https://www.youtube.com/embed/o_-NRMYO1Ak?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent Zapotec chef Abigail Mendoza Ruiz has become well-known for her indigenous Oaxacan cuisine made using ancient techniques from recipes passed down through the generations. Mexico’s Zapotecs are an indigenous community living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Before Spanish colonisation, Zapotecan civilisation was a thriving epicentre of food, culture and tradition. At Abigail Mendoza Ruiz’s Oaxaca-based restaurant, …
Great National Geographic Story about the Spiritual Importance of Jaguars — The Jaguar
Almost a year ago, I bookmarked what was then a new National Geographic story about jaguars. I have finally gotten around to reading it, and I am glad I did. The article is titled “Inside the Hidden World of Jaguars:” written by Chip brown and featuring Steve Winter‘s incredible photography. The main thrust of the […] …
The Story We Don’t Talk About: On Irishness, Immigration, and Race
By Maeve Higgins In January of 2014, a girl who had left from Cobh in Ireland (formerly known as Queenstown) journeyed across the Atlantic, and skipped rosy-cheeked off an airplane at John F. Kennedy Airport to start her new life. That was me, compensating for my indoor ghost face with too much blush in a …
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A Beast for the Ages — Discover
Why do we love (and fear, and kill) polar bears with so much intensity? At Longreads, Michael Engelhard, a wilderness guide and anthropologist, looks into the Arctic predator’s grip on our imagination. via A Beast for the Ages — Discover
Law & Order SVU: Still the best!
As a culture writer I’m supposed to turn you on to some cool Euro detective drama on Netflix. Sure, I’ve watched them, and I have to say, not only are they mostly humdrum or clever without being smart, they’re not as interesting as what’s happening on Law & Order: SVU every week. Storylines that are… via …
500 Years Ago, One Man Changed the World – Forever!
Five hundred years ago, on Oct. 31, 1517, the small-town monk Martin Luther marched up to the castle church in Wittenberg and nailed his 95 Theses to the door, thus lighting the flame of the Reformation — the split between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Luther’s act is taught as one of the cornerstones of… via …
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The end of magic & marvel
It breaks my spirit and my heart to know that the circus, with its colour, grand animal acts, and death-defying feats is shutting down. It seems that every corner of society is under attack by those whose agendas are underlined by a false sense of altruism. A minority of individuals, who have gone to great …
Culture Wars & Appropriation
I understand the power imbalance of different groups, I get it, but I also support and encourage creativity, imagination and the power of storytelling. These traits belong to all humans, and I am of the opinion that we have evolved as a species through the borrowing, bartering and yes, the bastardization of cultural and social …
The Northern Herper 