Big Homie

Can COVID-19 Spread From Mosquito Bites?

Published on April 5, 2020April 12, 2020 by Big Homie2 Comments

By Jim Gathany – This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #5814.Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=799284

To all those reading, I am Big Homie, age 15. The project my dad gave me for the week was to find out the answer to a common asked question these days concerning the Coronavirus. In the following, I will share with you the conclusions to my research.

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when those annoying blood-sucking vampires come and feast on our blood. Sorry to sound so dire, but it’s the truth. Mosquitoes seem to just love annoying us by pricking us with their little mouth-needle and suck our blood. But now that we have a pandemic on our hands, this raises a question. Can the new coronavirus, COVID-19, spread through mosquitoes? To answer that question, I’ll be showing you the anatomy of a mosquito, and in the end, demonstrate how it can or can’t spread from mosquitoes.

The anatomy of a mosquito is simple. You have the head, thorax (or torso), and abdomen. The head has the mosquito’s eyes, antennae, and proboscis (it’s blood-sucking, mouth-needle). Thorax houses its wings and legs. And the abdomen houses it’s stomach. Does this make you wonder how they breathe? Mosquitoes do not have lungs like we do, so they breathe through tiny holes on both sides of their abdomen called spiracles. These spiracles spread oxygen throughout the mosquito’s body. Now that we know the anatomy of a mosquito, here are some facts about the COVID-19.

Source: By CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86444014

COVID-19 is what is known as a respiratory virus, meaning people get infected with the virus by breathing it in through their mouth or nose, though it is possible to get the virus through your eyes. Examples of respiratory viruses include SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), which are both part of the coronavirus family.

Now, to answer the question: Can COVID-19 spread from mosquito bites? The answer would be no, it cannot. Why, because, as I said above, mosquitoes do not have lungs! Therefore, they cannot inhale and exhale like we do, instead breathing through their spiracles. The World Health Organization (WHO) also posted on their website, has part of their “Myth Busters” page, saying that this new coronavirus cannot spread through mosquitoes.

While little is known about how COVID-19 jumped from animal to human, rest assured that you do not have to worry about getting the coronavirus if you get bit by a mosquito. Now, if you excuse me, I need to find a can of bug spray. Just because I cannot get the coronavirus from them, doesn’t mean I want to get bitten by one.

Do Hugs Belong In The Courtroom?

Published on December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by Big HomieLeave a comment

On Sept. 6, 2018, Amber Guyger shot Botham Jean. She thought Jean was an intruder in her home. Botham Jean was sitting on his couch eating vanilla ice cream and watching TV when Dallas police officer Amber Guyger mistakenly walked into his apartment.

The shooting sparked outrage across the country, many calling it another sad example of a white police officer killing an unarmed black man. Defense attorneys have said, “There is no evidence to suggest the shooting was racially motivated”, says WFAA, an ABC television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, as they reported on the Amber Guyger story.

Key Points In The Killing

According to WFAA news, there are several things that look different in and out side of the apartment. There was a bright red doormat outside Jean’s apartment and his apartment was the only one with such a noticeable doormat. Jean’s apartment was not as neat as Guyger’s. Jean’s TV, which was on when he was shot, was much larger than Guyger’s. Guyger entered in as Jean hadn’t locked his door when he returned home from running an errand.

Should We Forgive Guyger?

There are different opinions on what Guyger did, but some key people forgave her, namely Brandt Jean who was Botham Jean’s brother. He said he forgave her and wishes her the best. During the sentencing hearing, Jean’s brother Brandt testified that he forgave Guyger and asked the judge if he could get down to hug Guyger according to CNN who also reported on the case. Judge Tammy Kemp gave Guyger a Bible and a hug while in the courtroom, after Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison, “a sentence many have called inadequate” says CNN.

Justice or Forgiveness?

Guyger got forgiveness and justice, but would that always be the case? Not forgiving someone can hurt your life, but does that mean you should not receive justice for what was done to you? Living in a world with only justice and no forgiveness is not good, but living in a world with only forgiveness and no justice is also not good. We need a perfect balance of the two but only God can provide perfect balance. That balance will be achieved in a person’s life or at their judgement. God forgives his people, as justice is still required, but God’s wrath was satisfied through Jesus on the cross. Those who do not have salvation in Christ will still get justice on judgment day, as God gives them exactly what they deserve.

