Jab

2010-05-27T14:18:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth Eng's Contributor Profile - Associated Content

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Is 'Jersey Shore' a Minstrel Show?

2010-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

MTV’s “Jersey Shore” has been an extremely popular television show, and maybe in part to its level of scandal. The primary issue seems to be the use of the “guido” stereotype-- the pumped up Italian meathead partygoers and their ditzy bimbo female counterparts, who lack depth and revel in simply having a good time and maintaining their appearance. Many Italian-Americans take issue with the show, and the over-the-top portrayal of young Italians as unintelligent guidos has lots of people considering whether or not Jersey Shore is really just a modern day version of a minstrel show. Let’s look at the similarities and differences between the black minstrel shows of the 19th and 20th centuries and MTV’s Jersey Shore.

How Jersey Shore is similar to the minstrel show

Fake looking orange tans are their blackface, akin to the minstrel days post-Civil War when black people were doing the blackface performing themselves. Likewise, for Italian stereotypes, it was once more common to see non-Italians putting on make-up to darken their complexions as they donned the stereotype. Often this would consist of things like speaking in a thick cartoonish accent, talking incessantly about pizza (or even dough-tossing as part of usual behavior), and twirling a generous mustache. However, now it’s Italians themselves acting out a caricature of their people… whether they realize it, or not.

Fist pumps are their jubilees, their song, and dance.

The “guido” title is just a substitute for and a modern day, arguably less offensive version of “negro” (or worse).

The parody of the black adult in minstrel as childlike, simple, prone to only pleasure-seeking in an otherwise mature and growing world is similar to the lifestyle we see in Jersey Shore. Minstrel shows the black man as being unable to keep up, integrate, or adapt (unsuited for our society) while the rest of the world is responsible, smart, and productive. The party lifestyle and simple pleasure pursuits in Jersey Shore are a parallel to this. Most would classify the so-called “guidos” as obnoxious party-animals, and bimbos, and a base portrayal of anyone based on their ethnic group is undoubtedly a close cousin of the minstrel shows. Like minstrel shows, people are eating this right up. In the eyes of the educated or intelligent, this speaks just as poorly for the audience as it does for the entertainment. It makes one wonder, where does the real folly lie? When the make-up comes off, when the camera shuts off, who is the real Sambo or guido? It invariably becomes the viewers.

In Jersey Shore they even are redoing classic tales, as did minstrel shows. Only, instead of “Julius Sneezer“, they hit Jimmy Kimmel and do a nativity scene.

Both Jersey Shore and minstrel shows try to leave the audience with the feeling that the players are happy with their place in the world. Happy in ignorance and debauchery, each conveys the message not to save them, because they don’t need saving. They want the audience to trust that they are happy within their own microcosm and are not interested in joining the whole of society. In doing so, they also give their unspoken permission for you to find their situation amusing rather than disheartening. It relieves you (the viewer) of feeling responsible for their evolution or for your enjoyment of their debasement. Additionally, they give themselves permission to keep entertaining the white folk, remaining safely in their status quo without the threat of growth.

Both face(d) issues of misogyny in addition to racial prejudices. While minstrel shows used to ridicule the notion of women’s rights (such as the right to vote), Jersey Shore places women in a precious bubble on the one hand (with characters who swear they would never, ever hit a woman-- which can be seen as both noble and macho), and with the other hand has scandals over whether or not to show their starlets getting punched out in bars by grown men. There is the air of condescension throughout each in regards to the treatment of the fairer sex.

Jersey Shore and minstrel shows each receive(d) a share of identification from the ethnicities they portray within their viewership, either out of some sense of pride and/or from “getting” the joke.

If you want to know how Jersey Shore is dissimilar to a minstrel show and the final verdict, click here.

Valentine's Day Traditions for Single People

2010-02-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

I have never been one of those people who hated Valentine's Day, or has been cynical about love. I wrote this for publication thinking that a lot of people did feel this way and needed something for them, but it wasn't picked up, and I'm passing it on mostly to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, and also because I really liked the Scotland tradition... we ought to try more of that over here. Peace and Love, kiddies, and enjoy.

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If you've had it with Valentine's Day, try something a little different this year which doesn't require you to be in love.

That dreaded day, February the 14th, is coming around the bend. Here you sit, single. Aren't you just tired of Valentine's Day, Cupid, chocolates, roses, etc.? Do your married and involved friends make you (unintentionally) feel like some sort of bitter loser or reject? It's not your fault, and there are plenty of other people in your position. If you're wondering how to avoid the blues on the day of pink and red, here are a few pointers on Valentine's Day Traditions for single people. Forget traditional Valentine's Day as you know it-- no couples allowed. The following Valentine's Day celebrations require that you are single (or at least start off that way).

