During one visit, Ruth noticed the nurses would draw straws, afraid to go into one room, its door sealed by a big red bag. She asked why and the nurses told her the patient had AIDS.

On a repeat visit, and seeing the big red bag on the door, Ruth decided to disregard the warnings and sneaked into the room.

In the bed was a skeletal young man, who told Ruth he wanted to see his mother before he died. She left the room and told the nurses, who said, "Honey, his mother’s not coming. He’s been here six weeks. Nobody’s coming!”

Ruth called his mother anyway, who refused to come visit her son, who she described as a "sinner" and already dead to her, and that she wouldn't even claim his body when he died.

“I went back in his room and when I walked in, he said, "Oh, momma. I knew you’d come", and then he lifted his hand. And what was I going to do? So I took his hand. I said, "I’m here, honey. I’m here”, Ruth later recounted.

Ruth pulled a chair to his bedside, talked to him

and held his hand until he died 13 hours later.

After finally finding a funeral home that would his body, and paying for the cremation out of her own savings, Ruth buried his ashes on her family's large plot.

After this first encounter, Ruth cared for other patients. She would take them to appointments, obtain medications, apply for assistance, and even kept supplies of AIDS medications on hand, as some pharmacies would not carry them.

Ruth’s work soon became well known in the city and she received financial assistance from gay bars, "They would twirl up a drag show on Saturday night and here'd come the money. That's how we'd buy medicine, that's how we'd pay rent. If it hadn't been for the drag queens, I don't know what we would have done", Ruth said.

Over the next 30 years, Ruth cared for over 1,000 people and buried more than 40 on her family's plot most of whom were gay men whose families would not claim their ashes.

1. Always start with intent. What is the goal of the enchantment? Beauty? Fear? Love? Once decided, gather your ingredients. Remember that they can be physical, such as dried herbs or crystals, or it can be your own energy.

2. Select an object to enchant. I find that jewelry works very well with enchantments, but almost any object will do. Personally, I believe that the material of the object you are enchanting will affect how long the spell lasts (I’ve found that metal holds it the longest).

3. Pick a time to do the spell. Depending on your beliefs, the time of day, lunar cycle, or day of week may strengthen or weaken the effects of your enchantment.

4. Place the object amid your spell components. So, if using physical components, place it in a glass bowl (or the floor, a hole in the ground, etc.) with your ingredients. If using energy, place it in your hands, or alternatively, hold your hands over the object (note: or another body part. It doesn’t have to be hands. I have done enchantments that are completed with a kiss, or require stomping. Again, it all depends on the intent).

In March 2007, Spain introduced a national policy granting most new fathers two weeks of fully paid paternity leave. The policy proved exceptionally popular, with 55% of men eligible in the first year opting to take the paid time. The amount of leave covered by the program was doubled in 2017 and expanded to five weeks in 2018, with additional increases expected between now and 2021.

Economists studying the effects of the original 2007 policy examined what happened to families that had children just before and just after the program began, and found differences in the outcomes. While the early cohort of men who were eligible for paternity leave were just as likely to stay in the workforce as the men who weren’t eligible, they remained more engaged with childcare after their return to work, and their partners were more likely to stay in the workforce as well. In that sense, the program seems to have done what policy makers would have hoped.

Unexpectedly, though, the researchers also found that families who were eligible for the paternity leave were less likely to have kids in the future. In a study published in the Journal of Public Economics(paywall), economists Lídia Farré of the University of Barcelona and Libertad González of University of Pompeu Fabra estimate that two years on, parents who had been eligible for the newly introduced program were 7% to 15% less likely to have another kid than parents who just missed the eligibility cutoff. While the difference dissipated further into the future, even after six years, parents who had been eligible for the leave were still less likely to have a child again.

The researchers suggest an intriguing reason why.

After paternity leave was instituted, surveys of Spanish men ages 21 to 40 showed they desired fewer children than before. Farré and González think that spending more time with their children—or the prospect of having to do so—may have made men more acutely aware of the effort and costs associated with childrearing, and, as the researchers put it, “shifted their preferences from child quantity to quality.”

first of all there are black roma people

i am not one of them but they exist just as there are black people part of every culture we are the indigenous people of the world

that doesnt mean ALL of us have claim to EVERYTHING an im seeing more of us(non romani black ppl) using the G slur (g*psy)

its not a term for spiritual people it doesnt mean free spirited it doesnt mean divine its a slur a violent digusting ignorant slur non-roma esp yt ppl use to erase and dehumanize people

if ur not roma stop using it

i get that this info is erased p enthusiastically in witchy circles and i dont hear this spoken about in rootwork circles hardly at all

and it only became a visible problem to me recently now that there’s a (needed) influx of black spirituality/ATRs

we’re not caucuses we don’t need to enact their violence to be great

also related is the push for smudging and using palo santo

smudging isnt just burning a bundle of herbs with ur window open and honestly idk what it actually entails because i’m not native american

palo santo is harvested without killing or falling trees, theres a method and cultural importance to it that i know little about past its not for me and the trees are disappearing because its the new wave and i see many witches of color and black witches no longer discussing cultural ways to cleanse or do work because once something is popularized it is abused we’re hurting our planet our people and ourselves

Human: … Spin?

Historical Indigenous Women & Figures [2]:

16.   Rainy day cuddles

You got it!

“If I didn’t know better, I would think one of my family members had something to do with this.” Lucifer stares out the back window to the sheets of rain pouring down. The penthouse balcony has the glass doors open, letting in chilly air and the sound of raindrops hitting glass and metal. She shivers, just a little.

“I’m just glad we have the day off,” Chloe replied, coming to stand next to him. “I wouldn’t want to be at a crime scene in this weather.” She noses in under his arm and he obligingly lifts it so she can press against his warm side. 

