Nothin' but Nihil

Veiled threats are more common in our daily lives that people think they are. As Steven Pinker stated, the obvious example of a veiled threat would be the gangster noting what a great store someone has, subtly threatening that person to do as they say or else the store gets it. However, these threats don't have to be so ominous all the time. Sometimes, they can be humorous, like this meme down below.  Ok, so maybe our definition of humorous varies. However, when reading Pinker's piece, I was immediately reminded of this old Stafford meme from years back. I mean, you can't deny that it's a threat. The other team must be literally shaking in their boots the moment they see Frat Stafford 😬. But on a more serious note, I was also reminded of the situation right now in Ukraine. Ever since last year, Putin has been constantly moving troops to the border of Ukraine, citing them as "peacekeeping troops." In reality, they stand there as nothing more than a threat to U

For many years, I had known that the United States had tested their atomic bombs on our nation's mainland. For example, I knew that the first atomic bomb to be detonated was done so in Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945. In our history books, we had been taught that all testing was done in desolate areas in which no one was living in. Until I read Terry Tempest William's piece The Clan of One-Breasted Women , I assumed that the government was telling the truth. The chilling descriptions of women becoming bald "as cytoxan, cisplatin, and adriamycin we injected into their veins," along with the "green-black" bile that they vomited got me thinking about another ecological disaster happening in our right now: coal-mining. Appalachia has always existed in a tough spot. Sandwiched in between the Midwest and the Far East, they remain one of the most isolated and impoverished communities in America. Many of the people living in Appalachia, especially those in s

During our class discussions about gender, we have learned a lot about traditional gender roles that have existed throughout history. Although it is now commonly accepted in this country that both men and women are equally fit to do the same tasks, it wasn't always that way. Until the 1950s, it was very uncommon for women to be in the workforce. The cultural norms at that time were for the women to stay home and take care of the children, while the men would go to work and support the family. This got me thinking about the gender roles in different cultures throughout history. I knew that most cultures throughout history were at least initially patriarchal, going back to even the hunter-gatherer days, but I was wondering if there was a culture that at least almost treated both men and women equally.  One culture that interested me was Sparta, a city-state in Ancient Greece. They were militarists, as they placed additional emphasis on strength and power. Even though there were still