reducing anxiety

 Let's face it, Christmas may be a celebration of Christ's birth, but the holiday shopping society added to it gives us all a bad case of anxiety. Even if you aren't losing it trying to get a perfect gift for your in-laws, parents, spouse, or sibling, all this Covid 19 business is making everyone a bit stir-crazy and anxious. Today we are going to talk about how to calm down without medication (unless you really do need it, and there is no shame in needing it).

Image from Harvard Health - Harvard University

For starters, I'm going to tell you that if you have a legitimate disorder that needs medication this post is not here to shame you. You should listen to any therapists and doctors that are trained to deal with mental illness. Don't try to treat it all by yourself. Get help if you are considering or having thoughts of suicide. Please don't think of me as a doctor. While these may help with your anxiety, I am not a doctor.

What I do know is that disorders of anxiety interfere with basic functions and living well consistently, so if that is the case find a professional. Now that you know I have no medical degree (researching on the internet does not make you a doctor or an expert), we go onward. 

The methods.

I'm not going to lie. I tend to deal with a mind that gets overwhelmed by my own ambitions, dreams, and weirdness. I may sound good (at least I hope I do, anyway) on my blogs, but talking to me in person reveals that I sound better on paper than in person most times, unless there is a script in my hand. Life comes with decisions, lots of them, and sometimes they come all at once. As strange as it sounds, making a decision and committing to it is one way to push past your anxiety. Do something, anything to keep moving in a direction that you feel is right. On this topic, I also add that you need boundaries from taking on others' problems. If you can't handle an extra task you can and should say no before your stress levels go too high. 

photo by Blessing Manifesting

What is good for your heart (physical heart) is good for your brain. Omega 3s can be found in supplements, nuts, grass-fed beef, and fish. Apparently, taking care of your heart is extremely good for your brain and may help combat anxiety. Another thought, from my own experience, is that eating right and drinking water is entirely necessary to keep your mental state balanced. Blood sugar being balanced is essential to normal body functions. If you take a moment to care for your basic needs you do so much better in the long run. You may actually be more productive. To be sure, sleep. Read that again. Don't be pulling all-nighters. Exercise and take care of yourself. Body and mind are connected, so please don't neglect your body or you will regret it. 

Mindfulness, something I just talked about last blog (can be found in the archives), is focusing on your present instead of having worries over your future. Anxiety is triggered by worries about future events. This practice has been called grounding by therapists. If you are a Christian that doesn't know if it is biblical to practice this, go in my blog archives and look for Mindfulness and Christianity. I have the pros and cons right there for you to ponder. With this, slow breathing has been proven effective and is included in some mindfulness exercises. This breathing proves to your body you are not in need of a fight-or-flight response and are okay. 

We all have been watching social media like hawks, and that is where the rumors fly like no other place on earth. If you have someone on there that keeps posting rumors, dark things, bothering you, bullying you.......etc you need to unfollow and unfriend some people. If people are not your issue, turn off social media. Decreasing your attention to all the flying rumors, political posts, dramatic humans, and doomsday false news is going to help you keep your head in the positives. This does not mean you can't talk about the negatives; talk about your problems and deal with them. What I'm saying here is that you should talk it out and move on, instead of staying in your pit of despair to moan over social media, or moan alone. 

If you think playing is only for kids, well, stop. Play gives us a break and the rest we need. Go hang out

with friends (responsibly) and do some form of art or sports. Turn on Netflix, Youtube, a good movie, and stop working for a while. Put simply, do what relaxes you. Whether it be gaming, films, arts, or Dungeons and Dragons, have fun. We were made to balance our work and play together. All work creates too much stress build-up. Give yourself permission to pull out your old Nintendo DS games or do some adult coloring. Play those Nancy Drew PC games. Watch someone play a game, even, if you have no desire to game. If you are losing your mind because you are constantly working you need this mental break before you break yourself. That being said, don't be all play, either; this is a balancing act. 

Talk, speak, say what needs to be said. Tension and anxiety, in some cases, go hand-in-hand. To end the situations that cause this there needs to be a conversation or some sort of resolution. Try to solve the conflict as calmly as possible. If you can't, reread the paragraph on unfollowing people. You may have to make that tough choice if someone will not bury the hatchet. All else fails, leave them standing alone with their hatchet, and bury your own hatchet. I would highly suggest solving the conflict before you attempt to do so, but whatever you do, say and do what you need to. End that tension.

I know they say we should be six feet apart, but physical contact like hugging is good for reducing stress. Find a friend who is comfortable with hugs, give affection to your family, kiss your spouse or significant other, etc. Social distance might help us not catch Corona Virus, but it is killing us mentally. Suicide rates are higher this year and possibly worse than the virus itself in numbers. In a pandemic, there are no right answers. I do think we shouldn't be hugging everyone we see. However, we do need the affection of friends and family as much as we needed it before. Be responsible, but make sure you are getting that affection from somewhere. Cats and dogs are especially good at that.

