What have I learnt during my maternity leave: A personal analysis

So, my maternity leave is coming to an end soon and it is both exciting and scary. It will soon be the time to leave my little bundle of joy in someone else's care, which is hard to imagine but needs to be done. I will soon return to work, which I have missed but am aware that I will need to readjust and switch my brain to 'work mode'. I have certainly learned a lot though during my maternity leave and felt like sharing some of the lessons on this post.

I have learnt that I can function with very little sleep! It is actually amazing considering sleep deprivation is a form of torture, how many new mums function with very little sleep without killing anyone or losing their minds! I can safely say that I am proud to join the list of sleep deprived mothers who made it!

I have also learnt that my inner child is alive and well and loves cartoons! Yes, I admit to be a little bit of a weirdo in that I actually enjoy watching cartoons. I also found a deep appreciation to all those men and women who create and execute these cartoons as well as other children programs. It really isn't easy to entertain little people for long period of time so thanks again to cbeebies! If you want to know more about my appreciation for this BBC children channel, please see this.

Speaking of cartoons/children programs, I have also learnt that my son's taste is slightly different from mine. He enjoys some cartoons that I, if I am being completely honest and I am, cannot stand. There are only two such programs thankfully but still I really don't think much of them. 'Baby Jake' and 'Waybuloos' just don't do it for me. Maybe it is the real-life baby's face superimposed on a drawing that turns me off 'Baby Jake' or maybe is the fact that I cannot help but wonder how long will Baby Jake remain a baby? And what happens if he was to grow like normal babies do? However, my son absolutely loves Baby Jake as he sits there giggling at him. Waybuloo I am absolutely convinced is a product of someone's acid trip! I mean, what else could it be? Weird looking creatures floating about, singing weird songs and calling real children they play with 'chivies?" What the ...?
Anyhow, these programs are obviously not made for grown ups like me so I cannot complain much especially when my son enjoys them.

I have learnt that motherhood can be very isolating. It was odd in the early days to be at home with my son when everyone else I knew was at work. It is very strange to not having to go to work and be cut off from that social circle but you manage.

I have learnt that it is very possible to go for four days without a wash! I mean, you get to wash your face and brush your teeth but that's about it! You might gasp at this especially if you haven't had kids as yet but believe me, it comes with the territory and the best part of it is that you don't even care!

I have learnt that all you need to wear for the first three months or so of giving birth are your maternity clothes. They are brilliant for all the spits, pukes, poops, wee that you will encounter regularly from your bundle of joy. The beauty of maternity wear is that you won't care if you have to throw them away after three months or so but they will save your normal clothes from your baby's bodily fluid barrage on you.

I have learnt that maternity pay is a joke except not a very funny one! It is amazing how just when you have another mouth to feed, clothe etc you get paid a fraction of your normal wages. It is no wonder some people are choosing not to have kids at all. I honestly do not blame them. If I were to have another child, I would make sure I emigrate to a place like Norway, Sweden, Iceland or work for the Vatican!

I have learnt that most Amazon delivery people don't know how knocking works. They ring my bell, which is loud enough for them to hear it outside but still feel the need a second later to band loudly on my door just as the bell is ringing! This has annoyed me a lot but I know they are working under pressure and I did order that box of wipes a minute before midnight and used my prime account to have it delivered the next day so I guess it's fair.

These are just a few things that I can think of right now. I am certain there are many more lessons I have learnt so if I think of more, I might add to this post. In the meantime, enjoy some videos below of some of the programs I mentioned.

                                                         Waybuloo

                                                             Baby Jake

The age old question: Is it better to have kids early or later in life?

One of the things that struck me when I was pregnant and attending hospital appointments is how much my age was a factor. I never gave much thought to the fact that I was over 35 and pregnant that is until I was faced with descriptions of my pregnancy as 'high risk' due to my age. My midwife, who didn't care for this age bias either, explained to me that unfortunately once a woman is over 35 and pregnant, they are automatically classified as 'high risk'.

