With these desperate possibilities, all your sic-fi movies could come true.   

True or False: We can’t do anything.     100% False. There’s so much we can do, as individuals and as an international community. But larger steps must be taken sooner, if we want to slow down this global catastrophe.     Today, many people are ‘going green’, a term that refers to making more environmentally friendly and responsible decisions. Cutting down on how much you throw out, driving a car less often, and being conscientious about the effects of your actions all will lead to a healthier planet. Changes in your daily habits have a larger effect than you think.     Human emissions of greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change - energy transition is the key. Conversion to solar and wind power, among other alternatives, will offer more jobs and be safer for the environment. But while citizens are taking action, international policy isn’t doing nearly enough. Society has put off action for so long, scientists say that the worst outcomes of climate change might not be that far off. Widespread change must happen ASAP, if we want a chance at winning the war against climate change. And that starts with you! Join organizations that do research on renewable energies, provide aid to damaged ecosystems, or advocate for government action. Find ways you can go green within your own home. Talk to others about what you know, and what needs to be done in the future.      

The way I see it, all the rights in the world won’t matter if this planet isn’t sustained - & that fate rests in our hands. My hope for 2018 is that people everywhere will crack down on preventing climate change. My New Year’s resolution is to play my part by doing what I can for environmental efforts - I hope you will too. Happy New Year! 

There’s something about a girl, some unspoken phenomenon. The unfathomable depth beneath words that makes you love her. Because all the gorgeous melancholy and unimaginable happiness makes her more than human. It makes you marvel at the wonders of creation. It is her resilience.

It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everyone! Today we honor the legacy of one of the most inspiring and dedicated leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. 

Before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, racial segregation was a part of daily American life. MLK Jr. saw the injustice in this, and wanted to fight against it. A preacher and an activist, as well as a loving husband and father, he dedicated his career to improving the lives of African-Americans. Sit-ins were jeered and people were arrested, but Mr. King continued his work. He encouraged many Americans, black and white, to fight for racial equality. In the end, they succeeded.  Today we honor this man’s life, and the effect his message has had on America. The right’s and opportunities of this great country should never be denied to anyone - Martin Luther King Jr. helped teach us that. 

Small Steps #2: Hygiene Edition

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.

Use a washcloth for washing your face, rather than running the faucet.

In the shower, turn the water off while you wash yourself. Lather, then rinse at the end - more water saved in a shorter amount of bath time.

Rinse, lather, rinse, and you’re done. Little habits aren’t so hard to break, or make; just keep these details in your head, and you’ll remember more and more often when the time comes. That bit of extra effort will be good for your water bill and the environment. The effect of your actions isn’t as small as you think, so let’s make sure it’s a good one.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for 100 followers!!! I didn’t expect this much support within 6 months, thank you so so much! Sorry there’s been a lapse in posting lately - theres a lot going on in my life right now, but expect some good stuff soon. Have a lovely day everyone! :D

My English class has been exploring a unit on the Harlem Renaissance. And since Black History Month has been celebrating black achievement for the past few weeks, heres a report on one of my favorite artistic time periods. 

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of artistic and cultural revolution for the African-American community, originating in the NYC neighborhood of Harlem. In the early 20th century, African Americans mass-migrated to the North to escape poverty and racial segregation. They relocated in Northern cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and New York City, searching for jobs and housing. They found social and economic freedom where they came, especially in Harlem, a neighborhood of NYC. Harlem had previously housed rich white people, but low rent and open jobs allowed black migrants to fill the space instead. 

Harlem fostered a new sense of community and identity within the African-American community. During the 1920s, this manifested into a period of significant artistic and literary achievement. Black writers, musicians, and artists found pride in their identity, using their work to celebrate black identity and culture. Though these figures faced obstacles because of their color, and racial bias was common, Harlem of the 20s was a social hotspot for African-Americans. Writers such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston (my personal favorites) wrote extensively on the themes of racism and African-American identity. Musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith shot to fame, performing blues and jazz in Harlem and other cities. They performed in Harlem’s vibrant clubs, a common scene featured in paintings such as Archibad J. Motley’s iconic Nightlife. 