A cozy fire in the fireplace, crazy as it sounds, could help you deal with your anxiety. If you are legitimately considering setting fire to yourself upon reading that sentence immediately call your doctor (if you think I'm kidding, I'm not). You may need some extra help from more qualified sources in that situation. That dark thought aside, heat is supposed to help. Sun, saunas, a warm bath or shower, and fireplace seats with hot cocoa or tea could potentially help regulate your mood. People in Alaska during the time of year where there is no sun do more suicide, so I personally believe this to be true. While you're at it turn on your essential oil room sprayer to lavender. Put some oil on your wrist or your pillow. Lavender is proven to relax you. Herbal remedies, in this same way, may help. 

As a coffee drinker, this paragraph saddens me. Caffeine can make our anxiety worse. If you have it badly enough you need to skip the coffee and caffeinated tea. If you think it may help, you don't have to give all your coffee dreams up. Moderation is a wonderful idea. Test scaling back on caffeinated beverages and see how you feel. You can add a beverage that isn't caffeinated in its place if you like. Basically, caffeine gives our nerves a jolt, thus causing more anxiety. Decaffeinated tea can be quite relaxing.

If you drink lots of alcohol, you'll be sad at this paragraph. Alcohol can increase anxiety, depression, and irritability into the next day. It is not your friend if you deal with serious mental issues. Please don't hear me say it is evil. On the contrary, I say that it is an inanimate object and will only hinder you when misused, just like every substance on earth. I'm saying that if you have mental issues that are major you shouldn't use it to "self-medicate". A beer a few times a month is not misusing, but five drinks a night for days or weeks is not healthy. Please make sure you don't misuse this liquid refreshment.

Understanding yourself

Do you know your triggers? Do you know what sets you off and makes you spiral? This is an important question. If you don't you could be triggered daily and not know it. This is where journaling your thoughts and analyzing them a day or so after can help you understand yourself. Process your thoughts and emotions. It does help.

photo by Masha Plans

One way to figure out triggers is to write out three things that stressed you out at the end of the day. After a while you find the pattern if there is one. If you find that pattern you can find the triggers. After that, and don't skip this part, write out three things you did well. You often overlook what you've done well. Celebrate what you did well. Reward yourself.

Release your emotions. Let out your stress. Find a controlled environment to do so. This can be going out in the woods to scream (not to be done in a public park) or journaling, like me, on a laptop word document unfiltered. It can be finding a friend and having a vent session. Don't make a friend as on edge as you are, but you can phone-a-friend and talk it out. Find a safe space to release your pent-up emotion. You learn what your emotions are and how to handle them safely through this. 

Introverts and parties with lots of strange people historically don't get along, especially if you didn't drive yourself and your friend has no intention of leaving early. Picture it, a room full of people and you went with your extroverted friend to a party with lots of small-talk and no dog to spend time with. What do you do? Well, you plan an exit strategy and drive yourself to parties (if possible). There is more control there and thus the anxiety lessens. 

Sources:

https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-without-medication/

https://www.healthline.com/health/effective-ways-to-fight-anxiety-without-drugs
https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/6-tips-for-managing-anxiety-without-medication

https://pzizz.com/blog/articles/how-to-fight-anxiety-without-medication/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201702/treating-anxiety-without-using-prescription-medications

Mindfulness and Christianity

 Mindfulness, does it harm your faith or help your faith? Let's dive into that.

First of all, I have found that much like my blog on horror and Christianity (found in my archives) there are so many opinions out there. We first need a basic definition of Mindfulness. Our English dictionary says it is (1)being aware and conscious of something, or (2) a mental state achieved by being aware of the present moment while accepting all emotions, feelings, and bodily sensations. The second definition is considered a therapy technique. Put simply, you clear the noise from your mind and completely relax yourself while completely focusing on the present moment. 

The Positive

By itself, it does not sound like it can contradict your Christian faith. In fact, understanding yourself can help you learn better and live a better life. Does it really sound all that bad? In this chaotic year we've all had, I'd say the basic practice of staying in the present and sitting to clear your head for a brief moment is probably not a bad idea. It can be used to handle stress, spark creativity, be a psychotherapy and therapy tool, and enhance your mental health. It sounds to me like it could actually help you study the Bible and God's Word a little more clearly. Mental health creates clarity that makes it easier to learn - just don't forget to invite God into all this. Without Him all of it is useless.

Biblical support for this is absolutely existent. Philippians 2:1-5 says to live in the present moment and be mindful, and that is Paul talking. Prayer itself is a practice in mindfulness in Christ, and we are told to pray unceasingly. Meditation on God's Word is good for our Christ relationship. We are told to not be anxious for the future because God cares for the sparrows and He will certainly care for us. We are told to take thoughts captive, renew our minds, focus on God-honoring things. All this support for the practice of mindfulness in Christ says that God cares deeply for us. Christian therapy does include mindfulness, in some places, with the integration of Christ, which is necessary. Look up to Christ and not horizontally into yourself alone.