Now, I didn't actually mind this although I did find it slightly amusing but it got me thinking about pregnancy and woman's age in the eyes of our society. I found out that there are increasingly more women, like me, choosing to enter motherhood much later in life than ever before. I have no doubt sooner rather than later, this current view towards 'older' pregnant women will change too. There are reasons why age does have a factor both medically and physically in regards to pregnancy. However, some of these factors are outdated and should no longer apply.

Take for example the assumption that older mothers will struggle more to raise the kids due to lower energy than younger ones. Well, not true as this will depend on the individual and should not be used as a measure on how well (or not) someone will cope with a newborn. If the individual is physically strong, healthy both physically and mentally then age is irrelevant. Janet Jackson is a good example of a healthy, physically fit woman who is doing just fine raising a baby at the age of 50!

Biologically speaking though there is some truth in the impact of age on pregnancy since some medical conditions have been shown to be influenced by age. It is true that there is potentially an increase in genetic and non-genetic conditions such as spina bifida and Downs syndrome the older the age of conception gets. However, again genetic conditions will always be more of a factor if the parents have the gene in their genetic pool regardless of age. Furthermore, understanding dietary requirements in fetal development has helped many parents decrease the chances of spina bifida regardless of age. Also having a child with Down syndrome is not actually something many parents would mind.

I have heard of the advantages of becoming a mum later in life such as, the increase ability to cope with stress due to the fact that you are more likely to have coped with a lot of stress in the past than a much younger person. Financial stability is also one that is mentioned a lot in favour of late motherhood. Again, there is some truth in all these but the point for me still remains: it is all dependent on the individual. You can be a 'younger' mother who has had to deal with a lot of stress and is financially stable despite the age and likewise you can be an 'older' mother who hasn't got a clue!

In short, I don't believe we need to highlight pregnancy based on the woman's age alone unless there are other factors that warrant the extra attention. We cannot say a certain age is better than another without taking into consideration the actual individual. Factors like individual's lifestyle, health, emotional well being, finances/financial support, family etc all play a role in how well (or not) the individual will likely cope with pregnancy and pending motherhood than age alone.

How to ensure you limit the chances of your travel insurance claim being rejected!

Travel insurance is something that many of us have become reliant on when we are on holidays. As I mentioned here, it is important to have a valid travel insurance when on holiday as you can never know what might happen. It is also true that most reputable travel insurance companies are more than happy to cover expenses, arrange alternative accommodation, re-arrange flights and so on for their customers when they need it most. There are times however, when a claim is rejected by an insurance company. Below I discuss the most common main reasons that contribute to a claim been rejected and how to avoid them.

Are you actually insured?
This may seem obvious enough but don't take it for granted that simply because you think you have insurance, you are actually covered. To ensure that your policy is the correct one for your holiday and that any claims will be covered, check the following:

a) Is your policy valid: The quickest and most convenient way to purchase travel insurance is without a doubt online. It is also easier to find best quotes this way as various websites offer a system in which you can easily compare quotes over a range of different travel insurance companies. The sticking point with internet buying however, is that it can be easy to miss important information and tempting to go for the cheapest quote possible even if that means not disclosing all the information required. You must always disclosed all information required as honestly as possible when shopping for travel insurance. This will prevent your claim from been rejected should you find yourself needing to claim on your insurance while abroad. If there is anything you are unsure about when looking for travel insurance then please ask the company for clarification than taking chances.