In Scotland there is often a festival held in honor of Valentine's Day, and the single ladies and single gentlemen get together and have their names put into hats. Names are drawn from the hats to form couples. Even though it is possible that some individuals may end up with more than one partner, the lady gets to decide ultimately who her Valentine will be. An exciting Valentine's Day tradition like this would be fun and festive just about anywhere, don't you think? If it were more widely celebrated, no one would ever be alone on Valentine's Day. Find a way to incorporate this in your region, or visit Scotland to take advantage of the festival.

In Finland, the day is often referred to as Friend's Day. Not what we would think of as our traditional Valentine's Day, in Finland they focus on friends rather than showering the attention solely on their lovers. Finally, something all-inclusive! This could be the perfect Valentine's Day solution for anyone looking to celebrate on February 14th who is currently without a partner.

In modern times, many of a cynical or perpetually single nature have chosen to cross over to the dark side, opting for Anti-Valentine's Day celebrations. There is no hard rule for this kind of rebellion, but generally speaking these celebrations include shutting out anything to do with lovey-dovey romance. Some will watch movies having nothing to do with love, such as certain action or comedy movies, while some get together with friends to play games or just complain. Music is optional, but of course no love songs are allowed. Nothing red or pink is invited to these anti-Valentine's Day celebrations. It can be a good catharsis to those who are not lovesick, but are just sick of love.

So, if these Valentine's Day traditions sound worth your time, you may come out of this one newly betrothed, or surrounded by other single friends, or at the worst, still single and alone but not nearly as sick of all the mushy romantic stuff as you thought you would be.

4 Personalized Baby Gifts for Baby & Family

2010-02-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

This is something I originally wrote for another publication, and while they claim to have liked it, it didn't fit their voice. So here we go... Maybe it will be informative or helpful to someone.

Looking for something special for the new arrival? Here are some suggestions for personalized and monogrammed gifts for both baby and baby's family to love.

Expected new arrivals are an everyday occurrence, but represent a powerful time for a family. Sometimes the simple standard baby gifts don't properly express just how special the new bundle is. When this is the case, personalized baby gifts are the way to go. If you are going to a baby shower and want to wow the mom and dad to be, consider gifts which are personalized for baby. Monogrammed baby gifts, for example, show a lot of thought and effort, and are sure to be cherished for a long time. Here are a few suggestions for personalization in baby gifting that you will adore.

1. Duck Milk Birth Announcements. While not quite a gift for baby, these customizable announcements are completely personalized for baby, with stats and photo(s). This would make a wonderful keepsake for the family and would be a sweet way to announce the birth of your new baby! It’s only $60 for a set of 50 and includes envelopes, and you get to choose from a large variety of card colors, fonts, ribbon, and even wording. They also give gift certificates.

2. Personalized Big Brother/Big Sister Ornaments. At My Bambino, they specialize in hand-painted customized gifts. This personalized baby gift is really more for the siblings of the new arrival, and it’s extremely affordable at only $12.99. The ball ornament includes the title of “big brother” or “big sister”, plus the child’s name. Another great plus-- it includes a bow and gift box.

3. Angel Dear Frog Pillow. Talk about cute! This soft green friendly curved frog pillow is bound to be one of your baby's first friends. Two Blue Peas carries this sweet monogrammed baby gift for $16, but you will have to add $8 for the monogram, which they will place either near the feet or in the center (your choice). They let you select font and even thread color. The cover comes off and is washable, making it convenient for parents.

4, Monogrammed Onesie. Monogram Whimsy presents a staple of the baby wardrobe-- the onesie, but with the cute and sweet twist of being a monogrammed baby gift. You can choose the thread color and request the baby's name or initials be stitched into the onesie. The sizes go up to 9 months and are priced at one for $14, or two for $25.

Many prefer to monogram baby gifts to include in baby's layette, or a first plush toy. Some prefer a personalized gift for the sibling, and most these days are bound to order customized birth announcements both for themselves and to send to loved ones. The next time you are shopping for baby gifts for an expectant parent, adding the sentimental touch of a personalized gift will show a lot of consideration and love, and could be their favorite baby gift ever.

Blogging for Haiti Relief

2010-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

It's been two weeks since the earthquake in Haiti and I'm amazed to find that I've recently written FOUR articles on the topic. Honestly, it's such a saturated topic which I figured I had nothing new to add to, that I thought I wouldn't write anything about. Then I read some reactions to the Pat Robertson Haiti-deal-with-the-devil comments and Pat Robertson vs. Science Haiti Piece 1 and Pat Robertson vs. Science Haiti Piece 2 were born.