In the field of Psychology, it is a proven method for beating anxiety and depression. There is some evidence that is not a Buddhist practice alone. It is a mental exercise that can help us turn off our anxiety. Individuals who feel anxiety when there is no reasonable reason why need something to help them turn off that faulty sensor (we all need this, actually, so don't tell me you are perfectly together.). Mindfulness controls our focus so we don't freak ourselves out with our own minds and thoughts. It takes our focus from all the possible problems in the world and puts it on what is real and solid, grounding us. This practice is also known as "grounding". God gave us the power to focus on our present and Christ instead of the problems that could be, and that is what Psychology combined with faith considers mindfulness to be. This group doesn't consider mindfulness to be prayer. Trusting God to care for you may lead to mindfulness (But don't think that you can simply sit and do nothing all day - I know someone is thinking it, so I'll just say it now.). We only have access to our present, and thinking clearly in the present creates a past we can live with. All this can be summarized by "be still and know that I am God (God is talking here, not a human)". He wants us to live in the peace of His presence, not to fear everything. 

Our minds wander, constantly, and God is likely not the first thing on our minds when we wake up in the morning. God challenge for the week, write down what your first thought is in the morning and tell me how often it is God. If you can actually have God on your mind every morning I want to know how you did it, but I can guarantee the average human - even if they seek God daily - would fail this challenge for weeks. We'd find our worries, work, and anxiety was more likely to be our first go-to thoughts. We go on autopilot, instead of paying attention to what God wants for us. Imagine if we walked through life actively paying attention to God and the rich world He created. I think we'd fall on our knees every day to praise Him. He is waiting for us to notice Him and His plans for us, so He can connect with us. We spend so much time in our own brains that we isolate ourselves, but when we focus on the present we see a world God created. It creates room for God to speak to us.

The Negative

After all the positive energy from that previous section, let's play devil's advocate. Its origin is thought to be Buddhist and Hindu, for starters, and the original intention of Buddist meditation is to reach enlightenment and reach Nirvana. The most common objections to this practice point to its eastern origin. They say it focuses only on you, promotes a "one with the cosmos" thought process, supports emptying the mind and leaving it open for demons to take over, and encourages escape from real life. 

The self-focus, when our Savior is left out of the picture, does make this point valid. In faith we "die to self and live in Christ", so thinking only about yourself is not the best way to grow your relationship with Christ, especially since a relationship implies you and Christ bound together. In other words, if you follow your own whims all your life you are not focused on Christ. Be careful if you are prone to distraction. Include Christ in your mindfulness.

So, back to Eastern origins. It is supposed to promote connecting with your own inner "divinity/god" if taken from its original eastern practice. It may blur the line between created and creator. Apparently, some who have practiced Buddist meditation detach from reality to a dark degree, experience more fear, and may lose their minds. Some people believe that Buddism is being force-fed to children in schools. (I'd wait a bit before believing that last sentence, at least until you find solid proof.) These same people also believe that it is mixing with pure Christian faith and is diluting our faith and that yoga is just as paganistic. 

Yoga, defined by our dictionary as a Hindu practice involving mediation and positions that help you remain healthy, is accepted by most as simply a health craze that has nothing to do with religion. In most yoga classes, it is an exercise class with no religious connotation at all. Maybe another day I'll tackle yoga and Christianity, but today I'll just touch on it. Yoga is even used in today's athletic stretches and dance stretches. You would be surprised how much of your pre-run routine stretching is actually yoga. I, personally, don't consider it a religious thing, mostly because the United States I live in has never considered it anything except a health class that makes you flexible. In the middle east, it is probably taught very, very differently, but here in Ohio, it is just a class you can take at the YMCA to get fit. Many Christians participate in yoga and see nothing wrong with it because we were taught it was exercise. Some of us didn't know it was yoga when we're doing high school athletics.

Escaping the real world without addressing it can be an issue here. Running from an issue is not a way to handle something. If you need to take a break and come back to it that is another matter, but to escape permanently is never good. Some say this practice doesn't solve a problem, just treats a symptom. A part of this practice finds its base in finding happiness, which is nice but doesn't solve the corruption in the world or the cause of your anxiety. Salvation is eternal, not earthly, so deliverance from mood swings and other mental problems is not salvation. Here we come back to focusing on self too much. Sometimes one is trying to find salvation without God, which is impossible. This same source claims that mindfulness reduces things down too far and has no moral framework for our emotions. With this, they also add that awareness-only focus means we don't change for the better. 

Too Many Definitions!

After all this research we see that one person sees the word "mindfulness" as paying attention to God's world and inviting Him into their daily life, and another sees it as a pagan practice being mixed into Christianity, and yet another sees it as a way to treat mental imbalance and disorders. Who's right? Maybe all of them, maybe a few of them, maybe none, and maybe we don't know. My basic point? Do your own research along with mine. Listen to what God says to you in your faith journey. Read and dig into God's Word and challenge your own faith depth by figuring out what you believe. There is no shame in getting wise counsel or struggling with a topic. Please use the brain God gave you and don't believe everything you read on the internet and hear on youtube. If the Holy Spirit is telling you something is wrong, listen. This topic is all over the board with opinions. It is totally confusing, but the search for truth is worth the research.

Pictures:

Getty Images

Facebook

Unsplash

Sources:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/mindfulness-a-christian-approach/

https://christiannewsjournal.com/the-dark-side-of-mindfulness/

http://mindspirit.com/the-present-moment-a-christian-approach-to-mindfulness/

https://www.thebanner.org/columns/2020/02/mindfulness-and-christian-faith

https://darrylburling.com/mindfulness-meditation-3-reasons-christians-need-to-abstain/

https://justdisciple.com/meditation-mindfulness/

Bigfoot

So, Bigfoot. Is he real? Today we find out what we do know about this mysterious seven-foot Chewbacca. 