   Furthermore, check the type of insurance you have, the length of coverage offered, the geographic area covered, your excess and whether you need any additional features added to your policy or not. This is to ensure that the insurance policy you have is actually sufficient and fit for purpose of your type of holiday. If you are planning a holiday that will include 'high risk' activities like skiing for example, then make sure that this element is covered before you head off. It is important also to make sure the country you are visiting is reflected on your insurance, so if you are planning multi-trips to various geography locations then make sure you have cover that reflects this. Insurance is not transferrable in that, you cannot get a policy that only covers one geographic area but then decide to travel to another area and think you will still be covered.
    Thus obtaining a policy that does not reflect the type, length, area of your travel will be deemed invalid and not covered.

b) Medical declarations: Make sure you declare all the medical questions asks when obtaining travel insurance. I have discussed the emergency medical aspect of travel insurance at length here, so do not be tempted to hide any medical conditions in order to obtain a cheaper quote. Doing so will not only invalidate your claim but is also fraud. Also understand that medical coverage under travel insurance is strictly for emergency cases only! Do not think that non emergency medical claims will be covered as they won't. There are medical policies that are not travel insurance policies, which cater for all/most medical claims abroad including the non emergency ones but these are run by private medical companies and have different modus operandi from travel insurance. Companies like Bupa provide these and you can find out if it's something you would like to have or not. Note that these medical covers are not travel insurance policies and therefore have different premiums and terms & conditions.

c) Common sense & sensibility: Travel insurance does not cover reckless behaviour so please do not leave your normal common sense at home when you travel abroad. You must show to have taken responsible care in the events you are claiming for in order for the policy to be valid, that's just how insurance policies work. Therefore if you decided to leave your luggage unattended outside a bus stop, as an example, and it was stolen along with all your precious possessions; don't be surprised if your claim is rejected. In short, as long as you behave sensibly and not recklessly and show that you did not, by your behaviour, encourage/facilitate or cause the events associated with your claim; you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
    It is also for this need for reasonable responsibility on your part that suicides or any manor of self harm are not covered by any travel insurance. Self harm is very serious issue and can cause the need for emergency treatment however, it will not be covered under travel insurance regardless of the emergency medical need because it is self inflicted and thus is devoid of 'due care and reasonable responsibility' on the part of the insured.

These are some basic things that are easy to check before you travel and can ensure that your claim is likely to be covered. Remember also that if there is anything you are unsure of, to call your insurance company for clarification or advise before you set off.

Fascinating facts about babies!

There are certain things about babies/infants that are actually pretty cool and fascinating. I just want to list a few that I find amazing and just goes to show how miraculous and similar our early journeys are before we lost this sense of oneness and got bogged down with silliness of existence. Anyway, not to dampen down this entry cause I intend for it to be light hearted and fun, I shall proceed to list these marvellous and fascinating qualities about babies/infants.

1) We all had the same first toy! 
It is true that each and every one of us, born out of a mother's womb shared the same first toy. How come you ask? Well, the toy I am speaking about is one, which was designed by nature/God. It is the umbilical cord! We all played around with this slimy, cord inside our mother's tummies and had great time doing so. I find this fact absolutely amazing that our bodies are designed with such functionality in mind that there is even a toy taken into account to entertain the foetus. Of course the umbilical cord has other important functions but it manages to do all the important bits whilst at the same time lets the inquisitive foetus pull, twist and tag at it playfully.

2) Our first poop was tar! 
Strictly speaking it wasn't tar as such but it might as well have been. The babies first poop or bowel movement if you are that way inclined, is a black sticky substance! Once you see it, you cannot unseen it! It is very similar to tar in colour and texture but not just for our amusement, as it serves a very important function. It is after this first tar-like poop that the doctors can be certain that at least the newborn's digestive and bowel functions are normal. The colour is a result of the amniotic fluid ingested in the womb, still pretty fascinating.

3) The first real laugh is magical!
When you hear your babies laugh for the first time, you will be so excited! It takes babies up until they are roughly 4 months to laugh a true laughter and its an amazing moment. When you hear what they own unique laughter sounds like for the first time, it is such a precious moment.