Then I was allowed a kind of cool opportunity, to write about topics pertaining to Haiti earthquake relief awareness and raising money. I got to write two articles, and the publisher would pay $5 each towards the 2010 Haitian earthquake relief efforts, PLUS they would contribute additional funds based on how many page views they got (hint: if you want to generate donations to Haiti, visit and/or circulate these articles: Haitian Earthquake Relief Not Receiving Attention Needed & North Florida Haiti Relief).

And there you have it. Where I thought I had nothing of worth to contribute, nothing new to say, lo and behold... plenty. And I am raising and earning money for Haiti while doing it. And I made some pretty decent points. Who knew?

About the picture: taken by a man in the military. It shows the Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti. It has 800 planes a day waiting to land, but can only accommodate 130! Mob mentalities, rioting, and desperation are heavy in Haiti, bringing foreign aid troops to tears.

4 Funny Gifts for the Political-Minded

2010-01-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Looking for great funny gift ideas? Why not delve into the world of funny political gifts? Everyone these days has an opinion on politics, and this brief list has something for everyone.

Nowadays politics seems more important than ever, doesn't it? Everyone has a renewed interest in politics, and since there is always a gift-giving occasion right around the corner, why not get the people in your life gifts that poke fun at the everyday politics we all hear about? Here are some funny gift suggestions for the political-minded friends and loved ones in your life.

1. George Bush Devil T-Shirt. President Bush has been out of office for over a year now, but his memory still lives on, fresh in the mind of Americans... most of whom don't have a stellar opinion of him. If you know someone who feels this way, how about giving them this red tee featuring Bush's face with devil horns (perhaps a Valentine's gift)? It's located at FindGift.com and retails for only $15.95, and could be a humorous and affordable alternative to the box of chocolates.

2. "Obama Stole Half My Bumper Sticker" Bumper Sticker. If you're the type that prefers humor aimed at our current president, you or someone you love may be tickled by this very simple bumper sticker which reads, "Obama stole half my bumper sticker and gave it to someone else". It costs only $4.20 at Zazzle.

3. Hillary Clinton Nutcracker. Priced at $19.95 at WonderfullyWacky.com, this nine-inch tall representation of the former First Lady is designed to crack nuts-- you guessed it-- in between her legs. It's not only amusing, it's also functional and claims to crack even the toughest nuts.

4. Humorists For Palin Bib. What mini-collection of political humor gifts would be complete without taking a stab at Sarah Palin? This bib features a funny cartoon character and the phrase "Humorists For Sarah Palin", and is ideal for the comedians in your life (and/or their babies) who are thankful that Ms. Palin is not in office, but remains in the limelight. It comes in a pink, blue, and white, is made from 100% cotton, and can be found at Cafe Press for $10.99. Politics don't have to just be for adults, after all.

Whether it's for birthdays, romantic occasions, or just because, there is most assuredly someone in your life who would appreciate any one of these gifts to have a good (politics-based) laugh. Whether you're demonizing Bush, ridiculing President Obama's monetary beliefs, commenting on Hillary's tenacity, or beckoning Palin for material, comedy in the politics world is abundant. There clearly is something for everyone if you should choose to give a funny politics-based gift.

Bullshit Associated Content Articles

2010-01-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

I'm a writer for Associated Content, and just got sick of the shitty quality I continuously saw there. I had to say something about it. I wrote this a while ago and published it with them.

Why I've Stooped

Don't let actual good reading pass you by.
Hey folks. There are a lot of articles written here on AC. Some are very well done, interesting, informative, and more. Some are written by those who are barely grasping the English language (and no, I'm not talking about just the foreigners-- at least they have a decent excuse). Some are written about completely inane, useless topics which boggles the mind as to possible readership. Isn't it time we just put it right out there and say so? I'm not totally innocent, either. I've stooped to mediocrity of topics resulting in non-heartfelt reviews and commentary. I cannot criticize the others in terms of hack writing unless I also come down on myself. Here are some various forms of BS writing/writers on AC and why it should not be actually considered "writing":

1. The Soccer Mom-- Content basically consists of common sense advice and daily anecdotes of chasing the kids around the house while managing domestic cleanliness and partnerships. This is only helpful to those who enjoy reading an ongoing biography of one individual whom we most likely do not know, or for the borderline braindead who require a top ten list to advise them to give their kids a glass of milk before bed as a tip towards promoting good sleep. The rest of us potentially find this content boring, unnecessary, and utterly useless.