Proverbs 24:12

12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

Revelation 20: 11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence oearth and sky fled away, and pno place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and qbooks were opened. Then another book was opened, which is rthe book of life. And sthe dead were judged by what was written in the books, taccording to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, uDeath and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, taccording to what they had done. 14 Then uDeath and Hades vwere thrown into the lake of fire. This is wthe second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, xhe was thrown into the lake of fire.

Acts 17:31

“because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Written by 13 year old Sierra, contributor for Teach Them Right.

Blaming The Victim: Why It May Be Time To Stop Calling People An “Uncle Tom” And Give Them A New Name

Published on October 5, 2019October 5, 2019 by Big HomieLeave a comment

Recently, I’ve been reading The Revolt Of The Black Athlete, by Dr. Harry Edwards. Early

in the first chapter, the term “Uncle Tom” was used often, which got me thinking. Do

people know the history of the term “Uncle Tom” and do they know why it should not be

used in the first place? So, in the following, I will be answering these questions and be

replacing “Uncle Tom” with another term that I suggest should be used.

The Origins of Uncle Tom

The origins of “Uncle Tom” comes from the anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life

Among the Lowly (usually shortened to Uncle Tom’s Cabin). The novel is about Uncle Tom

and the characters around him, starting with Uncle Tom, a Black man enslaved on a farm

owned Arthur Shelby. Author faced the threat of losing his farm, so he and his wife,

Emily, decided to sell Tom and another slave, Harry, to a slave trader. Harry’s mother,

Eliza, who was Emily’s maid, overheard Arthur and Emily talking about selling Harry

and Tom. So she escaped with Harry before they could sell her son. Tom on the other

hand, was sold to the slave trader, much to the dislike of Arthur’s son, George, who will

show up in the

story later on. Tom is put on a riverboat and is traveling down the Mississippi River

when he saves a little white girl from drowning. The little girl, Evangeline St. Clare, who,

in my opinion, is the white savior in the story, convinces her father, Augustine, to buy

Tom from the slave trader. After two years with the St. Clares, Evangeline (or Eva) dies

from an illness, and her father vows to free Tom. Instead, he ends up being sold by

Augustine’s wife after he was stabbed outside a tavern. Tom is sold to a man named

Simon Legree, the main antagonist in the story. Simon Legree begins to hate Tom when

he refuses to whip his fellow slave. Legree beats Tom and sets his goal on crushing Tom’s

faith in God, but Tom keeps reading the Bible and comforting the other slaves. But after a

while on the plantation, Tom begins to question his faith in God, until he has two visions,

one of Jesus and the other of Evangeline, which resolves his faith in God. After this, he

encourages two slaves to escape, in which they do. Legree demands Tom tells him where

they went, but Tom doesn’t say anything. Therefore, Legree orders that his overseers,

Quimbo and Sambo, who went from slaves to overseers by betraying other slaves,

whip Tom to death. They both repent after seeing Tom’s character while he was dying.

Shortly before Tom dies, George Shelby, the son of Arthur Shelby earlier in the story,

comes to the plantation to free Tom but finds out it’s too late.

Why Shouldn’t the term “Uncle Tom” Be Used Anymore?

The characteristics of a so-called “Uncle Tom” does not match up with the one in the

story. Uncle Tom did not betray his race, instead, he did two main things that are against

what a so-called “Uncle Tom” would do. One: he refused to denounce something he

believed in, which was God, even while the white man was beating him, Second, he

unlike Quimbo and Sambo, refused to snitch on runaway slaves. So instead of using the

term “Uncle Tom” to describe someone who may be so-called “selling out their race”,

Sambo is a more accurate term. Sambo, like his counterpart, Quimbo, went from being a

slave to a Black overseer by betraying slaves. The term “Sambo” originally was used

for people that were mixed with Black and Native American ancestry, but then became a

term used for anyone that has Black and white ancestry. In the story Sambo was a part of

the wrongdoing committed by Legree. So when a Black person defends the wrongdoing of

a white person, the person is not an Uncle Tom, but actually a Sambo.

In my opinion, the term “Uncle Tom” should not be used any longer, and perhaps Dr.

Harry Edwards, and many other writers, use the term to convey the message

about someone who betrays or speaks out against, fellow Black people. I think the term

should be replaced with “Sambo”, a more accurate term. Some, if not most, have been

misinformed about the origins of “Uncle Tom”, and I hope we can be more accurate in our

terminology in the future when we discuss Black people who are considered to be

betrayers of other Black people, or who defend the unjust actions done to Black people by

other so-called racial groups.