If you thought this legend was only where you live, you were wrong. It is all over the place under all kinds of names. Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Witigo, Wendigo, Rugaru......etc. He apparently has magical powers or is a messenger of warning, according to various Native American tribes. 1800 and 1900 settlers would find huge footprints and there are even some grainy photos of our hairy friend. The real question is this; is there any proof? Whole organizations study Bigfoot's legend. 

Our modern concept of Bigfoot can be traced to a news story in the Humboldt Times in 1958. A report of large footprints was run in the paper just because it might be a fun story. To Andrew Genzoli's surprise, the article had traction that continues even today. Writers picked it up and included it in novels and fiction. You can thank Genzoli for all those Bigfoot documentaries you watched while in quarantine. Bigfoot has been portrayed as both a monster and a misunderstood creature. 

Proof?

We all know that the hazy photos of a creature that could be Bigfoot are out there in droves. Editing is also cheap these days. Film and photo can both be edited to look like proof of Sasquatch. The film that claims to be proof, shot in 1967, is the Patterson-Gimlin film. It shows a creature on hindlegs going across a clearing, looking at the camera, and continuing on into the woods. The people who shot the film claim all of that was real and not faked. The footage also looks terrible in quality.

Tribal history in the United States seems to support the idea that he - or even she - does exist. While some love the creature and others don't, they still documented or told oral histories including our Bigfoot creature. Unfortunately, he is a scapegoat for strange happenings. While this can be dismissed by some, newspaper sections devoted to stories and sightings of bear-men, monkey-men, and wild-men can't quite be discounted. 

Fun story, if you take potshots at "ape creatures" they will fight back, or so a group of prospectors in 1924 claimed. At first, they said it was an attack, then admitted that they had shot at this group. Stories like these were generally regarded as unreliable because witnesses were a little bit odd to begin with. Whiskey can generate many grand hallucinations, so no one really knows what happened for real. Also, you have to understand that "Bigfoot" was a term for large, angry grizzly bears that were attacking people and eating farm animals. 1958 was when the term became what we know it to be. 

Science

If he or she exists - a big if, but bear with me - it is thought to be in the hominoid family and to have crossed the bearing strait and evolved all by itself. Grover Krantz, a scientist often ridiculed for his belief in Bigfoot, decided that his colleagues would not believe him and he would lose credibility unless he produced a body. Krantz was known to walk through the woods with a shotgun. This did not help his career. Others, after his death, picked up his mantel and we now have whole groups doing research, but not finding conclusive proof that can make it credible. Scientists say a primate may be undiscovered, but they can't truly say "I have proof". 

What makes it even harder to find evidence is the technology that has faked sightings and the pranks that have been pulled. The countless hoaxes are making it hard to prove he does exist, should he actually live and breathe on earth. It's like trying to find a shark, while ten divers with fins for every one shark swim in the water. You lose credibility with every mistake you make, too, so it is a bit of a losing battle. The amateur Bigfoot-researching kids that run around in the woods are not making it easy to find proof, should there be any. 

Pictures:

News 5 Channel

Outside Magazine

Stadri Emblems

Sources:

 https://mil.wa.gov/the-legend-of-bigfoot

https://www.history.com/news/bigfoot-legend-newspaper

https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a23622082/bigfoot-history/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/

Queen Hatshepsut

 Queen Hatshepsut, a Pharoah almost erased from history by her stepson, was one of the most successful and prosperous leaders Egypt ever had. Most of us have heard of Cleopatra, but let's dive into the story of Hatshepsut. 

Before we go into what nearly destroyed her memory in Egyptian history, here is a brief introduction to her success and how she got into the position of Pharoah. Keep in mind, Pharaohs were "gods" and once you got the throne you couldn't be voted out. She was the 6th Pharoah of the 18th dynasty and ruled from 1479 to 1458 BC. Evidence of her reign as most successful woman Pharoah was found around 1927, when a pit of all her artifacts, most of them destroyed and broken, was found. She was the widowed queen of her half-brother Thutmose II, and when he died she was named regent ruler until her stepson (most likely a harem child) would be of age to rule. 
        

This is the point in the story where she gets a bad name from some scholars, while others say she was not a malicious woman. The story told previously to new evidence says she declared herself Pharoah, was sleeping with her chief minister Senenmut who helped her climb the ladder, and insisted on being portrayed as a man. While it is true she'd need a man to back her to get the throne, this highly fictitious story is not what a lot of scholars believe happened. Now that you heard the story of her ascent to leadership from the rumor mill we can move on to what evidence says. 

The Truth, As Much As We Can Prove 

Upon marrying Thutmose II, she got the position of god's wife of Amun, which gave her power. She could dictate policy, preside over festivals, and engage with (and this is just what Egyptians thought) Amun directly. This meant she had power and she just became more powerful. 