4) The gravity dance!
It can be so very easy to forget that we are in fact, floating about in space on a moving object but babies quickly remind us of this fact. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the crawling to walking phase! Watching a baby learn to walk is truly the clearest demonstration of our moving planet. You can easily see how hard it is at first, for the baby to stay upright and to take steps without wobbling and falling. It is like trying to walk on a fast moving vehicle like a train for example only they are doing it on the largest moving surface: the earth! It is a fascinating reminder I think, because once we learn how to 'work with' this moving object and become experts in keeping ourselves upright and performing all sorts of manoeuvres as though the ground beneath our feet was still, we forget we are floating about in space. You got to love the Universe's sense of humour!

The gravity dance can also be seen in observing drunk people attempt to walk, they do so in a wobble manner just like they did when they were babies. I don't know what it is that clicks before we master walking as babies whether it is some kind of a magnetic attraction between us and the earth's core that somehow aligns us in a way that we can finally navigate in an upright position on its surface despite the gravitational pull or something else, I am not sure and that's what makes this fascinating!

5) Fascination with teeth especially while teething! 
Babies can start the painful process of teething from as early as three months and it can go on until 12 months before the teeth finally come through! There isn't much to laugh about during teething as it is painful for the babies, which makes them tearful, emotional and understandably cranky. However, it is funny that at this time, most babies show an increased interest in other peoples' teeth! Talking to a teething baby usually leads to baby starring at your teeth and even attempting to touch them! I guess maybe they are looking at the wondering when theirs will be coming through!

6) We are all aliens! 
If you ever look at the ultrasound images of foetus development in the womb especially in the early months, you will know that we really do start off looking like aliens than humans. I had a 3D ultrasound when I was about six months pregnant and was blown away by the technology but also had to laugh at the weird images of my son! Ultrasound images both 2D, 3D and 4D are just bizarre and show just how much we change as we prepare to enter life outside the womb.

Speaking of the womb, isn't it fascinating that we all once lived inside another being! How fascinating is that? Not to mention that we also forget all about what it was like inside the womb after birth, just as well too.

So there you have it! A few fascinating things about babies (including you as a baby) to keep you entertained. Do you have any other fascinating things you would like me to add to list?

Easy and healthy meals for a new mum!

You have given birth to your little bundle of joy and are now back at home. The first two weeks or so will seem, for most new-mums, like a sweet dream. The little one will mostly sleep, eat, wee and occasionally poop. He/she would not require much to keep happy as long as s/he is healthy and there are no medical complications. After this brief period of peace and admiring your little bundle of joy though comes the big change.

The big change is basically the stages following the early peace, which involves crying a lot, sleepless nights, worries, lack of baths/showers and basically it is a time when motherhood takes over what you knew of your life and strips it by morphing your existence into a nappy changing, puke and poop with the occasional wee dodging, sleepless zombie whose every moment is devoted to the little bundle of joy. You will forget when you last had a wash or ate a meal properly or even slept but it is worth it in the end.

If you are, like myself, without nearby family help and are entering this stage of motherhood alone then I sincerely wish you all the best in the world cause you are going to need every bit of strength you can muster. At this stage it can be very difficult to fit in time to cook yourself and/or your partner a healthy meal. It is however, paramount that you eat healthily so that you have enough energy to care for the little one and yourself.

My tips on easy, quick and healthy meals are based on my own experience and they work. Here they are:

1) Invest in a rice cooker: If you haven't got yourself a rice cooker, please consider getting one. These little machines are so easy to use and make perfect rice every time with the minimum of efforts. All you do is measure the number of scoops (provided with the machine) of rice into the cooker and add the same number of scoops of water! It couldn't be easier and while the rice is cooking away you can continue with other tasks at hand. The machines also switch themselves off or to a warm setting once the rice is cooked so you don't have to worry that you will forget to switch it off or the rice will go cold.
Rice is also a very healthy meal to have and can be eaten with a variety of easy to prepare sauces or salads. The variations of what you can have with your rice allows you to have rice frequently without getting bored. Carbohydrates in rice are a good source of slow releasing energy, which is an added plus when you hardly have time to worry about meals.