This is America: Observations and Thoughts

Published on August 2, 2018 by Big HomieLeave a comment

This is America

Childish Gambino’s “This is America” music video has swept the nation with its poetic lyrics and its hidden messages. The song has only been out for a week (as of this writing) and the music video already has over 139 million views on YouTube. With its growing popularity, I have decided to compare this music video to Neely Fuller’s view of entertainment. Also, breakdown the contents and significance of his music video.

Background of the Music Video

The music video takes place in a warehouse, and starts out with a guitar on a chair as a black man comes, picks it up and sits in the chair. The camera moves and you see Childish Gambino standing and as the music plays, he starts to dance. He dances towards the man, who before was sitting down playing the guitar, but now has a bag over his head. When Childish Gambino is right behind him, he pulls out a pistol and shoots him. He then hands the gun over to a teenager in a school uniform and starts dancing again. While dancing, teens come and start dancing behind him. Also, while they dance, you can see that there is rioting going on in the background along with a police car.

After, the camera shifts and you are in a room, and a church choir is singing. Then Childish Gambino comes in and starts dancing while they sing. And while they sing, Childish Gambino stops and is tossed an automatic rifle and shoots the choir, which could refer to church shootings. He then hands the rifle to the same teen he handed the pistol to. He dances out of the room and in the background, there is more rioting. Then he dances some more while the rioting goes on around him, then the camera shifts and you see the teenage dancers start dancing again. After a while, the camera shifts again revealing teenagers with bandanas while holding their phones, appearing to be filming the riot. Then the camera moves to show Childish Gambino and the teenage dancers dancing again, and still in the background you can see that the rioting is still going on. Then you see a white horse pass by with a white guy riding it. Then the teenage dancers dance in a circle around Childish Gambino, seeming confused, but is shocked when Childish Gambino acts like he shoots a gun. Then while everyone is running you hear a faint scream. Then Gambino lights a cigar and walks away.

After, the scene changes to Gambino walking up a car and standing on top of it. Then starts dancing on it while the camera zooms out, and shows old cars surrounding him and the black man who got shot in the chair (earlier in the video) and a woman sitting on a car. Then the camera shifts to a scene where he’s running from white people.

Dancing in the Music Video

The dancing in the music video is very African centered. When Childish Gambino is about to shoot the Black man playing the guitar, he poses by putting his butt back and putting his right hand on his hip. I assume he got this pose from a Jim Crow poster of a Black man doing the same thing.

Lyrics in the Song

When the song begins, you hear what seems to be Africans singing, they may be singing to the Europeans that come to “colonize” them. Also, when they reveal Childish Gambino, he starts singing, “We just want to party, party just for you. We just want the money, money just for you.” The “you” may refer to America, and how Americans just want to party and want money all the time. Then when there was rioting going on behind him, he says, “Police be tripping now.” Very likely referring to the police killings and beatings on Black people. Also, while the rioting is going on behind him, he says, “Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla.” Meaning guerilla warfare, referring to the riot that was going on.

Does the Song Fit Neely Fuller’s View of Entertainment and Does It Promote Justice?

In Neely Fuller’s book The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept: A Compensatory Counter-Racist Code, it says, “During the existence of White Supremacy, always expect most so-called “entertainment” for Non-White people to be, basically, pitiful, primitive, stupid, and/or silly.” So, the question is, does the song make Non-White (specifically so-called Black) people look pitiful, primitive, stupid, and/or silly?

It may be viewed a little silly (since during the music video, Childish Gambino has no shirt on), but I don’t view it as making Black people look pitiful, primitive, or stupid. Also in Neely Fuller’s book, he says, “Do not “dance,” or participate in so-called “group-dancing” unless all of the persons participating have a collective understanding of what the “dancing” is designed to produce, in regards to the result.” Since it seems that Childish Gambino (and his background dancers) meant for this song to point out all the disorder in America, I think the song fulfilled its purpose. Now for the important question, does the song promote and/or produce justice? I think that the song may promote justice, in the sense that it may get people to think about all the disorder in America.

The song itself is good (even though it does say one curse word). If the black (i.e. Non-White) people watching it were to look at the video in close detail, I think people will be shocked at what they find. All in all, I think the music video does produce justice and sends a wakeup call to the nation.

This has been my thoughts and observations of the “This is America” music video. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something while reading it.

-Big Homie

The Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous

Published on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by Big HomieLeave a comment

I get mad when someone says that a spider is poisonous, which they are not, they are venomous. I would like to show you the difference between poison (or poisonous) and venom (or venomous).

