When people hear Creole and Cajun, they typically think they are the same thing. In today’s common understanding, Cajun are white while Creoles are black or of mixed race. Even though Creoles and Cajuns are portrayed as different identities from each other, Cajuns are descendants from Creole culture and identity.The terms Creole and Cajun are…
Since Xi Jinping took power as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2013, he has aggressively pursued policies that have disenfranchised, endangered, and wrongfully imprisoned millions. The Turkic Muslims, including Uyghurs, Khazars, and Kyrgrz in the Xinjiang region have been targeted specifically for their religion and ethnicity. The Uyghurs present an unacceptable deviance…
The total fusion of technology and the human race might no longer be a question of whether we will fuse with technology, but rather when will we totally fuse with technology. The vast majority of the world can already be considered a product of this, considering how many people have smart phones and use them…
There are four different kinds of synthesizers and they each have their own unique sounds and qualities. Analog, Digital, Moog, and Modular. Analog These were the earliest synthesizers created in the pre-1970’s. These machines used specially designed circuits that operated with electronic components to generate and modify sound. The sound comes from fluctuating electrical voltages…
AI integration is an idea that has been explored for many years in our media. What if it wasn’t just an imaginary sci-fi concept anymore? With each passing day our connection to technology grows a little bit stronger and more convenient for us to use. A large percentage of the population already has some kind of…
Hybrid mythical creatures we have heard about today date back to ancient times, all over the world. Some of the most well-known hail from places such as Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. We have heard their names in fictional stories, such as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. One popular creature is the centaur. It is half-human,…
The Mexico of today displays a colorful and potent Catholic face. However, there is more to the country’s current religious identity than what the Spaniards brought with them in 1519. Throughout Latin America, religion tended to structure every single part of life, dictating festivities, sacrifice, architecture, ritual, medical practice, consumption of food, familial relations, language,…
Santa Muerte is the saint with the grinning skull face. Her origins are foggy as are many of the origins of many Mexican folk beliefs. These practices are rooted in indigenous folklore, cultural assimilation, and forced conversion. Santa Muerte is seen as a female visage of death; a strong feminine energy, but also as a…
What is one of the most beautiful creatures on Earth, both incredibly colorful, and able to perceive five times the range of colors as humans? Yet, if this creature were just the size of a deer, it would cause massive earthquakes and destruction? Fortunately, this creature rules the shallow sea, and can be respected and…
The psychedelic drug DMT can produce vivid hallucinations and create radical shifts in consciousness. The experience is quite disorienting for some, like a bungee jump into a completely new world. In many cases, it is referred to as a substance that helps facilitate divine or spiritual experiences. Ayahuasca brews contain this substance (significantly diluted). What’s…
If my mother and I share winter pomegranates, Kevin and I peel summer tangerines. It’s the same act of revealing the consumable fruit beyond the surface, but summer tangerines don’t require sharing. It’s a smaller fruit, something people can consume entirely without much difficulty. It’s simple in the way you can peel it and eat…
Guadalupe Maravilla’s paintings and sculptures might initially look like a random assortment of loosely associated objects, like anatomical models, animal figurines, indigenous symbols, and modern technologies. However, understanding the purpose behind his art reveals that these combined elements are part of a new and contemporary ritual within curanderismo, the Pre-Columbian system of knowledge. Disease Thrower…