“Cold, darling?” he asks. 

“Not anymore,” she answers, threading her arms around his waist. 

“I can close the windows,” he starts and she shakes her head, her face against his ribs. His heart pounds, slow and steady under her ear.

“I like the noise,” she answers. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“As do I.” 

She knows it doesn’t rain in Hell, or at least, not like this. Only ash and soot. 

The low warmth of his body isn’t enough to keep goosebumps from breaking out along her skin. He notices, running large palms up and down her limbs in an effort to rub some heat into her.

“How about a blanket, then?”

“In a minute,” she says, staying his mothering tendencies. “I just want to hold you for a bit.”

“We can do that much more comfortably on the couch. With a blanket,” he adds pointedly. 

She sighs. “All right, then.” 

He intertwines their fingers and she lets him lead her away from the windows. He fetches her a blanket and a fire flickers to life in the fireplace. She narrows her eyes at him but he doesn’t say anything about it as he positions the plush throw around her, tucking it under her feet. She makes impatient grabby hands at him and he slips underneath it beside her. It takes a moment of maneuvering, a slight pained noise when he catches an elbow, but they get settled, Chloe across his chest, their legs tangled. 

He twines a lock of her hair around his finger, twisting it and then pulling through, only to repeat the process. She wiggles a little to get a better spot for her neck and closes her eyes. The gentle tugging sensation along her scalp as he plays slowly lulls her into a state as close to sleep as you can get without actually slipping into it. 

She shifts her leg over his hip and he lets out a slow, content sigh. “Love you,” she murmurs, words muffled by how her cheek smushes against his chest.

16.   Rainy day cuddles

You got it!

“If I didn’t know better, I would think one of my family members had something to do with this.” Lucifer stares out the back window to the sheets of rain pouring down. The penthouse balcony has the glass doors open, letting in chilly air and the sound of raindrops hitting glass and metal. She shivers, just a little.

“I’m just glad we have the day off,” Chloe replied, coming to stand next to him. “I wouldn’t want to be at a crime scene in this weather.” She noses in under his arm and he obligingly lifts it so she can press against his warm side. 

“Cold, darling?” he asks. 

“Not anymore,” she answers, threading her arms around his waist. 

“I can close the windows,” he starts and she shakes her head, her face against his ribs. His heart pounds, slow and steady under her ear.

“I like the noise,” she answers. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“As do I.” 

She knows it doesn’t rain in Hell, or at least, not like this. Only ash and soot. 

The low warmth of his body isn’t enough to keep goosebumps from breaking out along her skin. He notices, running large palms up and down her limbs in an effort to rub some heat into her.

“How about a blanket, then?”

“In a minute,” she says, staying his mothering tendencies. “I just want to hold you for a bit.”

“We can do that much more comfortably on the couch. With a blanket,” he adds pointedly. 

She sighs. “All right, then.” 

He intertwines their fingers and she lets him lead her away from the windows. He fetches her a blanket and a fire flickers to life in the fireplace. She narrows her eyes at him but he doesn’t say anything about it as he positions the plush throw around her, tucking it under her feet. She makes impatient grabby hands at him and he slips underneath it beside her. It takes a moment of maneuvering, a slight pained noise when he catches an elbow, but they get settled, Chloe across his chest, their legs tangled. 

He twines a lock of her hair around his finger, twisting it and then pulling through, only to repeat the process. She wiggles a little to get a better spot for her neck and closes her eyes. The gentle tugging sensation along her scalp as he plays slowly lulls her into a state as close to sleep as you can get without actually slipping into it. 

She shifts her leg over his hip and he lets out a slow, content sigh. “Love you,” she murmurs, words muffled by how her cheek smushes against his chest.

Historical Indigenous Women & Figures:

Historical Indigenous Women & Figures [3]:

Atotoztli ii: also known as “Huitzilxochtzin”, was a daughter of Emperor Moctezuma i, and wife of Emperor Tezozomoc. Sources say she ruled as regent, and may have ruled the Triple Alliance herself for as long as 30 years Muriwai: Whakatōhea can trace their history back to her, who famously said “make me stand as a man” as she took the helm to pull the Mātaatua back to safety when were no men available to do so Kenojuak Ashevak: Renowned Inuit artist, whose multiple artworks have been featured in numerous coins & stamps, as well as many art galleries and museums. She became the first Inuit to be inducted on Canada’s walk of fame, and was appointed as a Companion of the order of Canada Pretty Nose: Arapaho war Chief who participated in the Battle of Little Big Horn Zitkála-Šá: Yankton Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and political activist. Her books brought Native American literature to mainstream culture, and she was the co-founder of the National Council of American Indians in 1926, and is noted as one of the most influencial people of the 20th Century Gatûñ'lätï: Cherokee war hero who lived during the American Revolutionary war, and upon her husband’s death, she grabbed his tomahawk, screaming “kill! kill!” and encouraged the retreating Cherokee forces to rally, gaining their victory Thanadelthur: A trilingual Guide and Interpretor for the Hudson’s Bay company, she was able to broker peace between Crees and Chipewyan peoples Red Wing: Silent Era Winnebago Actress who starred in multiple films, she and her actor/director husband James Youngdeer were dubbed as a Native American Hollywood power couple

Part 1, part 2. 

First there’s weird reactions to smut:

Sometimes I like to keep the author updated on how I’m doing while I’m reading the fic:

Other times I make astute observations:

Then there’s whatever the fuck this is:

The place I worked at framed it as “relief efforts”, but really it was just an even crappier thrift store where they would sell the t-shirts that weren’t good enough to be in store to people overseas for even cheaper… and then at that point it messes with local economies because why would you pay for a handmade dress from a local seamstress for ten dollars when you can buy one from Value Village for one dollar?