Poison (Poisonous)

First off, let’s talk about poison. So, what exactly defines poison? Well, poison is something that you have to touch in order to get sick. Like, if you touch a poison dart frog, you are already infected. The poison goes through your skin and gets into your blood then travels around the body. There are different levels of poison, there are poisons that are harmless to humans and poison that will kill you. But either way, you might want to stay away from anything that’s poisonous, definitely if your allergic.

Venom (Venomous)

Ok, now we’re into the animals like snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Venom has to be injected into you for you to be in potential danger. Now, just like poison, there are different levels of venom. There’s venom from a honey bee sting (yes, if you didn’t know before, every bee, as far as I know, has venom), which isn’t that dangerous unless you are allergic. Then there’s venom like that of Inland Taipan, which is the most venomous snake in the world. One bite worth of venom is enough to kill 100 grown men (luckily, an antivenom was created in 1955). So, yeah stay away from South Australia if you don’t want to meet this snake.

Well, I hope you all learned something in this blog post and enjoyed it, and I also hope you learned the difference between poison (poisonous) and venom (venomous).

By Big Homie.

Top 3 Most Painful Insect Stings

Published on September 2, 2017November 4, 2017 by Big HomieLeave a comment

I bet most people in their lifetime has gotten stung by something. Whether it’s a bee or maybe an ant (yes, ants can sting), most people have been stung at least once. Fortunately for me, I have not yet. Now believe it or not, there is a sting out there 30 times more painful than a bee sting. This blog post is about the most painful bug stings in the world.

3: Paper Wasp

The paper wasp gets its name from the nests they build that looks like it’s made out of paper. Paper wasps are not aggressive and will only attack if their nest is threatened. Like any wasp or bee, they eat nectar, but they also eat caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae

2: Tarantula Hawk

I can say I have seen one before and as they are plentiful where we live during the late spring and early summer. Even though they have a stinger about 7 mm long, you get distracted by how pretty this insect is with it’s nice orange wings and black head and body. With that look, how can you notice its stinger? Well, I suggest not to get too close to them unless you want to get stung, but some people do “play” with them. They are not that aggressive, but I’ll still keep my distance, just to be safe.

1: Bullet Ant

Please for your own safety, stay away from this bug, unless you want to know what it’s like to be shot. Their sting not only feels like you’ve been shot, but the pain lasts for 24 hours. It still gets worse, when they sting you the venom from the sting attacks your central nervous system, the spot where you got stung will become temporally paralyzed.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you live somewhere near these bugs I wish you good luck!

-BigHomie

Top 3 Weirdest Insects

Published on August 30, 2017November 3, 2017 by Big HomieLeave a comment

Everyone thinks bugs are gross and to some extent it’s true. I mean, come on, who wants to find a spider or bed bug in their bed? So, the reason for this blog post is not for you to get even more creeped out about bugs. It’s for you to understand that bugs may be ugly (definitely some on this list, I mean they have a face only its mother can love), but they help our environment. They help keep other bugs off crops and keep bugs like cockroaches and earwigs out of your kitchen. So bugs should both be respected or in some cases, stepped on and squished if it’s like a scorpion or a spider. I hope you understand and enjoy this blog post.

3: Devil’s Flower Mantis

The devil’s flower mantis is one of the biggest mantises in the world. The reason it looks like it has an evil smile is to scare off or to distract a predator. It can see 180 degrees and has long antennae. It uses its antennae to detect chemicals, movement, and odors. When it sees prey coming, it will grab it with its legs then start to eat it. It usually eats flies, moths, butterflies, and beetles.

2: Brazilian Treehopper

So first of all, you are probably wondering what in the world is that thing on its head. Well, to be honest nobody really knows what it is for. Some scientist believe it’s for if the bug meets a predator, it will be hard for them to eat it. Others believe that the balls on it’s head sense vibrations.

1: Giant Weta

The giant weta is one of the biggest insects in the world. Its name actually means “god of ugly things”. They can be up to 4 inches and can weigh up to 2.5 oz. Even though it looks like it has the legs of a cricket, it actually can’t jump due to its weight. One of the weirdest things about this bug is that it has ears on its knees, they are right below the knee-joint. This insect is close to extinction thanks to humans who went to New Zealand and brought predators (like cat and rats) along with them. I hope you guys learned something and found this blog post interesting.

I hope you guys learned something and found this blog post interesting. Some people may have been disgusted by some of these bugs and I apologize if it made you want to throw up.

-BigHomie