Tip: Please reserve this for your memoirs, where it will make more sense and be more meaningful to those loved ones you leave behind on this planet.

2. The Sell-Out-- Here is where I am guilty. The Sell-Out purposefully seeks out articles that (either) offer upfront pay and (/or) the possibility of lots more in performance pay due to interest. This is not necessarily an ambition to be ashamed of, as sometimes it results in interesting and important articles that the public should take notice of (for example, my NASA article, or my Florida Votes piece). However, there are occasions where this is completely untrue (see my Sex & The City Centerpieces, or anything having to do with top trends to look for). Most of the time, writings consisting of a top ten list in pop culture are completely full of it. Sure, the writer may work hard on their topic, but when they finish it feels as empty and meaningless as a one night stand. Dressing up that dress or top summer trends are as bogus of topics as can be and I completely b.s.-ed my way through them. Half of the time when I am dealing with such topics, my choices are completely random. I giggle at the thought of inadvertently starting an actual "trend' by simply saying something is so "in" this season on little old AC. After all, this is how these sorts of things get started in the first place. Anyway, it's dirty and yes I feel ashamed, but thank you for the money.

Tip: Keep doing it if you must, but don't spend too much time on it and don't take it too seriously, because you don't make enough money for that. Laugh afterwards at the ridiculousness of what you have just done and you should be fine. And remember, no one really cares about this nonsense.

3. The Complete Moron-- This is almost completely inexcusable. The Soccer Mom just has a life she feels is worth sharing, and the Sell-Out just wants to make a little money off of their ability to compose a piece. The Complete Moron seems to either have no real interest in writing, or they don't care whether or not what they are doing is good or worthwhile in the first place. You'll see examples of this in so many forms, it is hard to classify. Some people are just extremely bad with basics of English and would earn C's in remedial high school English. I thought AC did checks or something? Nobody's perfect, but isn't there any kind of integrity to writing that we're attempting to uphold here? These sorts will write on any topic, but I think they like to hang around opinion pieces most, since anyone is allowed to have an opinion and even they recognize this. Some write stories about how they were "so brave" and get cheered on by countless readers just for having some kind of "traumatic" experience, like meeting a criminal once, and the moral of the story is something completely off-base (like don't trust men over 30). For those instances, both the writer and the commenting readers are Complete Morons. Shame on you all for being so ego gratifying for such worthless b.s.

Some don't seem to be deluding themselves about being "writers", but don't care and have the time to whip up some garbage for us anyway. One classic example is one of the most popular articles we had on this site recently regarding MySpace Mobsters-- a game application you play via MySpace where the larger mobs are more powerful and advance more quickly than smaller mobs. This "article" claimed to be about cheats, and when you try to read it (which is like tapping on a nerve in your skull while listening to a broken record) you realize that all it does is tell you to get as many "friends" in your mob as possible to win-- which is actually not a cheat. There, I just summed it up in once sentence-- yet they managed to reiterate and regurgitate the same garbage over, and over, and over, and over, and over again to fill in an entire article in order to create the illusion of a fleshed out piece with proper word count. If this kind of "writing" doesn't piss you off, then you're probably a Complete Moron. This is but one example-- AC is full of this sort of b.s.

Tip: There isn't anything you can do, because you are willing to out yourself as a Moron to both a) make money on this site and b) earn imaginary money on MySpace Mobsters by recruiting strangers with your article; so, unless you grow a soul, keep on being you.

Look, I'm not trying to be a snob or anything, but some of us were drawn here by the purity of being able to do something we love and have been told we are good at-- writing-- while getting published and making a little bit of money at the same time. If people like myself don't call B.S. when we see it around here, we aren't doing our job as honest human beings and that actually makes us horrible writers. I can feign interest in bejeweled eyeglasses for the summertime all day and all night, and you can't see through your computer screen that behind my empty smile I am laughing and crying simultaneously-- and that's okay; but let's just air it out once the inner tears are dry and come to terms with who we are and what we are doing here.

The moral is-- don't let bad reading or writing happen to you.

The True McKeown Immigration

2010-01-12T15:32:00.001-08:00

My Uncle Steve had taken an interest in the McKeown genealogy, but he didn’t exactly find our ancestors. Sure, they are possibly distant relatives to our McKeowns, but you cannot simply locate any McKeown immigrants in the state of Massachusetts and assume they’re your own. Any genealogist knows that when tracing your family tree, you have to start at the end and work backwards. Uncle Steve may have attempted this and given up because it was surely a difficult task-- he may have tried and come up empty handed. I am far beyond pleased to announce that I did this, using John and Harold McKeown (my grandfather and great-grandfather), finding out everything I could by tracing with birth, death, marriage, military, census, & immigration passenger records, and also newspaper articles. I now know the story of our emigration and can link our McKeowns back to Ireland with the family tree chain in tact, rather than just guesses based on common names and locations.

