Lowrider Librarian

Its always raining in Portland Chapter One Juan thought he heard her say, "I love you!" as he walked away, but he wasn't sure.  He could hear his screaming heart beating and feel his blood pumping throughout his body. Was it her voice, his blood, or the rain? It was windy It was cold.   It was raining hard He was under grey skies.   They both shuffled away in opposite directions carrying withdrawn dreams turned to cash.   The air between them cold and wet. He walked from the ATM to the bus stop.  Tears filled his eyes and he kept wiping them with the sleeve of his black Independent trucks hoodie. "Fuck, it’s always freezing here!"  Juan thought to himself as he walked down the street.  He had two thermals on under his shirt and hoody, denim pants and a black Dogtown beanie on.  Oregon/Washington winters were still something hard for him. Even after 10 years.  His fingers reached to make sure he...

Royal Pain in the Neck Balm This week's review is on a pain balm.  I don't usually go in for these things--the only ones that work seem to make you stink and just kind of burn.   This product actually gets hot and then the cannabis properties kick in and it relieves pain.  I have degenerative disc disease in my neck, and back.  Sometimes the pain is almost unbearable.  Instead of taking a pain pill, I can rub this into my neck and alleviate the pain.  This also works well on my arthritic knees and ankle. When you first put it on it gets hot and smells of cinnamon and menthol.  The menthol smell dissipates quicker than most--in about 10 minutes it goes away.  It leaves a hint of cinnamon smell on your skin after that. You don't have to get stoned to alleviate your pain.  Products like this can be used before work, or anytime really.  This is non-psychoactive and really is made with love.  The owner tells me she received ...

Half and Half And then she wasn’t there I can still hear her footsteps Feel her curl around my ankles Her meow echoes in my heart I love you…

"We are not racist here!" "We support ALL viewpoints--we are an educational institution!" "That isn't racist!"

Whiteness tells us our story through the lens of our oppressor? What does this do to truth, validity, information and the construction of knowledge?

Hush puts out nothing but quality medicine for Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patients. They have a close relationship with Green Source Gardens--which provides the cannabis that is then made into HUSH BHO oil cartridges.  There has been a flood of cartridges into the market, but HUSH has some qualities that make them different.   Organic ingredients Sustainable practices Great variety High THC available Green Source Gardens! From the  Green Source Gardens  Website: Green Source Gardens is committed to creating rich diversity in our soils which in turn will grow the highest quality medicine possible.   In order to achieve a healthy biological soil ecosystem it requires a commitment to not disturbing the communities of soil life that thrive if left undisturbed. We understand the importance of poly-culture gardens where diverse plant species work in collaboration with one another to achieve their highest potential as medicine. Our gardens ...

[This is the last installment of a three part series on Whiteness.]   Whiteness is a concept that describes the cultural, lingual, institutional beliefs, practices and behavior that maintains access to power and reinforces power for White people and people of lighter skin tones.   This colonial system was created for and by Europeans for the benefit of Europeans. Everything was in relation to the European--this is a hallmark of the concept of Whiteness--that everything is judged in relation to Whiteness and not something else.   Whiteness is embedded in the fabric of everyday life in the US The use of patrols to capture runaway slaves was one of the precursors of formal police forces, especially in the South. Slave patrols were organized groups of three to six white men who enforced discipline upon black slaves during the antebellum U.S. southern states. http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/brief-history-slavery-and-origins-american-poli...

What is a Ghazal? Get this book now! I had no idea (other than it is a poetic form from the middle east) until I read the introduction to this wonderful work.  I didn't look it up because I was enthralled with the content of this beatific book!  I didn't know James Foley , but my friend Yago Cura was his good friend.  Hinchas press (Yago Cura publisher) just recently published a book of Poetry entitled Ghazals for Foley.  This is a striking collection of poems written by people to James Foley posthumously.   The book also includes a short story written by Foley that is utterly fascinating, intriguing and beautiful.  I feel like I got to know Jim Foley via these poems and his short story.  The intensity of a life so well lived is reason for a celebration.  The poems vary in quality according to my taste, but there are some really striking and personal words here.  They are all beautiful and in deeply pers...

Part 2 of  a 3 part series on Whiteness and colonialism. [This post is in no way meant to be an exhaustive historical analysis of Slavery and Whiteness.  It is meant to introduce the topic and is meant as a tool for discussion.  Time limitations prohibit me from writing more extensively on this topic.  Thank you for reading.] Plan of the Slaver Vigilante.  Image source:  http://goo.gl/BTYfpC "...northern European settlers and traders, such as the English and Dutch, had less prior exposure to sub-Saharan Africans, or to Mediterranean slavery systems. Their laws for establishing chattel slavery formed primarily in the context of the New World, with a heightened economic incentive to secure slavery for plantation agriculture through rigid racial hierarchies." http://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/africanpassageslowcountryadapt/sectionii_introduction/contrasting_beginnings_of_slav Slavery and Whiteness Slavery and Whiteness go together li...