Night. Under bed covers Moon visible through gauze
curtains. A sluggish stream supports me. Kersplash,
a fish. A whippoorwill’s call, a dream bird. Comfy.
Moored in the here and now like it or not. Like it.
Here it all makes sense.
Intersex does not mean transgender, and the internet contains no information on the suggestion that imprinting effects the gender of children who insist they are of a different gender than they are biologically. There have been some studies that found connections between the observation of imprinting behaviors and the brains of non-humans, however.
intersex people* largely acquire their gender identity via imprinting. Therefore, intersex people often choose the gender of those they imprint on—whether it be a friend, family member, etc. This suggests that imprinting can be a powerful phenomenon and can have an intense effect on an individual’s overall development and mental state.
An integral characteristic of imprinting is that it occurs at a specific point in life, usually beginning the moment they are born. This period varies between species, ranging from within a day or so after birth to almost the first few years of life. Imprinting does not normally occur later. In animals, imprinting involves being drawn to the characteristics or sight of the first creature or item seen at the time of or shortly after birth. Although it has been most studied in ducklings, most animals appear to have some type of imprinting mechanism.
Just a thought. How else to hypothesize the existence of children insisting they are a different gender? The effect has been little studied, and I was not able to find any hypothesized connection between the two. I'm open to enlightenment.
* Intersex people are born with sex characteristics, such as genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies."
Keith Wilson writes:
 | |||
The swearing in of Joe Biden as the 46th president is a huge deal. We can return to more normalcy in governance as he tries to unite us. But, let me set that aside and say the inauguration of Kamala Harris as vice-president is “a big effing deal.”
Seeing a woman sworn in as vice president is a long time over due for a country that touts democracy. Other democracies have preceded us with a woman being president, prime minister or chancellor. Angela Merkel, Jacinda Arden, Tsai Ing-wen, Sanna Marin, Indira Ghandi, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May all come to mind just to name a few.
Harris is not just breaking the ceiling as a woman, which is a big effing deal by itself. She is the first African-American, the first Asian-American, and part of the first multiracial couple and family to occupy the home of the vice-president. She is uniquely American, as representative of our melting pot as one can get.
But, as a man, let me attempt to address this walk-in-the-shoes moment and what it means. My wife wore pearl earrings to honor Harris’ alma mater as she watched. And, she was crying after Harris was sworn in. A man does not realize how a woman feels to be treated in an overbearing way. Or, to be condescended to. Or to be belittled. Or, to be passed over for a promotion because of her gender. Or, to be sexually harassed or even assaulted.
Sheryl Sandberg wrote the excellent book called “Lean in,” which tells women to lean into opportunity or push back. It was and is a great title in that men are very skilled at leaning in. There is a line, I think from this book, that says a man with lesser skill sets will often feel more qualified for a job than a woman does with more skill sets.
We must layer into Harris’ make-up the fact she is a multiracial woman of color. In an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, she noted she has been told “no” at every step of the ladder. Then, she smiled and said “I eat ‘no’ for breakfast.” That embodies Sandberg’s theme. Just think of all of the young women and young women of color she will influence going forward. Be a leader, be a scientist, be an engineer, be a doctor….don’t accept no as a reason you cannot.
This is a big effing deal. I wish her, Joe Biden and their families and staffs the greatest of success. We need them to succeed in uniting us.
Keith Wilson, Charlotte, Independent
A friend who wears her braids atop her head told me about being introduced to a man who immediately said to her that she would be even prettier if she let her hair down. Without a heartbeat she replied, “I think you’d be more handsome if you had sideburns.”
I wish I were that quick on my feet.
Music Lesson
Jan 13th, 2021 by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I can’t say for certain which music I’m enjoying more – Susumu Yokota’s Asian ambience on the laptop or the garden’s new water fountain concert.
Mr. Chipmunk, the gaudy flutterby, and the fledgling redwings all clearly prefer the fountain. And why wouldn’t they? What do they know about synthesizers, electronic percussion, or the meditative properties of fluid melody transformation? For them, the fountain’s water, singing its spontaneous aria, is life itself; is the music without which their lives—all lives—would cease to exist.
I reach out and tap the laptop’s mute.