Thutmose III, her stepson, was most likely a harem child. A male heir to the throne was not found from the womb of Hatshepsut, who had one daughter, Neferure. She was not able to give a male heir to Thutmose II. Thutmose III was not old enough to take the throne. As Regent, Hatshepsut was a place-holder for her child until he could rule. Thutmose II died young and was known for being frail and ineffective. He was probably able to be controlled by his wife, historians say, but she was portrayed as a supportive wife in various images and artifacts found. The stepson was said to have destroyed the artifacts of his stepmother at the start of his reign after her death, but it was closer to the end of his reign that they were destroyed, according to the evidence found. 

Around the seventh year of her regency, the image of Hatshepsut went from helping the future Pharoah to her being the full-fledged Pharoah. Egyptologists don't think this was a woman showing her true ambition, but instead was a way to save the throne for her stepson because a competing branch of the family wanted the throne. They say it was a political crisis that propelled her into the role of Pharoah, not her vanity. I said before that kingship here means you can't just step down like a president. You were in for life. It is entirely possible she was teaching him how to rule and couldn't step down - once a Pharoah you resign when you are mummified and dead. She gave him control of the armies and co-ruled with him. I think that if she'd wanted to completely overshadow him she wouldn't have done that. 

Tomb of Hatshepsut

Posing as a man may have had the benefit of authority and may have happened at the advice of a male co-ruler, but she never claimed she was male if you look at the inscriptions of her statues. "His Majesty, Herself." As well as changing her appearance, she also took a new name, Maatkare, meaning "truth is the soul of the sun god". Maat is the expression for "order and justice as established by the gods". She was assuring her people she had a legitimate claim to be Pharoah. She claimed that her father Amun, in the form of Thutmose I, named her successor. She had her daughter marry Thutmose III because being his mother-in-law had quite a few benefits. By claiming she was Amun's daughter she was considered a demi-god, so she made herself look legitimate. She put up the temple at Deir El-Bahri and that is actually where they first found her name. She built things to a grand scale and only Ramses II can top her structures.

Senenmut got something out of this, too - a magnificent tomb in the valley of the kings, near Hatshepsut. He apparently never used it. They are not sure what happened, but it looks like a combination of tomb robbers, natural collapse, and religious upheaval. Hatshepsut made room for her father, and reburied him with her, in her tomb cut into the cliff. Other Pharaohs thought it was so beautiful they wanted to be buried near it and thus started the valley of the kings. Her tomb was empty when archaeologists found it. Her mummy was found in 2007 and is housed in Cairo, Egypt.

Deir El-Bahri

Why Destroy Her Memory?

One doesn't try to destroy evidence of a political ruler, let alone one considered a god, on accident. It was on purpose and we know that for sure. He was almost successful, too. Was it revenge or hatred, like other scholars assumed? Not if it happened so late in his reign. They think that he wanted to make it look like the throne went from his father to him, without Hatshepsut's reign in the record. She may have been "too successful" and it was to be erased so women wouldn't want Pharoahship later on. (If that was the reason, I'm glad he failed.) Hatshepsut may have anticipated this misunderstanding of her actions and being forgotten. She made two obelisks at Karnak, and one reads "Now my heart turns this way and that, as I think what the people will say—those who shall see my monuments in years to come, and who shall speak of what I have done." 

Something Egyptians believed was that one lived as long as one was remembered. The people did actually forget her for a time. They attributed her temple to others at some points in time. They liked their tradition modeled from Osiris and Isis, that women supported the men and not the other way around. 

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hatshepsut

https://www.ancient.eu/hatshepsut/

Images:

Reddit

Ancient Egypt Online

Viator

Car warnings for the mechanically challenged

 If you are anything like me you know next to nothing about what noises your car should and shouldn't be making, or what warning lights mean. While a picture is worth a thousand words, this post should clarify what the car warning lights actually mean. 

First of all, let's put them in priority order. The most important lights are at the top of the list. 

Oil pressure  - It looks like a genie's lamp dripping. Something is wrong with the car's oil pressure system. You are running low on oil or it isn't pumping correctly. This is not something to ignore. 

Engine Temperature - The image to picture is a thermometer with waves below it. Your engine overheated. You may need coolant. This is urgent and should be addressed immediately. 

Antilock Brake System - In case anyone thought a light with the letters ABS was Airbag Safety System (I did, so no shame at all if you have), it is not. If it comes on for a few seconds and disappears all is well. If it stays on you need to do something about it. Antilock brakes are more important than you may think, mostly because it keeps your car on the road surface. 

Traction control malfunction - This can also mean an ABS problem, but it is exactly what it says. It is a triangle with an exclamation mark inside it, all surrounded by an arrow going from right to left. The traction system is broken. Go get that fixed. 

engine - So, if you see this pull over at Autozone and have them check it for free. It is shaped like an engine, literally. Your gas cap may not be fully on, your oil could be low, or you could be overheating the engine. Definitely don't let this one go unchecked. 

battery - It looks like a car battery - a square with a plus and minus sign on it. It means your car battery is low, or a cable is damaged. Wait too long and you need jumper cables from a fellow driver to start up your car to get home. 

low fuel - If you see this indicator, that usually explains itself, you clearly need to go get gas. I thought about leaving this one out, but it is actually important to remember your car runs on fuel. Ignoring this light can leave you stranded at the side of the highway, on a dirt road, or anywhere at all. I tend to get gas at a half or quarter tank. Nancy Drew may forget to get gas, but you shouldn't. 