2) Love pasta: If you don't think much of pasta please consider trying it. Pasta is very easy to cook, taking less than ten minutes to boil and is also healthy. Like rice, Pasta can be eaten with a variety of sauces and you could even add your own favourite spices and other ingredients to spice things up. I love pasta and it kept me healthy during the most testing times of motherhood so thanks Italy. My favourite way of having pasta is simply boil with a bit of salt and oil then once cooked add chopped chillies, olives and seaweed; yummy! You can add your own things to get the balance nutrition diet like eggs for proteins or chopped bacon or tuna etc., Point is that it is a healthy meal that can be made even healthier with simply additions and doesn't cost much nor take time to prepare.

3) Drink multi-nutritional high in antioxidants drinks: Okay, I know I said I was going to list some meals options and here I am talking about drinks but these are so worth a mention. Thankfully there are many such drinks available easily in supermarkets like Aldi, Tesco and Lidl. My favourite brand of such drinks is 'Naked'. This is a brand of freshly squeezed vegetables and fruits in the most highly nutritional way. Thus the selection of fruits and vegetable and the natural process of manufacturing these drinks is focused on giving you the highest nutritional content with the least artificial interference. These are great as top ups to maintain a healthy body or as additional boost to your overall well being. The bottles come in a variety of sizes so pick one best for you and a combination of fruits/veg that is more palatable for you. I personally found trying different varieties available rather than sticking to just one combination much more satisfying.

4) Super foods: There are a number of other highly nutritional foods that can be easily added to a basic meal to give it a healthy kick available. These include some grounded seeds that are sold in supermarkets or health shops that can be easily added to a basic salad or rice or even pasta for additional nutritional benefits. Also seaweed is great and so easy to prepare; simply wash and soak, rinse and eat! I love seaweed and add it to pastas, salads or even on top of an egg with a slice of bread! Seaweeds also have the capacity to double in size under water, like rice, so you don't need much to energise a simple meal. This also makes them very cost effective.
Other super foods can include things like nuts, which are healthy containing proteins in high quantities, fats and some antioxidants. When you are working twenty-four seven and are beyond tired, these simple foods can truly make a difference to how you feel and in keeping your overall health on tack. Antioxidants are very effective at limiting the damages caused by free radicals, which are released in the body during stress and motherhood is very stressful especially the early stages.

5) Multivitamins: Again not a 'food' source as such but I wanted to mention multivitamins because they too can help you stay healthy. These do need to be accompanied by a healthy meal to be of greater benefit in most cases but still, they are worth it.

I hope that this list helps you in your journey into motherhood. I also hope that it keeps you fit and healthy to continue to care for that little bundle of joy. It is also worth noting that during the early stages of motherhood, your body will be going through a lot of internal hormonal changes as it tries to return to the non-pregnancy state. These changes can be erratic in one's emotional well being and so eating healthy helps in supporting the body during this adjustment phase, which in turn helps the new mum cope with everything that is thrown at her. Did you find this information useful? Do you have any questions? If so please feel free to comment below. Good luck!

Top 5 most Innovative toys

It is almost Christmas and the excitement is in the air. One thing Christmas is synonymous with is present buying. Usually it is easy to buy for most adults but it can be overwhelming when looking for gifts for the little people in your life. There are so many choices available, each screaming "buy me!". If you are still undecided on what to get a younger member of your family this Christmas then perhaps the list below will help you.
Here are my top most innovative toys for the holiday season. I have selected these toys based on certain criteria: easy to use, durability, bringing in something new or adding a new way to an old idea, affordability and fun!

