Happy Monday - I Hope You’re Enjoying Your Day Off. This Weekend, I Was With My Mom And Brother Up

The 49th Earth Day is today! This year’s theme is Protect Our Species, so here’s an essay about 3 of the most endangered species in the world.

#1: Pangolins These little guys are the best. They eat insects with tongues longer than their bodies, and roll up into little scaly balls when afraid. In Malay, the word ‘penggulung’ fittingly means ‘one that rolls up’. There are 8 different species of pangolin; four are native to east Asia, and four to Africa. Every species is labeled either ‘vulnerable’ or ‘endangered’. In Africa, pangolin scales are used to attract potential lovers, and as medicine in China and other parts of Asia. The meat is considered a delicacy. These beliefs have created a vast illicit trade network of pangolin parts; the creatures themselves are being captured, killed, and cooked almost to extinction. Mother pangolins wrap themselves around their babies to protect them. But greater steps must be taken to save these mammals.

#2: Coral Reefs Not gonna lie: for the longest time, I thought coral reefs were big rocks at the bottom of the ocean, with maybe a few plants here and there. Turns out, corals, ancient organisms that are related to sea anemones, are a vital part of our oceans. An individual coral is called a pylop. A pylop will grow a calcium-based exoskeleton; when a colony of thousands of pylops do this together, it forms a coral reef. Coral reefs exist all over the world, and are home to thousands of underwater species. Fish, algae, plants and invertebrates all feed and shelter on reefs. They protect coastlines and contribute billions to ecotourism and fishing industries. But these homes are dying out. As the earth warms, so do the oceans. Changes in temperature and pH levels kill pylop by the thousands, leaving entire ecosystems bleached and dead. This leaves millions of other organisms homeless and with little food. Without coral reefs, the oceans would never be the same. And since 75% of the earth is covered in water, I think we should be worried about that.

#3: Bees Can’t really emphasize this enough guys: we need bees to live. These insects live all over the world in diverse climates, from African deserts to the Arctic Circle, but their hives and habitats are under attack. Bees pollinate plants, which helps them grow. Pollinated plants go on to produce food, medicine, and other natural wonders we use everyday. And we’re not the only ones; birds, bears, and dozens of other species rely on the bees’ work. Our use of pesticides make bees and other creatures sick. Invading bees’ habitats  leave less space for hives and less plants for them to pollinate. Climate change is, as always, a threat. Without bees, there would be no us. Let’s freaking save the bees y’all.

What you can do:

Reach out to organizations working to protect these species. Donate, volunteer, or simply read up!

Make sure to buy produce that wasn’t grown with pesticides.

Plant some flowers… Adopt a hive…

Reduce your carbon footprint: save the ozone and the reefs!

Always practice the rules of sustainably: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Thanks for reading, everybody. Happy Earth Day!

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!

Who should worry most about climate change? 

a) Poor people. They’re the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change, including natural disasters and disease. Some people benefit from practices that exacerbate climate change - if those people were at risk, they’d be actively fighting those practices. My teacher drew a diagram on the board; poor people live in one area and rich people live in the other. If the rich people want to build a big yucky factory, they’ll build it where the poor people live, because they don’t have any money for lawyers. This is the way it’s been all over the world. 

b) People who live by the sea. Rising sea levels, flooding, and storms won’t treat those places will. A lot of property will be damaged, people displaced, and coastal cities could be underwater before the century is out. Boston is my home. I don’t want my people or my family to be uprooted by water. I don’t want the history, art, and architecture of my city to go underwater - it’s too beautiful for that.

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.

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.

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.

October 11 is National Coming Out Day! Happy day to all those in or out of the closet - you are valid no matter what. I’m grateful we have a day to recognize these milestones, both in our lives and as members of the LGBT+ community.

 (P.S. I know I’ve posted like three times in less than a week, but allow me to lower your expectations to once a week updates. For my sanity, il mio amore)

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.

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.

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.