Uncle Steve should have known the McKeowns he found were not ours. It’s easier to find people who are important and have money… who belong to churches, are fine upstanding citizens, and are involved in their community-- people who leave a heavy paper trail. Knowing our family, we should have guessed that our McKeowns were not as easy as this to find!

After many years of research and a few (what I thought were) dead ends, I finally cracked it all about a year ago and will share it with you in better detail now. It took the help of a fellow genealogist for a mere 5 minutes for me to really crack all the info I had found, helping me to spot simple things which I had overlooked. Sometimes when we look for things we think are complicated, we miss the simplest clues! This is a labor of love for me, because it was such a point of curiosity and pride, this line… and the fact that all my hard work and research produced real answers backed by real proof makes it all worth it. Even though it is possible I will never be able to trace the McKeown line farther than Harold’s grandfather in Ireland (due to scarcity of records for our kind), I am so satisfied to at least have crossed the ocean and achieved what looked impossible for a time.

What I mean by scarcity of records for “our kind”-- it doesn’t take genius to realize who we are in roots. Everything about our Bostonian history indicates poor Irish, who emigrated during and after the 1800s potato famine (not like Uncle Steve‘s earlier McKeown immigrants). These people can be hard to trace because they are often criminals, hoodlums, nutcases, and general nobodies-- the traits of the poor. Not to mention the fact that, as I understand it, Irish records can be hard to trace due to lots of destruction caused largely by the oppression of the English. Luckily for us, what they lack in status they make up for in penalizations. Sometimes, we get a break in finding a new sort of paper trail, like when they make the news for committing crimes and things of that sort. While it is a genealogical break, it can be heartbreaking, too, when we discover that we are uncovering generations of hardship and despair. It also is surprising when it seems to shed a light on who we are today, and how we inherited more than just genes from these people we have never met… we really are the continuation of them, and it is up to us to give their stories a happy ending. We share more in common with our ancestors than we may ever realize.

My great-great-grandfather Samuel McKeown was born in July of 1871, in Ireland. He came to Boston alone, from Ireland, at age 17. His departure was on April 22, 1889. The potato famine had ended decades ago, which means that his parents Michael McKeown and Mary McLean were survivors. The poor Irish were still traveling to America even after the famine, and largely due to their tenant status with the English, owning the land many lived on and being tyrannical landlords. From the famine onward, families en masse did not emigrate, younger members of it did. In this way, Samuel McKeown was typical. Many had the intention of sending money home to Ireland after they found success in America and this may have been Samuel‘s intention. I’m not sure exactly where in Ireland Samuel is from, but I know that it was Northern Ireland, and he left on a ship called the Pavonia from Queenstown (today it is called Cóbh, pronounced “cove“), Ireland, which was a major port that many from all of Ireland traveled to in order to board a ship. The Pavonia made a stop in Liverpool, England, before arriving in its destination of Boston. Samuel’s occupation at the time of his voyage was listed as “laborer”.

Here is a picture of the ship, Pavonia.

Five years after arriving in America, Samuel married my great-grandmother, Alice Gaw, on Christmas Eve in Clinton, Massachusetts. She was also an Irish immigrant, but she had emigrated in 1883 at the age of 9 with her family. I presume they fell in love…they were young (ages 23 & 20), and had a lot in common with their backgrounds, and choosing Christmas Eve to marry seems a romantic gesture. Occupations Samuel holds once being in America up until his death include mill-hand, weaver, and operative.

Alice was born in March of 1874 in Ireland. Her parents were Hugh Gaw (born about 1837) and Alice Christie (born about 1840), both of County Down, in the province of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Hugh & Alice Christie were married December 12, 1857 in a village called Greyabbey. This is exciting because it is the first location we have in Ireland to trace our roots back to! Alice Gaw may not be a McKeown, but she was the mother of the American McKeowns, so locating her homeland is just as wonderful as if we had found Samuel’s.

There is the village called Greyabbey in County Down, and there is also a Grey Abbey there as well. The village was named after the abbey. Grey Abbey was already in ruins and not in use by the time Hugh Gaw and Alice Christie were married in the 1850s. The abbey was created in the 1100s.

County Down, Northern Ireland-- where St. Patrick is said to be buried! Greyabbey is located on the far right peninsula, on the left hand waterfront upper side of that peninsula. To the very near northeast (by sea) is Scotland, and to the southeast (by sea) is England, and then Wales. Greyabbey is nearer to Scotland and England than it is to many parts of Ireland.

