Allergic To Modern Life
January 21, 2018
James Stanton
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

- William Shakespeare
Let’s Talk About Cricket
Cricket has been a prevalent sport in the subcontinent for a long time. It is something that the locals relate with to a great extent. Be it bowling, or batting, or fielding for a match. Interestingly, Cricket was introduced in this region from the British when they acted as colonizers. The locals picked up the sport and adopted it as if it were their own sport, thereby developing a strong conviction to it. Experts agree that youngsters living in the Weald, a region of thick forests and clear
Read More
What are Sports to Society?
We all know what sports are by definition. We have all heard of different games like cricket, basketball, football, hockey, and many more. Other people enjoy watching different sports and some people can be enthusiastic enough to never miss a game. Regardless of what sport you choose or what level of enthusiasm you show towards the game, it can be agreed that sports hold a specific meaning to society. The definition of a sport goes far beyond knowing the rules of the game. There is a greater con
Read More
Military Culture
You might have heard that different cultures exist across different ethnicities, but if you have seen some of the most classical military-based movies like “A few good men”, or otherwise have an interest in military life, then you will know that there is a completely different culture in the Military and although civilians might not be able to understand that culture, it is well practiced in the military. Most militaries across the world have had their members living in a boarding school,
Read More
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
To make a shepherd's pie, you need: 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes One tablespoon kosher salt 1/4 cup milk 3 tablespoons salted butter One Cup shredded white cheddar 1/4 cup sour cream, one large egg yolk 2 teaspoons kosher salt One teaspoon ground black pepper One tablespoon olive oil One Cup diced onion One Cup diced carrot 1 pound ground lamb 1 pound ground beef sirloin three tablespoons all-purpose flour One teaspoon finely chopped fresh Rosemary
Read More
From the Draft to the Rink: A Look at the NHL’s Player Development System
The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the most competitive professional sports leagues in the world, with the best hockey players from around the globe competing for the Stanley Cup. However, becoming an NHL player requires a great deal of hard work and dedication, as players must go through a rigorous development system to reach the highest level of competition. Here, we take a look at the NHL's player development system, from the draft to the rink. The first step in the player developm
Read More

In the early 1870s, Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake set out into the desert and established the town of Snowflake, Arizona. The off-the-grid location provided the perfect setting for a thriving town to take over the Old West. Over the years, the town has become a refuge for a unique subset of Americans seeking a simpler way of life, to put it lightly.

via Wikimedia Commons / sgilsdorf

A few years prior to the establishment of Snowflake, George Beard, a well respected medical professional, published several articles on the damaging effects of ‘modern civilization’. His 1869 publications cited symptoms such as “drowsiness, cerebral irritation, pain, pressure and heaviness in the head” as consequential side effects to a rapidly developing industrialized and technologically-based world. He named this newly discovered illness ‘neurasthenia’, but it would take about another hundred years for Beard’s diagnosis to find refuge in that small town of Snowflake, Arizona.

Over the next century, support grew substantially for Beard’s original theory of neurasthenia. By the mid 1970s, this illness became known more commonly as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) or Environmental Illness (EI). For the common folk, this diagnosis appears to be a hyper-inflated reaction to a rapidly developing world dominated entirely by technology, which on some level, is weirdly relatable. Symptoms range from muscle pain and fatigue to panic attacks and nausea. Those who suffer from MCS can trace their symptoms to exposure with modern technologies such as chemicals, Wi-Fi, synthetic fabrics, artificial fragrances, and more; however, doctors remain hesitant to legitimize MCS as a medical diagnosis, as there is little scientific evidence to prove such a phenomenon exists. Lacking support from the medical community, sufferers of MCS are often self-diagnosed and resort to alternative treatments to find relief from the harmful effects of society.

When Bruce McCreary became fed up with his MCS symptoms in 1988, he left his home in Mesa, Arizona, and headed to the desolate town of Snowflake. The low-key atmosphere and lack of modernized culture was the perfect remedy for Bruce’s ailing symptoms. As a former electrical engineer, he is now disabled and cites exposure to aircraft chemicals as the main culprit to his ongoing pain. Word slowly began to spread through the MCS community, and Snowflake became a modern-free paradise for thirty more sufferers over the next several decades.

Susie Molloy, a resident and advocate for the healing nature of Snowflake, puts it rather simply saying, “For me, the improvement was so radical. You get out of the car; you feel better. You can walk. You don’t need the oxygen tank. Your speech is clear. I didn’t exactly want to move here, but my body said, ‘Yeah we’re moving here.’”

Many of the residents of Snowflake have similar views, and feel that seeking refuge in Snowflake is the way to avoid the daily headache of modern technologies. While it may sound like a nice get-away for the rest of us, the reality of life in Snowflake isn’t so easy. The community is fighting a constant battle to protect their sacred town, and live day-to-day unsure of their own destiny.