1) Mardles stickers/story books: I am absolutely in love with this company! The products from Mardles are so innovative, they are revolutionising the toy industry as we know it. Mardles excel at bringing, otherwise dull and old fashion toy traditions to life! The company offers a free app which can be downloaded to any tablet or android phone. Once the app is downloaded, it then allows their products to literally come to life in a 3D inactive manner for the child (and adult) to enjoy. Mardles products include stickers and story books. All come to life with the use of the App and the stickers can be used outside of the books they come with. Stickers can be stuck on variety of surfaces including lunchbox, school bag and so on. Imagine having a 3D dinosaur pop up on your kids lunchbox! Pretty cool stuff huh? The characters brought to life can also do more, the user can move characters, change colours/clothing and so on with a simply tap. Stickers can be enjoyed by kids between 3 to 5 years old. Similarly the storybooks can be enjoyed by that age group up to 10 years. Mardles products are very reasonably priced and can be purchased from various outlets including their official website.

2) Selfie Clothing (colour me in) T-shirts: Here is another innovative company based in the UK. Selfie clothing are plain well made, white t-shirts for kids from 5 years old to about 12. What makes these t-shirts special is that they come with a drawing print at the front, which the kids can then colour in and add to whatever they wish! It is like designing their own t-shirts. The t-shirts are sold with special pens to be used on them so that they do not come off in the wash or leak. These t-shirts are not only likely to fascinate and excite your child but also keep them occupied for hours as they horn in their artistic skills. Lots of fun to be had for sure. Selfie t-shirts retail at around £15-20 each but are worthy of the investment. You can purchase these t-shirts here

3) Magformers: If your child enjoys building things, this one is for you. Magformers is a company that makes magnetic building blocks. There are many variations to this by various companies but I prefer Magformers. These blocks follow the old fashioned "Lego" type idea but with a very modern twist. The blocks are very light and hollow in the middle with magnetic strips around the exterior. They click in with other blocks to form whatever your child wishes to build from houses, balls to even cars. They are suitable to the older child from 7 to 13 and are a lot of fun for adults too. Magformers come in different packages so you can choose according to your budget or child's age; small packages of 8 blocks retail for as little as £9.99. It is worth to shop around for the larger packages as different outlets offer different discounts and the larger packages can be more appealing to older kids as they provide them with better building options.

4) Robodog: Robodogs are basically robotic dogs. These are so well made in coping and imitating what real dogs do; they can bark, wag their tails, sit on command and walk. These are especially great gifts for younger kids who maybe too young to have a real dog or may live in places where pets are not allowed as is the same with some rental properties. There are many companies that manufacture and sell Robodogs so choose one you are happy with. Most of them do basically similar things although they may differ cosmetically so colours and design. They are battery operated and may need a large supply of batteries as some Robodogs can use up batteries very quickly. Robodogs have become very affordable since their initial introduction on the toy market so they can fit even tight budgets.

5) Interactive soft toys: This is more of a collective toy group than a single toy idea as the above entries. I wanted to include this group because it does have the nostalgia of the loveable soft toy but with a modern twist. The difference in this group is that the interactive nature of the soft toy can be anything from a simple melody to verbal interactions. These toys can also be enjoyed by a much wider range of kids than any mentioned previously because they encompass all ranges of interactions from the simple to the complex. The vast range also offers a much wider choice and thus covers a much wider budget range. Choose one that is more suitable for your child at a price you are happy with.

That's all my top picks for this holiday season. If you have other innovative toys that you feel should have been on the list, please let me know. Otherwise I hope this list helps you in making a decision on gifts for the little people in your life. Merry Christmas!

Revisiting Slavery: The Lybian case (Part 1)

I must first admit that I was not aware of the deplorable situation facing young black men in Lybia until a friend on Facebook shared an article about it. I believe that I wasn't alone in my ignorance of this despicable ordeal facing these men in Lybia because this situation had, up to that point, received no media coverage. We rely on our news channels to keep us updated with the events both at a local as well as global level. This had not happened as so many of us were unaware of this situation.
It is without a doubt that I, like many others, feel let down by the news organisation for how could such a thing not be news worthy? It is this question that has led me to assessing motives that may explain why the world turned a blind eye to the horrors these young black men have been subjected to, till now.