traction control light - The image of a swerving car is evidence the road is slippery or it is winter. If it is not winter and the road is not slippery, it is your tires that are the problem. 

engine start/ automatic shift - A shoe angled upward with a circle around it means you are trying to shift gears or start the car without a foot on the brake. 

seat belt reminder - This one is the law. Please wear a seatbelt while on the road. If this light is on and you do have it on, get your car checked out. 

airbag indicator - A person with a bubble in front of them is the airbag indicator, showing the airbag has something wrong. Go see a mechanic. 

washer fluid low - It is a windshield with a dotted line coming up the middle like water. It means you need to stop somewhere at some point for washer fluid. This one is not particularly urgent compared to the rest of these lights. 

Noises Your Car Shouldn't Be Making

Your car is making noises, right? Your audiobook is getting harder to hear? Well, let's think about that for a second. Let's talk about those noises your narrator is trying to drown out. 

Your car should not roar when speeding up. This can indicate exhaust system problems, including leakage. Short answer, take it to a mechanic for a check-up. 

Grinding under the hood is never good. Grinding metal anywhere is generally not good. Take stock of the situation with the following questions before going to get it fixed:
1. Are sounds after or before turning it on?  2. Are the brakes wonky or not working correctly?
3. Does how you turn make any difference? 

If it makes sounds when turning you are legitimately in danger and it may have to do with power steering. If it is a shifting gears situation, check transmission fluid, as well as getting it checked over. Scraping brakes are never, never, never normal, so go get brake pads replaced. Knocking noises in an engine is a clear sign to go to the shop, like immediately, since you might strand yourself. 

Rattling underneath needs some investigation. First, check the exhaust system (if so, the sound will be louder at red lights or stop signs). After that, the muffler is your next stop. 

Squealing in cars may be in the movies, but if you accelerate and it is squealing you should be worried. Your serpentine belt is loose or worn-out. Handle this sooner, not later.

Loud banging while driving. Yeah, not good. It is your catalytic converter or your engine is backfiring. Check for the latter first. Check your distributor cap to see if it is cracked. 

Hissing, much like the hiss of a poisonous snake, should be a major warning. Engine hoses are damaged. Go get it fixed if you have no idea how to fix this hose yourself. It will only get worse from here. 

Safe Travels!

I hope you enjoyed the overview of what your car should and shouldn't be doing. With all of us mechanically-challenged humans out there driving I felt we should all have a crash course on it. Some of us (cough, cough - me - cough, cough) generally don't know when to stop drowning our car sounds in audiobooks and radio, so I learned with the rest of you today. Be safe drivers out there and look out for the less safe drivers while shopping! Black Friday is crazy enough. 

Pictures:

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Sources:

https://www.gregs.com/10-noises-car-shouldnt-making/

https://vatire.com/car-maintenance-tips/what-all-the-symbols-on-your-dashboard-mean/

Fallen Women - a brief history

Pregnant and single? Today's society may not be as harsh on you as it was before. If you thought single parenting was hard, let's look at how things could be worse.

A "fallen woman" was, put in simplest terms, one that had sex outside of marriage and didn't fit into domestic society. It is an archaic term that we no longer use - and for good reason. Whether it was rape, consensual sex, prostitution, or being sold for sex, it didn't matter if they were pregnant outside of marriage. What you have to understand is that women were seen as falling away from God if they were being referred to as fallen women. "Fallen men" is a term that has never existed because only women were held to sexual purity. Women, especially in Victorian era, were held to a maidenly status until marriage, then were held to a standard of being a home-body.

The status of women is important here. Way back before women were allowed into the workforce like they are today you could not feed your family yourself. Men worked and women were in the domestic sphere, otherwise known as the home. Women did not leave the home. If you got pregnant unmarried it was assumed you were doing wrong before that, so you probably aren't getting support from anyone if it is the 18-1900s. The only support you could get was a man "saving your honor" by marrying you, even if that man was the one whom you were sold to, raped you, or you simply hate the guy's guts. Women were trapped if they were unwed and pregnant. With this clarified, let's see what happened to these women. 

Ireland - Magdalene Laundries

Catholics have been deemed the bad guys in this situation, but I am not saying all Catholics were guilty of mistreating others. I don't want to say that all Catholics are evil, nor am I going to say that the Catholic church has been perfect. If you are Catholic, I want it to be clear that I am only reporting recorded history. Protestant churches also supported some of these institutions, at first. 

In Ireland, Magdalene laundries were run by convents and nuns, worked by women who volunteered themselves and women who were sent by their families. Some of them had nowhere else to go. Some had disabilities, as well, so you can imagine that the world had little promise for them around the years 1837- 1900s. Believe it or not, they ran until 1992. Some chose to stay. 

They found a mass grave at the Donnybrook Laundry, a mass grave of women (According to History Channel, not a rumor). The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam was where 796 babies were found dead in a septic tank. It didn't start out this way. It was meant to rehabilitate the women who had "fallen" from society's approval. While I don't recommend getting pregnant single, and I don't think it was how it was supposed to work, what happened in Magdalene laundries was wrong. The raped women, having no choice in the matter, were especially wronged. 

