Marijuana: it’s been used in recorded human history for 8,000 years, and yet it remains highly controversial and its effects are often misunderstood. Despite being the most commonly used and least harmful recreational drug available, it has been illegal in the United States for 82 years. In the past two decades, however, since California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, legal discussion surrounding the drug has changed dramatically. So, what exact

We’re all familiar with the story of Oedipus Rex, the king who loved his mother a bit more than most. Or the classic Jerry Springer story...

“209 top, you have a visit!” My cellie and I look at each other in surprise for a moment until the cell door rolling open prods me to spring into action. I jump off my bunk and scoop up my boots. As I squeeze out, the cell door clangs shut. They don’t leave the door open for long around here. He hands me my clothes through the bars and I quickly get dressed. “Who is coming to see you?” he asks. That is a good question. I don’t know. For these first four years of my incarcerat

Multigenerational Families There is nothing more rewarding or frustrating than multigenerational families living together. For me, the responsibilities are huge and endless. For mom, moving from the life she once lived, to a life someone else lives is a lot like “losing your independence”. But we are one of the lucky ones because we have learned how to make this work. Here’s a few tips we learned the hard way to head you in the right direction! Talk about it early We had ou

As she drew her last breath, I knew none of our lives would ever be the same, especially mine…. Sometimes in your life when you get big news, you remember everything about that moment. The day, the time, the weather, exactly what you are doing. Other times, like when I received the call from my sister that our Mummy’s cancer was back, my memory is void. As hard as I try, I don’t remember a single thing about that day other than the excruciating pain I felt throughout my entir

Miscarriage as defined by Wikipedia: Miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the natural death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Some use the cutoff of 20 weeks of gestation, after which fetal death is known as a stillbirth. The most common symptom of a miscarriage is vaginal bleeding with or without pain. Sadness, anxiety and guilt often occur afterwards. Tissue and clot-like material may leave the uterus and pa

Have you ever wondered why you get anxious when thinking about family gatherings? You’re not alone! Dr. Murray Bowen was the founder of Family Systems Theory and posits that “ ... individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit. Families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals, none of whom can be understood in isolation from the system.” In order to survive in our f

Only viewed in darkness Only seen as one thing A negative They see her alone Slut! Disgusting! Stupid! Shot like bullets their word squeez Salty tears out of her eyes She goes home to a house of anger and disappointment She shut the door whose now her only friend Isolates herself... loneliness is her new found comfort With a small faint cry, she takes Soft yet firm steps, out of the darkness Clearing her path Pain and suffering slowly get pushed aside. At a small white ba

Sharing points about vaccinations Vaccinations has become a hot topic, especially with the new outbreak of measles throughout our...

The American dream. For some it is to be successful, to have a family, and to help others. The patriarchs of Galveston’s leading families — the Kempners, Moodys and Sealys — all had precarious starts in life but were able to rely on their natural abilities and recognition of opportunities to obtain great wealth. Sought success While from different backgrounds and locations, John Sealy, William Lewis Moody and Harris Kempner’s roads to their fortunes began by selling goods. Se

***** The following article submission is explicit in nature and not intended for audiences under 18 years of age. ***** I know you were not expecting me home today. I wasn't expecting the stars and planets to align as they did to make it possible for me to be standing in front of you with miles, walls, fences, and bars no longer between us. I have waited so long for this moment, and now it has arrived, time seems to stand still. Taking you into my arms has been my only wis

Forget about chromosomes, middle school sex education, even the junk in your own jeans because these days there’s more to gender than just what meets the eye. So let’s rip the band-aid off: Sex and gender are different things. No matter what biology tells us, there will always be people who don’t feel like they fit into the mold of “Boy” vs “Girl,” also known as the Gender Binary. This concept goes hand-in-hand with the idea that gender can be a spectrum on which a person can

Friends, I have had a really diverse life. Now on the other side of middle age, I reflect on what the phrase “let’s talk about sex” means. In the ’90s, I worked in a difficult, but rewarding, position as a SANE, a sexual assault nurse examiner. My job was to examine someone on the worst day of their lives in the most intimate way. I showed up at the ER after the police to isolate a victim for the next four or so hours. It became my job to not only do exams, but also to provi

Understanding sexual energy is the key for improved health. It is the doorway to the divine and can expand consciousness, with proper understanding and passion. It shouldn’t be feared, nor abused. We need to be aware of our sexual energy and accepting of others, but also be prepared to look past all the sexual energy that is surrounding us. All of us hold and release a different sexual energy. It is when we can understand and accept this, then we will feel and see the purest

I will start by saying that it is not easy to forgo sex; indeed, it is a difficult thing, as sex is itself the height of ecstasy (assuming some modicum of related competency and modest endowment). One may then wonder what purpose or rationale lies behind the decision to abstain from sex? The old celibacy operated primarily within social structures, working as a signaling mechanism to members of the community. This is, however, unjust. The decision to be celibate should not be

Lora Bernard recounted what it took for her to get a copy of Madonna’s book, “Sex,” in her article, “Madonna’s ‘Sex’ isn’t pretty, but pretty honest,” which was published in The Galveston Daily News on Nov. 8, 1992. On Oct. 21, 1992, Lora Bernard made a phone call to her 64-year-old mother in Fort Worth, Texas, to buy her a copy of Madonna’s book, “Sex.”While what may seem as taking extreme measures, Bernard wanted to be sure she could get a copy of “Sex,” since only 1 milli

I’m not perfect, nor was I meant to be. When it started was when you first saw me. My body talked. She told you things you wanted to understand more deeply, readily. She talked, laughed, looked at you like she was made for you, perhaps, just you. Your eyes figured her into oblivion. The form of creation was right there in front of you. She overtook your thoughts like a cannon plowing your hull. You could’ve sunk, but for her. She saved you, her buoyant hips became yo

Who are you? The longer time passes between what we think and what we feel, the more opportunity there is for silence. Almost one year ago, our community of like-minded(ish) weirdos all got together at the 91st Street fishing pier to celebrate La Izquierda, a cosmically aligned festival of surf and music. The vibes were through the roof. Anyone there that day will tell you something special went down on May 12, 2018. Whether it was the music, the surf, the yoga, or the beer,

Do we have a sex trafficking problem in Galveston? Yeah, probably. Um, wait, do we? That’s like mail-order brides, right? Ask any Galvestonian that same question and these are the types of answers you’ll get. We think we might have sex trafficking here. We hear about it sometimes in the media. But that’s just a life choice, right? Most people can get out of those situations if they really try. I mean, she has a cell phone, so she can call for help whenever she wants to. Those

When I first moved to Galveston with my husband, we were immediately surprised with how accepting people were of us as a couple. We are not one of those couples who regularly kiss or hold hands in public. Yet when we frequent Home Depot, grocery stores, and restaurants together, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out we are in a relationship. While the world has definitely become more accepting of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) persons as a whole