I believe Alice Gaw was the oldest of many siblings, possibly all girls, but the only one I know of is her younger sister, Mary. Because of Irish naming traditions for children, I believe that Mary could possibly be Hugh's mother's name. This will be a clue for us in future genealogy research. I do know that Hugh’s father was John Gaw.

Samuel and Alice had lots of children-- six, maybe seven, one being unknown, possibly dying young. They were Ruth, William, Raymond, Samuel, Harold (my great-grandfather), and Bruce. Life was probably very difficult for them all. The year after Bruce was born, at age 31, Alice suddenly contracted typhoid and died at Clinton Hospital on September 20, 1905. She was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Clinton two days later. Their residence at the time of her death was 189 Green Street, in Clinton.

I imagine their living conditions were not immaculate being poor and Irish, especially since typhoid is contracted through dirty conditions. Samuel Sr. was alone to raise 6 young children. Months after her death, Samuel was arrested for public drunkenness and put in jail. He was sentenced to four months. An ideal prisoner, he was to be released a little early for good behavior. Days before his release, he hung himself in his cell. It was done in such a way that seemed nearly impossible. He was seated the entire time and had to use conscious forward force of his body with no resistance in order to succeed in his task... clearly, he was determined. He died on May 17, 1906 in the County Jail in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and was buried the next day in Clinton.

I think he was not just overwhelmed by the task of being a father to his six young children, but I think he was heartbroken at the abrupt passing of his wife. Typhoid claims a life in as little as two weeks and onset & severity of symptoms seem to be very sudden. I do think that maybe they were very deeply in love and Samuel was wallowing in depression to the point that, no longer able to escape his problems through drinking, he wanted out of his life situation even if it meant leaving his children orphans. Although Alice had living family members in America, for some unknown reason some or even all of she and Samuel’s children were placed in group homes after their parents died.

From here the McKeown children appear to be dispersed in different directions. I only track my great-grandfather, Harold (who was 2 at the time of his mother‘s death), who was placed with his brother Samuel (who was 5 at the time of his mother’s death) in an orphanage of sorts for the poor Irish in Moreland Township (present day Hatsboro), Pennsylvania. They lived out their youth in this place which was a Protestant charitable center called Orangemen’s Home, which took in an overflow of poor immigrants from the province of Ulster, Northern Ireland. This consisted mostly of children and the elderly. It is now the site of a 14-acre assisted living/retirement home community. When Samuel and Harold McKeown became adults, they found their older sister Ruth-- who now had a family of her own in Philadelphia, and stayed with her for a while.

Eventually Harold ends up in Boston and marries Rose Hines, and the rest is history. I think the tragedy of losing his mother and/or his experience growing up in the group home was damaging to his mental state, because what little we know of Harold as a grown man and of his son, John (my grandfather), seem to indicate a lot of instability there. It’s an amazing illustration of trauma carried over throughout generations. We have this domino effect that takes place with events we may never even know of personally, trickling down to our descendents in the family tree, affecting us in the present day. This seems undeniable. It makes one question- how do we escape our heritage?

Some interesting facts-- Harold’s older brother, Samuel, stayed in Pennsylvania and made a family of his own. Samuel left a few more clues for us that tell us a little more about the McKeowns. For example, Samuel was forced to register for the draft for World War I, because of his age at the time. In his draft registration card we find that he is a white man of medium build and height, with brown hair and gray eyes. We also learn that he writes “McKeown” in a way I’ve seen my father do-- with the “c” raised and underlined. Could this be the way he was taught to write his name from his Irish father, Samuel Sr.? Could this be the most Irish, most correct way of writing our name? Since this discovery, I’ve begun writing McKeown this way.

So that’s the story of the McKeowns coming to America, and the life they tried to create and the sadness that followed. It catches you up to what we already know our story to be, and maybe explains a lot about who we are or why we are the way we are. Even though it’s a story of pain, it’s a golden genealogical find and has morals contained within it that I never expected to be there. I am a fifth generation Boston Irish, and that’s a very rich, unique history alone. The story of the individuals enriches us further.

This tale is merely an excerpt of all the many pages of knowledge, documents, and photos I have gathered over more than a decade in my genealogical pursuits. While it is complete as far as the McKeown line goes, there are far many more pages to read in the family genealogy, which has been “published” once in the form of The Genealogy of Eve Eng (2007) and will continued to be revised throughout the years to preserve our history. The next revision, hopefully coming soon in early 2010, will be titled The Genealogy of Eve & Cian Eng.