The fallen women were supposed to redeem themselves through work, including lacemaking, needlework, and laundry. It was reported that it was prison-like as time went on. Some were sent here to hide pregnancies from the eyes and ears of the neighbors. Some came voluntarily and learned "respectable" occupations. It started with good intentions. Inmates were routed into the institutions, along with women with disabilities, victims of rape, women deemed tempting and flirtatious, and pregnant teens. Irish government funneled money into it. Most Asylums can tell a similar tale.

Prison-like is defined as forced silence, beatings, forced hair cuts, overwork, and bad living conditions. They were stripped of their names, in some cases, as well. Women escaped, were brought back, or spent their lives here. It was reported that women were mistreated, some even starving. Pregnant women transferred to homes where they temporarily lived with their babies and worked in similar conditions. Babies were handed over to other families. Religion left this unchallenged and women were shamed for their abuse. 1996 was when the newspapers found the mass grave, after property was sold and searched, and shut the place down. 

Victorian Britain

Victorian times wanted to control deviance. There was a penitentiary for reforming prostitutes in Britain. It was entered voluntarily, not for punishment of crimes, and the place was run by Anglican nuns. Anglican nuns embraced celibacy and rejected the marry-and-reproduce life that women were encouraged into. 1806 in London was the first one to open. Only women were to reform these ladies, it was determined, because only women could influence them for the better. Religious women were perfect because religion was deemed a requirement for reform. The nuns thought chastity and faith was the answer. 

In this case, the church did well. They didn't dismiss these women as worthless, but instead did their best to destroy the division between virtuous women and prostitutes. They used the gospel to do so. The women were sometimes alcoholics that fought with knives and fists when slightly provoked. Women who had sex with no intention of marriage, mentally unstable women, abandoned women, thieves, rape and incest victims, and bigamists came here. They did not return women to their homes because one of the reasons for homelessness in women was incest. They did not deny anyone entry, in most cases, and the younger the woman the more she could be reformed. They only denied entry for lack of room. Generally, they stayed two years, but they went on a case-by-case basis. Alcoholics sometimes never left and no one was forced to leave. Servants with bad experiences were often found here. Upon leaving they were given a complete outfit, references, and help in finding a position. 

Not all women were sincere in reform, I'll note, and used them for a place to rest until they decided to return to their profession. Some would sneak out, walk out despite the appeals of the sisters, and even steal. The place was not a prison. Not one was kept against their will. 

They were taught and worked in a variety of ways, so that they wouldn't get tired of their work.  At least one institution was giving spending money for sewing recreation. The women were taught manners, as well as cleanness. They often became servants, nurses, and teachers until marriage. The sisters taught them to act like sisters, both in discipline and recreation. They, unlike Ireland Magdalene Laundries, didn't abuse them. They loved the women like they were their children. Religion was not forced down their throats. The sisters did not see themselves as above the women. Former prostitutes could be allowed to be nuns. Ironically, both Anglican nuns and prostitutes were social deviants. After world war I the institutions became mother and baby homes, run with the same love until the 1960s. 

The Foundling Hospital

The Foundling Hospital is now a children's charity Coram. Women submitted forms to the governors of the hospital, told their stories, and were allowed to give their children to the Foundling Hospital. It was on the same site as the Foundling Museum is now. They had to convince those reading their stories of their repentance and that they could return to respectable society. Not all were accepted. The women took a chance of rejection. Most would be disgraced if they did not hide and conceal their pregnancy and their "fall". Eventually, petitions were used for entry, as the admission process changed.

In lots of cases, the family and friends of the "fallen" woman would reject her and leave her all alone. This caused thoughts of suicide and suicide in some. With no support, it was almost impossible to return to a respectable life with a child in your arms, a child that was born out of wedlock and proof of your "sin"(even if you did not willingly have sex). This hospital would take in the children, given they were accepted and the women could return to living an appropriate life and sex wasn't consensual, making it possible to not be shunned and not be abandoned by family and friends. Giving your child to a hospital was a way out and a way to regain a good reputation. The child was often the "proof" of a fallen woman, so to keep their child from suffering they gave them up. Children were, periodically, found abandoned for this same reason. 

Closing Thoughts

Fallen women, as illustrated by the above institutions, had few places to go other than the streets. No support, in some cases, from family was a major problem. While I'm sure that some families didn't abandon their daughters, those with reputations and money probably did, at least until they could get rid of the proof of sexual deviance. Even then I am sure the women suffered emotionally in the home. I can't imagine the pain and trouble these women faced. While some did voluntarily come into this state, I'd say the majority did not. My sources are truly fascinating, so feel free to click them and explore further. The Irish laundries and convent experiences truly broke my heart.

Pictures: 

Foundling Museum 
Day Out Guide

The New York Times

Medium

Sources:
 https://www.history.com/news/magdalene-laundry-ireland-asylum-abuse
https://oro.open.ac.uk/82/1/NOT_WORSE_THAN_OTHER_GIRLS.pdf
https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/The-Fallen-Woman-exhibition-guide.pdf
https://journals.openedition.org/miranda/8130
http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/fallen2.html

Is Jurassic Park Possible?

