Five Lessons We Learned in the Month of August
Kobina Wright
August 30, 2008
For many, August has been a whirlwind of a month
itīs own journey within a summer journey all by itīs little olī holiday-less self. Of course I didnīt count, Discovery Day; Picnic Day, or Liberation Day. Every month, without us even realizing it, we learn so many new, important and not so important things, and in honor of our informal, mental and spiritual education, this post is dedicated to reviewing 5 things we learned in August.
1. We learned that Isaac Hayes had 12 children.
We already miss brother Hayes as he passed away earlier this month. We've known his music and the younger generation is familiar with his South Park character, "chef." But what many of us didn't know was that all of those love songs were from experience. Hayes had 14 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, three ex-wives and a 2-year-old son with his fourth wife.
2. We learned what sarcoidosis is.
The day before Isaac Hayes' passing, comedian and actor Bernie Mac passed away as well. For many of us, this was the first time we heard of him being in sarcoidosis remission. Sarcoidosis is a disease characterized by the development and growth of tiny clumps of inflammatory cells in different areas of the body. Sarcoidosis can affect virtually any organ, but most commonly it affects the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin.
3. We learned that there are rat receipes floating around Bihar, India.
State offical, Vijay Prakash, states that he has recipes to make rat eating a delicacy and wants to distribute these to all the hotels in Bihar. The official would also like to encourage rat farming, just as poultry is farmed to help erase the stigma of rat eating and to help alleviate starvation.
4. We learned that Venezuelans don't trust their government.
But who really does?
5. We learned that one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military.
These are very scary statistics, and it paints a rather ugly picture of a lot of our military men. It's something I think we would prefer not to think about. Or even something we prefer to deny ever exists, just from the sheer injustice of it all, especially after seeing the overwhelming evidence that our government covers up the death statistics of women that follows several of these sexual assaults.
Oh we've learned so much more than these five. This is just a few quick things that have been on my mind this month. I've learned plenty of personal lessons as well, but these issues are not for blogging.
I feel like Mr. Rogers when I think about all the things we'll discuss in September..."I'll be back, when the day is new. And I'll have more ideas...for you... and you'll have things you'll want to talk about. I ...will...to.
www.dramaticpause.net
1. We learned that Isaac Hayes had 12 children.
We already miss brother Hayes as he passed away earlier this month. We've known his music and the younger generation is familiar with his South Park character, "chef." But what many of us didn't know was that all of those love songs were from experience. Hayes had 14 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, three ex-wives and a 2-year-old son with his fourth wife.
2. We learned what sarcoidosis is.
The day before Isaac Hayes' passing, comedian and actor Bernie Mac passed away as well. For many of us, this was the first time we heard of him being in sarcoidosis remission. Sarcoidosis is a disease characterized by the development and growth of tiny clumps of inflammatory cells in different areas of the body. Sarcoidosis can affect virtually any organ, but most commonly it affects the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin.
3. We learned that there are rat receipes floating around Bihar, India.
State offical, Vijay Prakash, states that he has recipes to make rat eating a delicacy and wants to distribute these to all the hotels in Bihar. The official would also like to encourage rat farming, just as poultry is farmed to help erase the stigma of rat eating and to help alleviate starvation.
4. We learned that Venezuelans don't trust their government.
But who really does?
5. We learned that one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military.
These are very scary statistics, and it paints a rather ugly picture of a lot of our military men. It's something I think we would prefer not to think about. Or even something we prefer to deny ever exists, just from the sheer injustice of it all, especially after seeing the overwhelming evidence that our government covers up the death statistics of women that follows several of these sexual assaults.
Oh we've learned so much more than these five. This is just a few quick things that have been on my mind this month. I've learned plenty of personal lessons as well, but these issues are not for blogging.
I feel like Mr. Rogers when I think about all the things we'll discuss in September..."I'll be back, when the day is new. And I'll have more ideas...for you... and you'll have things you'll want to talk about. I ...will...to.
www.dramaticpause.net
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