Love,
E=MC 2009

Pregnancy Facts Every Expecting Mother Should Know

2010-01-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

I wrote this about a year and a half ago. After having undergone my second pregnancy, labor, and nearly the first full year with my new baby thus far, I know that I would be able to re-write this with a lot of additional knowledge. For instance, pre-natal vitamins this time around actually saved me from a brutal bout with morning sickness. In any case, enjoy.

From a Mother of One, with One on the Way!
There is so much to learn about pregnancy, but can anything match having the experience for one's self?

When I discovered I was pregnant just over 5 years ago, it was the single happiest moment in my life. It felt like winning the lottery. It hadn't been that I was trying for years to become pregnant, or struggling with infertility, or anything of that nature... it's just that I had so much wanted to be a mother and hold a baby of mine in my arms. It was such good news and didn't seem real. I felt so elated that I thrust myself into learning about my pregnancy and fetus. I read books, magazines, watched documentaries, etc. I knew all the things happening to my body and my baby on a week by week basis. I was inspired to alter my diet, consuming less greasy and fatty food, junk food, and caffeine, with great joy and ease. Even though I felt mentally and emotionally prepared, I was still a young mother who had never been pregnant before. I learned some lessons along the way. Here are some of the main things I took with me after being pregnant and having a baby for the first time.

1. Sickness is not your fault. I had previously made up my own mind that women who got the infamous morning sickness were those who were either consciously or subconsciously anxious or resistant to the pregnancy. I said as much to a visiting friend when telling her the good news of my pregnancy, and we both agreed that we would never get morning sickness with our babies. When my friend left, the terror began. This was a mere matter of weeks into becoming pregnant.

My sickness was more like "night sickness", because it would last all day but got worse as the day progressed. In fact, my best chance for getting anything in my stomach was in the morning. This is unfortunate since I am a night person. What started as nausea quickly transformed into
uncontrollable vomiting. I was to find out later in reading more about the topic that I actually had a condition for which I should have been hospitalized. I would writhe on the floor of my apartment in pain, halfway between the couch and the bathroom, because I couldn't commit to the living room or the toilet. It felt like dying. Food would not be kept down. Not even water lasted long in my stomach. When my stomach was completely empty, I would either dry-heave or vomit stomach acid. I was dehydrated and my lips became constantly chapped so much so that the corners of my mouth turned pink and always felt like open sores. I chose to regularly ingest plain tea and vegetable soup-the tea because it seemed to bother my stomach the least, and the soup because it tasted better than anything else coming back up (which was becoming an important factor in selection). The vomiting was so painful, frequent, and violent that my throat always felt like it was on fire. I was losing weight, not gaining. People at work said I looked green. I was training someone at the office and began to cry because I wanted so badly to go home and couldn't. It was pretty terrible. And, how horrible I felt because of my prior beliefs! I knew then I was wrong.

I learned through my self-education that there is a good biological-not psychological-reason for having morning sickness in your first trimester. I learned that the way the body protects the fetus from being "discarded" as an unrecognized organism (which your body does regularly to prevent illness) is to drop its usual defenses entirely. Otherwise, the fetus may be attacked, ending the pregnancy sometimes so early on that one would never know they were pregnant. In fact, most sexually active women have been pregnant several times and miscarried without realizing. When the body drops these defenses, you are susceptible to any sickness that crosses your path. The guard is dropped for quite a while (until the baby is a healthier, more developed size, and can no longer be mistaken for an alien organism- in the second trimester) and this can make any sickness you come down with hard to kick. This made sense since the very first thing to happen to me to spawn the morning sickness was actually not stomach related, but a sinus infection. If you become sick while pregnant, don't blame yourself. Thank your body for being amazing enough to try to protect the baby.

I luckily also learned about pregnancy-safe, over-the-counter Dramamine, and it took just enough of the edge off of my nausea so that I could function and begin to actually eat again. I was sick past my first trimester and the terror was over in my fourth month of pregnancy.

2. Eating for two means eating healthier, not more. This one was a given for me without even reading the material, but my opinions were affirmed through my studying. Obviously you are literally not eating for two, full-sized adults, but many women take the saying literally and behave as though they are. There is no need to double your portions. What you need to do is realize that you are eating to sustain two life forces: one little, one big. Eat better. Some people do well to look to the food pyramid for guidance. Making sure you get protein, grain, calcium, fruit and vegetables is important. So, put down the seconds on chocolate cake. Don't use the pregnancy as a justification to over-indulge, because that has nothing to do with the baby and everything to do with you.