 We all know how Jurassic Park ends. Death, blood, dinosaurs loose in the world where they shouldn't be.....etc. But is it possible to do it? Can you actually, with genetics, bring back an extinct species? 

Jurassic Park and Jurassic World books and movies claim that mosquitos that drank the blood of animals got stuck on tree sap and that is where they get their DNA. They also claim they filled in DNA gaps with frog and other animals' DNA. Now that we know the claims, let's see if cinema and literature told the scientific truth.

DNA in blood

Starting at the beginning, let's see what science says about DNA and blood. For starters, Amber doesn't preserve soft tissue, and therefore they have no blood to harvest for DNA. Aside from that fact, there are bugs with blood in them that were found, just never in amber. Surprisingly, it's not all that ridiculous that blood residue would be found from the time of dinosaurs in a mosquito. Neanderthal and Mammoth DNA are the only types to be isolated, actually, and only one of which is a dinosaur.

Does that mean there is DNA in it? Sadly, that is never a guarantee. Soft tissue does not equal DNA. DNA breaks down rapidly, especially when water and sunlight are involved. The oldest DNA found is one million years old. We need 66 times older to get to dinosaur times. I don't think John Hammond has enough DNA to even create even one dinosaur, if we follow the scientific evidence.

Filling in DNA Gaps

Okay, we are going to ignore the previous section just to see if, given enough DNA, we could fill in short gaps with frog or other animal DNA. Assume it is possible to gather enough DNA for a dinosaur from here to the end of this section. 

Problem one, how do you know where the holes are? Without the full genome you can't find where the holes are, which puts serious holes in the plot of Jurassic Park. Assuming you found a whole genome, we go on myth-busting. We have to acknowledge that frogs are not what you would use, but instead birds because frogs are amphibians, with the noted exception of crocodiles due to common ancestry. In case you didn't know, a chicken is the closest we have to a dinosaur and birds are dinosaurs - surprise! You collect eggs from a dinosaur and made your omelet with a dinosaur egg today. 

Cloning and reverse-engineering

Cloning is off the table for dinosaurs, even if we managed to create one. Why? Because DNA is sensitive stuff and old DNA can't handle it. It is, oddly enough, possible to reverse-engineer one. Going back to the chicken point, reverse engineering from the starting point of your backyard egg-layers is strangely more possible. This involves trying to undo years of evolution. Even if you succeed, it is not a true dinosaur at all, simply because it was reverse-engineered. They are actually trying to do this for the wooly mammoth, starting from an Asian elephant. 

Ethics 

The character Ian Malcolm said that scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they never thought about whether they should. Let's break down the ethics of attempting anything close to Jurassic Park. Anyone watching the movies is likely saying "duh! The carnivores will eat us when they get out!", but you have to consider that not all dinosaurs were carnivores.

First of all, growing teeth back in a bird is terrifying. Do you want to live with whether you should question if that goose, swan, or pigeon has teeth? I don't. In fact, let me introduce you to a "Murder-Swan", a real prehistoric dinosaur that has raptor feet, and it looks like a swan. 

By the way, Murder-Swan has teeth. Isn't that fun (sarcasm)? While I can get behind bringing back a passenger pigeon or condor, I can't advocate for a raptor that can navigate land and sea. Can you? 

Putting the subject of Murder-Swans aside, I do think that the wooly mammoth would be totally okay to bring back. The only problem with bringing certain dinosaurs back is the world around us. Birds? They have a sky to fly into and trees to land on, but land animals - in a modern world, at that - would be hard to find a place for. We also need to care for them, if given a sanctuary. Our world is not the place for these creatures if we look into what would actually be required to let them back into it. While it would be fun to ride a mammoth at the zoo, it is unlikely to be helpful to their species at this point in time. Rewatch Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom for more evidence of this. This is partially why scientists are hesitant to attempt anything close to Jurassic Park. They seem divided on de-extinction. 

If you have not watched Fallen Kingdom Stop Reading Now! Spoilers below! 

Fallen Kingdom Bonus Round

Here's the bonus round of today's blog - can you recreate a human with their DNA? Maisie, a character that was cloned, is shown in the second Jurassic World movie. Is it humanly possible to clone someone? Scarily, yes, and it is illegal. Monkeys and sheep have successfully been cloned. Science says it would not be the same person, even as a copy. While some studies suggest cloning may help clone cells and have various other medical uses, a whole person is not going to go well. There are ethical issues involved with editing DNA, which is probably why Hammond had fallen out with his former partner long before the original park opened. Copying your dead child and calling them your grandchild is generally not healthy, and Hammond was rightfully not okay with it.

Sources:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/could-scientists-bring-dinosaurs-back.html#:~:text=This%20means%20that%20Jurassic%20Park,weren't%20found%20in%20amber. https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16752344/dinosaurs-fossils-murder-swan-halszkaraptor-escuilliei-velociraptor-paleontology https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jurassic-world-can-we-really-resurrect-a-dinosaur/ https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/science-behind-the-fiction-are-we-any-closer-to-jurassic-park-actually-being-possible https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/clonings-long-legacy-and-why-itll-never-be-used-on-humans

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