A few months ago I completed a book project I initially started seven years ago entitled: The Madness Of Planet Earth: From an alien's perspective. In this book, I touched on Slavery but from a different prospective. I looked at the subconscious programming in many of us in relation to slavery that still have an impact in the ways certain groups of people are treated: especially black people. I do not wish to repeat the contents of my book here as it is not the place for that but just wanted to elaborate of some of my findings in addressing the Lybian situation. If, you wish to read my book, it is currently available here.  It will be available in Amazon and other retail stores in the next few weeks as I had to tidy up a few bits on it before its widely available.

Anyway back to the Libyan situation, the first thing that is so heart wrenching about this is that it has been going on for many, many years undisturbed! You see, one doesn't simply get up one morning and decide to capture and sell another human being! In order for any 'business' to be sustainable for so long, there must be a systematic, well organised and executed plan. There must also be a demand for its "products". The questions then become why wasn't this 'business plan' stopped before it went this far? Who are these 'customers' who see no wrong in 'purchasing' another being as though they were cattle? Why are we still dealing with slavery in this century? And the list goes on.

Firstly, let me attempt to answer some of these questions by expanding on what I touched on in my book. When slavery originally started, 18th century, it came with it an attitude/belief system that justified the dehumanisation of a group of people based on their skin colour. This attitude/belief system was anchored by various nonsensical justifications including religion, cultural differences, racism, science and many others. All of these justifications were illogical, baseless untruths but they managed to allow the participation of other folks in maintaining the slavery for years. Underlying all this was a psychological perhaps, unconscious programming with its core intention on breaking down the very humanity of the slaves whilst at the same time installing an irrational and unspoken fear based state in the non slaves disguised as a God given (therefore God approved) superiority complex. The non slaves were made to feel somehow 'better off', for suddenly there were entitled to a 'better life' for just happening to be Caucasians; a rewards system for their silence to the atrocities subjected to the slaves. Now, I do have to point out that there were pockets within the non slave communities who weren't easily fooled by this, in the same manner there were slaves whose human spirits were not crushed by this system. Had it not been for these pockets of people, wide spread slavery would not have been abolished.

What I do want to point out however, is that through out our short human history, there has always been a segment among us of people who understand this psychological/subconscious fear that started with slavery so many centuries ago and are able to utilise it to justify and conduct such heinous crimes against humanity, as demonstrated by the Lybia modern slavery trade. This fear of 'black people' gave birth to the baseless stereotyping of black people, and black men especially, as 'aggressive' 'strong' unintelligent' 'criminals', basically a group of people who 'need' to be control just like a wild animal. This fear still exists deep in many non blacks and remains largely unchallenged and unaddressed. The reward system that started in slave days has now morphed to what is we know as 'white privilege'; giving a specific race undeserving advantages over others for simply having a lighter skin tone. The potential 'loss' of this reward system is also something buried deep in some peoples' consciousness and it, unfortunately leads to the 'blind eye' to certain unfair treatments towards black people. This was demonstrated very clearly long before we became aware of Libya slave trade: in America. A country where black men cannot even protest against oppression in a peaceful manner without it been depicted as some kind of a 'threat'. A country where black men are shot dead, in plan daylight like wild animals, for no other reason than the colour of their skin.

These belief systems have also contributed to the degradation of mainly black peoples' worth in our news outlet. Matters that largely affect black people are seen as not 'news worthy' and so go unreported. There is a better representation of black matters in the developed world absolutely, but this still occurs following public active outcry for the media to respond. It is by no means an accident that slavery is going on in a country like Libya. The perpetrators of this atrocity know fully well that they have a better chance of trading successful without interruptions if they operate in a third world countries and perpetuate their crimes towards black men. These two factors are what has helped this atrocity to prevail for so long. For who cares what happens in some god forsaken third world country to a bunch of black men, right?