3. Pre-natal vitamins are for you, not the baby. Your baby is a parasite. It's not an insult, it's a fact. What that means for you and your body is that your baby will get every nutrient it needs before you receive any at all, even if that means it has to suck it out of every bone in your body. You get whatever is nutritional value is left over from your food intake, if anything. When mothers take pre-natal vitamins, they think they are doing it to keep the baby healthy, but what they are really accomplishing is supplementing their own bodies in the event that baby takes all the nutrient worth away from their food, leaving the mother's body with only nutritional scraps. That being said, if you are getting enough healthy food to eat and treating your body right, you do not need pre-natal vitamins. Good food and proper nutrition is much more natural and desirable than any vitamin. That's right, I said it.

4. You can remain a vegetarian during your pregnancy. Everyone and their mother had an opinion on my diet when it came to nourishing the new life inside of me, but there is nothing wrong or harmful with being vegetarian or vegan during pregnancy. There are natural concerns for these diets anyway in terms of getting the right vitamins, and for that you may opt for a supplement. Like many pregnant women of all diets, I became anemic during pregnancy and iron supplements were recommended to even this out. When you think about it, vegetarianism is nothing new. For thousands of years, vegetarian cultures have been apparently successful in having healthy pregnancies, as the descendents of these cultures are still here today. And, any good doctor will not dissuade you from your diet. They may advise in the way of supplements, but if you are receiving criticism or discouragement, it's time to find a new doctor.

5. Listen to your body and your common sense above anything or anyone else. After I had gotten over my sickness and was beginning to feel healthy again, my belly started to show. It was wonderful. However, at about 6-7 months, my doctor still wasn't happy with my weight gain. When she asked me about honoring my cravings, I confessed to her that I had really been wanting ice cream but was trying to limit it because I knew it wasn't the best thing. My doctor told me that my baby needed the extra weight gain and the calcium found in ice cream wouldn't hurt, either, so I could go crazy. I became more liberal with my ice cream intake and indulging these types of cravings, and by month 7-8 I had really ballooned. Now doctor was happy with my weight, but I had put on more than I needed to for my height, gotten fatty in appearance, and created stretch marks all over my body. The truth is, my weight growth had been on the lowest level of what's normal for my height previously, and baby would have been fine without it. What it did accomplish was affecting my self-esteem-and I still haven't lost the weight completely. If your maternal instinct is telling you to hit the salad and not the ice cream, it's okay to disagree with your doctor's advice. Do what you feel is best. Those are the five main details that stay with me the most about pregnancy, although I could go on and on with more. Maybe I'll do a second part? Anyway, I hope you take this to heart and know that no matter what, as long as you are trying with everything you've got inside to be a good and responsible human being and mother to your child, it is very hard to go wrong. Trust your instincts and put the baby first and pregnancy will be for you just what it should be-a journey that ends with a healthy, beautiful baby.

Madison Keys & Tennis Sexuality

2009-07-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently Madison Keys, aged 14, recently beat Serena Williams. Madison Keys' tennis game has been a highlight of recent tennis news, and has earned her the rank of number 1 player in the world. Madison Keys is also now the youngest in World TeamTennis history.

Will the spotlight stay on the young star? The latest news seems to suggest so. Tennis is not always the most popular sport, but people like Madison Keys or Serena Williams or Anna Kournikova have allowed it more attention through the years. Ever notice how we never see or hear about 14 year old male tennis stars? There are grown male tennis stars, but we are much more interested in teenage girls. Especially in the case of stars like Kournikova, tennis becomes sexualized and girls become famous not so much for their game, but often because of how they look bouncing around in a cute tennis outfit.

Madison Keys is obviously talented. She already has proven herself to have an impressive game. She made a big impression by taking down a Wimbledom champ. Madison did it far from her Florida home base, too. If her future looks bright, it's not without merit. People are excited by her skill. Surely she surprised Serena Williams and even earned a some of Williams' fans herself... or gained the interest of a new young female and/or minority fanbase for tennis for this generation. I'm just saying... if she is going to be America's next big star, now is a good time to look at the hows and whys of the phenomenon in order to examine ourselves and our societies, to understand ourselves fully and gauge our own reactions with care. Will Madison be more memorable for her game, or for other factors? She's young and impressionable, and perhaps naive or unaware of some of what may now come her way. Keys got her first racket as a young child after she told her parents she wanted to wear the outfit she saw on Venus Williams on TV. We have a culture that seems to like to see teenage girls in tennis skirts.

That she has come this far so young proves she's got what it takes. She's going to read lots of positive things in the media, about people believing in her. Hopefully she will respect herself enough to not seek a certain kind of male approval in her career.