Though these icons, and many more, were able to have successful careers, most black Americans were treated poorly. Down South, Jim Crow laws segregated people based on race, leaving non-whites with fewer rights and opportunities. Northern cities weren’t legally segregated, but many African-Americans faced discrimination and lived in poverty. Change would come over long periods of time. But despite these challenges, African-American art and culture flourished for nearly a decade. Today, this inspiring and influential era would be known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Happy International Women’s Day! Every March 8, the world celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women everywhere. For centuries, women around the world have become heroines of all shapes and sizes, reshaping their communities and achieving their goals. For over a hundred years, international communities have recognized this day as a time to honor their accomplishments and fight for gender equality. Today is the day to fight for women’s rights, to global equity, education, and dignity. So what history will you make, on March 8, 2018?

World Water Day is celebrated internationally on March 22. Declared by the UN 25 years ago, this day annually focuses on our most important resource: water. But damaged ecosystems, water pollution, and climate change are hurting the supply. The 2018 theme for World Water Day is how we can use natural solutions to solve modern-day challenges. Replanting forests and protecting water-based ecosystems will balance the water cycle. Recycling and reusing wastewater can provide energy and water to urban areas. Solutions are everywhere, and its time we started looking for them.

We use water in our homes to drink, cook, and clean with. But 95% of water is used outside the home, for agriculture, industry, and textiles. The rising population in our developing world requires more water than ever. In a decade, we might need twice as much water as Earth can supply.

In places like Cape Town, South Africa, droughts are breaking records held for over a century. The city awaits “Day Zero,” when, likely this summer, it will shut off it’s taps. My youth choir has the chance to travel on international goodwill tours every other summer. Last August, we traveled to South Africa, spending two out of our three weeks in Cape Town. The drought had been going on for years at that point; shower times were limited to two minutes, and every public building we performed in had signs reminding us to conserve water. When “Day Zero” comes, Cape Town’s schools, libraries, and homes won’t have running water. Until it rains, residents will have to get their water by other means. I don’t want to think about such a catastrophe happening here in Boston.

So what can you do? Water woes are endless, and go way beyond a few plastic bottles. But here’s some small steps (shameless plug lol) to help you conserve our most important resource.

Buy less. As goods travel around the world, so does the water that made them (metaphorically, of course). Buying one less shirt or cooking pot can save up to 700 gallons on another continent. By changing your habits, you can have a global impact.

Flip the Switch. Water is used to prepare coal, extract oil, and build solar panels. The energy that lights your homes is the top user of water, after agriculture. So conserving electricity is a double pat-on-the-back for you.

Go (Part-time) Vegetarian. A single burger uses up to 600 gallons of water. Taking meat off the menu one or two days a week will cut down on your water footprint (so to speak). So if you’ve grown up in an Italian household like mine where vegetarianism will get you disowned, no problem: a part-time no-meat diet will do.

& Now the Basics… Turn off the faucet overtime you brush. I know you’ve heard it before, but you can save up to 4 gallons every time you brush. Thats almost 3,000 gallons a year.

Today, over 2 billion people are living without clean drinking water at home, and over half of them draw from contaminated sources. 663 million people spend countless hours each day trekking and queuing to distant sources, effecting their health and education. Since our actions have a direct impact on the global supply, celebrate your World Water Day by spreading the word about these issues and the many ways to solve them.

OK. It’s time to get this done.

Hi everyone. It’s been a while. 

I started this blog in September of 2017. I stopped posting in March 2018. Now i’m back, after 9-odd months of figuring stuff out. 

I guess I needed to get myself together, to eliminate some pressure from my life. I’ll say it, last spring was a really rough time for me, and I just couldn’t keep this blog up anymore. I took the summer to recollect myself, and the autumn to enjoy my new life. And it is pretty new - new school, new friends, new schedule. I’m glad to say I’m doing much, much better. 

And during this time, I didn’t think much about this blog and its purpose at all. I was still writing all the time. I was still thinking about the same things I’ve written about here. But last year, the pressure was getting to me - to be clear, pressure I was putting on myself. I wanted to put my all into this blog - and I genuinely enjoyed doing so - but I guess it just became too much.   