Recently we, in the West, have been exposed like never before, to a group of people among us who relish in these illogical, fear/hate filled, oppressive belief systems with the rise of the far right. In the UK, Brexit became another 'excuse/justification' for some in this group to openly spew out their hate to those they deem 'unworthy'. I don't have a problem with Brexit, I do however have issues with the underlying, unquestioned racism and Xenophobia that rose out of over exaggerated, fear/hate driven, untruths in support of Brexit in some media outlets. In the same manner I don't care about Donald Trump, he is one individual. However, I do have issues with this individual constant abuse of power in his deliberate re-enforcement of racism, sexism, hatred on his twitter account. I also have issues with those groups of people cheering his madness as though it was the second coming.

What these recent events in the West has taught us is that we still, as a collective, have pockets of people whose views and actions are harmful to our progression and very humanity. These pockets need to be addressed before their twisted views become commonplace. We need to go back and challenge the subliminal/psychological belief systems orchestrated by those wishing to profit from our collective misery in order to stop this cancer from spreading once and for all. We need to actively ensure that we create an environment in our society that will no longer tolerate or nurture such beliefs. We therefore must start with honest, examination of the roots of these beliefs in order to change them.

I want to make one point clear, I am a black woman as you might have noticed from my profile photo. However I do not come from a slavery lineage. In other words I am, privileged enough to be able to trace my family tree as far as the moon. I do not say this to brag in any way, as nobody should have to experience slavery in the first place. Furthermore my daily life does not expose me to racist, sexist individual thankfully I am surrounded by people from all nationalities/race who do not hold these degrading belief systems. We might differ in our opinion on trivial stuff like, music taste but not on matter of great importance as this one. It is no wonder that it took a friend to alert me to this atrocity a few days ago. I am making this point to emphasise on the fact that my absolute condemnation for this atrocious practise and its affiliates, isn't because of my race or history but it is because of my humanity. I believe this is the case for many of us: we are outraged by atrocities no matter whom they occurred to. We therefore need to stop giving a platform to the minorities within us, who embody the most shameful and inferior qualities/practises. We need to actively challenge their twisted views with facts and logic absolutely, however we mustn't become askew in our collective vision. We mustn't allow old, worn out, viperous belief systems to blinded us from crimes against fellow humans regardless of their race or geographical location.

I am not proposing that we police every country in the world as that would be preposterous. I am talking about speaking out against such atrocities as the slave trade in Lybia. These atrocities must not be restricted by borders or race by the mere fact that they are incongruous to the very essence of what it is to be a human being. In uniting our voices in condemnation for such atrocities, transcending race, gender and such, we will force the media to alert us to unfairness, wherever it might be, as soon as possible so that we may stand a better chance at helping those fighting the oppression sooner rather than later. We will also stop giving 'silent' approval to the minority who are trying to revert us back to a caveman mentality. Speaking out in whatever form be it on social media or otherwise is necessary because if you look back we find countless examples of human sufferings, whereby the has been a very noticeable lack of interest in condemnation. It is such blaze attitudes, intentionally or not, towards suffering of certain races that has encouraged the media's disinterest in horrors in said countries. An attack in France should unite our urgent condemnation in the same manner as a similar attack in Bangladesh. Life should be worthy period! We cannot participate in adding to the suffering of innocent lives by closing our eyes to such horror because of where and who they affect. Doing so is inhumane!

I have entitled this article as "Part 1" because there are other facets needing consideration in regards to the Lybian slave trade. I am not ignoring the part Lybia, itself plays in enabling this atrocity to not only exist but flourish. These other facets, if you will, I will discuss in Part 2 of this article later on. I am not also ignoring the facts that other races experienced slavery too, albeit at a much lower and less inhumane level than black slaves.