Some creatures—most creatures—know far more than I.
From Guest Contributor Ron. Lavalette
Ron’s many published works, including his debut chapbook, Fallen Away, can be found HERE.
Quitting The Grave Cover ThumbCheck out Decater’s new novel, available now at Amazon. Plus, don’t forget his earlier books: Ahab’s Adventures in Wonderland and Picasso Painted Dinosaurs.
DOWN
Like two kittens in a burlap bag
we scrabbled for each other
against the warm fur we shared,
drawing blood with sounds
like purring as we sank.
QUESTIONNAIRE BY ALEXA ABERCROMBIE ROSS
Please choose your best answer to the following questions.
A – in the best country on earth
B – because someone took advantage of my mother’s drinking problem
C – to trouble as the sparks fly upward
D – and I will die
2.) I consider work
A – honorable no matter what the job is
B – fine for people who think they need to do it
C – slavery to the capitalist conspiracy
D – something no one I know can find
3) To me, religion is
A – the life you lead
B – just another money-making scheme
C – institutionalized guilt
D – old-fashioned and irrelevant
4) I consider government
A – society’s means of keeping order
B – a path to power and riches
C – a plot to take your money and curtail your freedom
D – boring on every level
5) Marriage is
A – the reason girls go to college
B – going out of style
C – legal servitude
D – no longer sacred since homosexuals got that right
6) Human beings’ purpose on earth is
A – to create more human beings
B – to pollute and deplete our natural resources
C – to exterminate all other species
D – to just die already
7) Education is
A – the hallmark of civilization
B – punishment for being a child
C – the only way to get out of Dodge
D – less fun than video games
8) The devil is
A – a mythological creature intent on evil
B – a bogeyman to frighten children
C – the owner of Mar-a-Lago, Florida
D – my lord and master
9) Sickness is an indication of
A – an imbalance in your body
B – caused by eating spoiled food
C – an excuse not to attend school or work
D – evidence of weak character
10) My greatest wish is
A – for peace on earth
B – a million dollars tax-free
C – for certain people to drop off the face of the earth
D – immortality
11) Before I die, I would like
A – to become famous and rich
B – to see a woman President of the United States
C – to reverse climate heating
D – immortality
12) I am most grateful
A – to own my own home
B – to be single and without a boss
C – to be human rather than an animal killed for meat, fur, or eyelashes
D – that my cats use the litter box
Thank you for participating in the survey.
If your answers were mostly (A), you are a sane and responsible citizen. If you answered (B), you need help. If (C), the authorities are on their way. If (D), how did you get hold of this survey?
In appreciation, we are offering you the chance to win a $1000 gift card to Walmart for answering just a few more questions.
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A – Your home, car and life insurance?
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Image: https://www.reddit.com/
This is special. I’m reblogging…
Without you there, rubbing against my emptiness
I am a scream
begun without end
I may close my mouth
I may purse my lips and paint them
I may say yes please and thank you very much
and still dial your number
that no longer exists
just to hear it ring
in my mind
once
twice
three times
it may be you
on the other end
picking up, I can hear the lint
of the connection stretching like walkers on wire
a crackle, a fizz, the ghosting hiss of you
what are you saying?
Rolling down bled city streets with lights
hanging like old bottles, catching stray saline
I strain to hear
through ceaseless whiteout of rain
it is yellow against brown glass
distorted from downpour
slapping wetly in time to lost rhythm
pirate radio in storm, trying to reach land
crackle, fizz, pop, static … spreading her fingers
we…
View original post 122 more words
Trump’s extraordinary efforts to overturn the election: A timeline
Mark Sumner
Daily Kos Staff
Saturday January 23, 2021
After witnessing almost half my country (including perhaps most evangelicals) embrace lies from a false prophet so easily, I find myself wondering if all orthodox religions might be a holdover from primitive mythologies. Is the Christian trinity but a remnant from an ancient pantheon of gods? Some want to unite church and state. I guess that’s what the crusades were all about: power. As for me, I’m glad if you have a god you can trust. I’m happy for you. Hang onto him/her/them/it.
My current readings in evolution keep me wondering.
Invisible lines associating ideas, creating images.
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Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