This is a long post. It’s written by someone you don’t know and have never met, so you probably won’t spend 10 minutes of your time reading it. I don’t really mind. But I’m writing this for three reasons: to explain myself, to advise you, and to make a super rough draft of a mission statement for this blog. That sounds a little dramatic. But I think it fits the goal here, actually: To explain, to advise, and make some super rough drafts of crap.

If you are reading this, you’re probably one of my much beloved followers. Thank you so much for all your support and (dare I say it) interest. I didn’t forget about you these past nine months, but I also learned not to forget about myself. It takes guts to put yourself out there on the Scary InternetTM, and I’ve learned that if I wanna do it right, I’ve gotta be thinking about my own well-being. I only have to do this if I want to, not for the sake of strangers. No shade - it’s just me being honest. 

And I guess that’s where the advice come in: if you want to put yourself and your work out there, whether that’s here or anywhere else, it shouldn’t be just for others. It has to be for you, too.   

And now for the mission statement part, or a very rough draft of it: the purpose of this blog is to share with you my opinions, ideas, values, and writing. That’s why I do it for me. What I do for you (hopefully) is inform and teach, about issues I care about and that I hope you care about too. Social justice, environmentalism, history, sociocultural issues; sometimes just poems or stories. 

Someone, upon hearing about my blog, told me I was a social critic. I prefer the term ’social observer’. I think that, in a way, that is my responsibility as a writer. It’s also my responsibility as an activist. Your craft, gift, passion, whatever you want to call it should be shared. It deserves to be shared. So have at it. 

There will be more posts coming up in the next few weeks. But for now, thank you, everybody. Happy (almost) New Year!

What I want in 2019 - a prevention plan for climate change. preferably involving lots of solar panels and immigrant employees. - an end to world hunger. preferably involving sustainable agriculture and lots of international aid. - for everyone to have access to clean water. See my ‘World Water Day’ post for details. 

And hey, @ my classmates - stop using ‘gay’ as an insult. It ain’t cute. 

ooh, y’know what would be even better!? Let’s have everyone stop saying “he or she” or “his or hers” to refer to someone who’s gender we don’t know. Doesn’t matter the context - its unnecessary and cis-normative and hard on the tongue. If you wanna be fancy and impress your friends, try saying “guys, gals, and non-binary pals,” (as coined by Thomas Sanders). Or just use “they”. “They” is fine, guys. 

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

You’ve probably wondered what the title of this blog means. I probably should’ve gotten around to explaining it to you a while ago.   

“Avere grill per la testa” literally translates to “to have a head full of crickets” in Italian. 

Sometime in the late spring of 2017, I was in a gift shop somewhere. I found a small, rectangular book called “The Illustrated Book of Sayings: Curious Expressions from around the World.” It was published by Ella Frances Sanders, in 2016. I really wanted this book, because it was around this time I was developing a passion for linguistics, words, and the all-around coolness of language. Either way, the book was charming, and I borrowed some money from my dad. 

“Avere grilli per la testa.” To have a head full of crickets. 

What struck me about this phrase, when I stumbled upon its entry, was it’s compelling word choice. Apparently, whoever came up with it didn’t think it was enough to say that someone is dreamy, or has a short attention span. Nope - there are jumpy insects inside their head, and that’s what makes them so imaginative. Welcome to Italy, m-effers.   

This describes me perfectly: dreamy, distracted, creative, semi-ADD. I’m prone to flights of fancy, so much that I struggle to cool down or get myself organized. There’s a whole lot of fluff and bulls*t in my head (f you’ll pardon my French); my thoughts jump all over the place. Maybe that explains the boxes of filled notebooks in my closet. Good traits, since I strive to be a good writer; bad traits, since I have a mother.   

In another way, it captures the content on this blog - my endless thoughts, opinions, and ideas, all thrown together in one place. My varied interests and passions, channeled into the mini-essays you see here. There are many things I’d like to talk and write about, to organize in a constructive way. After all, if there’s that much going on up here, why not share it with all of you?   

Also, it’s linguistic trivia. I love me some linguistic trivia.