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It’s Time for a Slave Revolt! Let’s All Be Spartacus
It’s time for a slave revolt! Tobacco’s history has had a long and ugly relationship with the enslavement of others for the benefit of growing the wealth of the few. While slavery has existed for millennia prior to the cultivation of tobacco, it was the tobacco trade that was particularly instrumental in the development of chattel slavery: slavery where a human being, as well the person’s offspring were owned from the moment of enslavement until their death. People were considered property, without any rights. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, tobacco only grew in the Americas. It was considered a sacred plant by the indigenous peoples, who used it…
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Abra Cadabra: The Power of Language
The language we use has power. The ancients, as well as today’s PR firms understand the power of language to create. Abracadabra is purported to be a derivation of old Aramaic words meaning “I will create as I speak”. The Gospel of John in the New Testament begins “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God”. Sit with that idea for a moment. It means that speaking has the power to bring things into being. Like Captain Picard saying “Make it so, Number One” we influence circumstances by the way we speak about them. Given the power of language why would…
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Flavors Lure Kids
Candy flavors lure kids. Remember the story of Hansel and Gretel? How one day when they had taken too much of their parents neglect or cruelty (whether perceived or real) they ran away. They felt if they left a trail of breadcrumbs, they could find their way back. Instead, the breadcrumbs were eaten by the birds and they got lost. As they tried to find their way, they ran instead into a cottage made of candy, where a wicked witch, masquerading as a kindly old woman invited them in to enjoy whatever they pleased. Rather than enjoying a sumptuous banquet of never-ending sweets, they became imprisoned. The witch fattening them…
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Breath is Life
Breath is life. Take a deep breath. How does that feel to be able to fill your lungs? All to often we take this ability for granted and yet it is the very basis of life. The moment we are born we get a pat on the bottom to ensure that our cry will fill our lungs with all important oxygen. Oxygen is the fuel that powers our cells. Any part of the body that has its blood, and hence oxygen, supply cut off dies, as do we if that part happens to be a vital organ such as the heart or the brain. One of the important benefits of…
