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Totally Off Topic

This post showed up on Facebook and as I have more Brit friends here, I’ve decided to share it. The incident happened in Bristol, so if anyone lives there or knows someone who does, this misogynistic asshat needs a kick in the arse!

Copy / Paste:

“Please share this: This is a warning for anyone who walks their dogs on Durdham Downs in Bristol. Today on the downs this man set his dogs on me and my dogs. We were siting under a tree and this man approached us with his dogs on an extendable lead, he stood there staring at us whilst his dogs pulled against their short lead lowering themselves preparing to attack. I asked him to walk away as it was unsettling my dogs and he smiled without speaking. Once his dogs had worked themselves up and my dogs walked part way toward them, he released the grip on the extendable lead and his dogs attacked. One of my dogs managed to return to me whilst the other dog was less fortunate. This mans dog sat on my other dog, who was squealing, crying and struggling to get away. The man continued staring at me and smiling whilst I shouted for him to get his dog off. The dog didn’t move until my dog was motionless. The man then told me that I needed to control my dogs and put them on a lead, I responded with it is f***ing obvious who is at fault here. To which he responded ‘I bet I can guess where you grew up”!!! Luckily my dog limped back to me and appears to now be fine, bruised and shaken but fine. I then watched this man do exactly the same thing to another woman with her 3 small dogs. This man is obviously insane, amongst other things! About a year ago I read a note posted on a tree on the down, where the same thing had happened to a woman and her 2 dogs, with a man and dogs matching this description. One of her dogs died later that evening from internal bleeding, from cracked ribs. My dog is a particular breed that has a particularly strong rib cage, I am sure she would be in a far worse position if this wasn’t the case. I will be reporting this to the police tomorrow but I am also aware that they don’t take these cases that seriously. So please take care and avoid this man and his dogs. He is in his 60’s with a ridiculously posh accent.” ~ Gemma Tool, shared from her post

And Old Farts complain about the behaviour of young people!

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Of Culture, Kilts and Korma

This might be controversial, certainly it’s a hot-button topic. I am one of those people who feels a wrongness, a divisiveness in the rampant calls of “Cultural Misappropriation”.

I am not asking to be schooled for my feelings. I have seen the outrage against public figures and I’ve read the articles about people who “just don’t get it”. Intellectually, I can see some areas of concern but in my heart and in my widely varied gene pool, I’m having a hard time with the vociferous protests. More to the point of my post title, I feel like all the gains made by the ideals of love, inclusiveness and caring for my fellow humans – a set of values that had its renaissance and greatest resonance in the 1960’s and into the 1970’s – is being lost.

Again, I’m not asking to be educated. I have a degree or two, I don’t live in a cave. This is what all the outcry makes me feel.

The diversity of my family background, my friends, associates and colleagues; has given me a wealth of cultural experiences. There have been discussions, get-togethers, shopping, suppers and all of these things have deepened my understanding of customs and things that are not my own.

A few quick points; starting with the most recent backlash against a public figure (can’t recall the name – sorry) who was seen wearing “dreadlocks”. I know that as a fashion, this hairstyle is most commonly associated with a particular group. I also know that if I don’t put my hair into braids at night, it will twist itself into very long dreads by the next day. The notion that early man, forebear to all of us, shared a similar hair style, isn’t much of a stretch is it?

There are certain cultural icons that have been marketed to the world outside by the identifiable group itself. To turn around now and be angry just doesn’t make sense to me. So many people have begun a journey of learning and understanding with one small token, one small idea.

In the most simplistic of explanations, the outcry of “cultural misappropriation” feels like a kid who gets mad and grabbing their bucket, stomps away from sandbox.

I’ll continue to read and listen. I see nothing wrong in continuing to talk about ways to respect other people, culture and customs but I stand by my belief that making ourselves insular is taking a huge step backward for all of us hanging out here on planet earth.

~ kei
14 June 2017

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Solstice Shining

Always June, you have the power to entice the tiny diamond hidden deep within my core

Exerting pressure with a breeze or the kiss of rain on my cheek

Slowly June, you cajole memory upon emotion upon young woman’s dreams to shine

Polishing away the rough surfaces of subsequent years, disappoints and fears

Beautiful June, faceting my hopes and dreams with brilliance and clarity

Restoring once again clarity to my heart and brilliance to my soul

~ kei
04 June 2017