#adult product india

[santusti1]

Wand Massager Shop in Delhi

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, you'll discover a selection of wand massagers and vibrators that cater to different intensity levels, materials, and functionalities. Keep in mind that it's essential to choose a reputable seller that prioritizes customer privacy and provides accurate product information. Always make informed decisions and prioritize your safety and satisfaction while exploring the offerings of wand massagers and vibrators in Delhi.

[mysextoysindia]

Explore a discreet range of adult products in India, designed to enhance intimacy and pleasure. Discover a variety of sensual toys, accessories, and wellness products tailored for individuals and couples. Embrace a fulfilling and adventurous lifestyle with high-quality, safe, and culturally sensitive adult items, ensuring a pleasurable and satisfying experience for all.

[nightstoy]

Elevate Your Pleasure with Premium Sex Toys | Call us at +916283439652 Explore Night's Toy, your premier destination for a curated selection of high-quality sex toys. From intimate essentials to luxurious pleasure devices, our online shop caters to diverse desires. Discover a world of passion and satisfaction with discreet packaging, secure transactions, and a commitment to your pleasure. Indulge in the ultimate shopping experience at Night's Toy – where pleasure meets sophistication. Visit us: https://nightstoy.com/sex-toys-shop/

[chennaipleasure]

"Explore Intimate Pleasures with the Finest Women's Adult Products in India - Empowering Sensuality and Self-Expression for Every Desire." - ChennaiPleasure

In India, the market for women's adult products has experienced a significant transformation in recent years, reflecting changing societal attitudes towards sexuality and the increasing acceptance of sexual wellness as an integral aspect of overall health. The availability of adult products for women has expanded, driven by a combination of factors such as globalization, digitalization, and a growing awareness of sexual health.

Traditionally, discussions around adult products were considered taboo in Indian society, but a gradual shift in cultural norms has led to a more open dialogue about sexual wellness. This changing mindset is mirrored in the increasing demand for women's adult products, including a wide range of items designed to enhance pleasure and promote sexual well-being.

One of the key contributors to the growth of this market is the rise of e-commerce platforms, which provide a discreet and convenient way for individuals to explore and purchase adult products. Online retailers have played a crucial role in overcoming the hesitations associated with buying such items in physical stores, offering privacy and a diverse selection of products. This shift to online shopping has made these products more accessible to women across different regions of India.

Moreover, the increasing influence of global trends and a more liberal approach to sexuality have encouraged the development of a variety of adult products tailored specifically for women. These products include a range of intimate accessories, lubricants, arousal enhancers, and sexual wellness gadgets. Manufacturers and retailers are increasingly focusing on creating products that prioritize safety, quality, and comfort, catering to the diverse needs and preferences of women.

Despite the growing acceptance, challenges persist, particularly in terms of addressing cultural stigmas and ensuring the accessibility of sexual health education. Advocacy groups and sexual health organizations are working towards promoting awareness and fostering a more inclusive and informed perspective on sexual wellness. Education about the proper use of adult products and the importance of consent and communication in intimate relationships is considered essential to creating a healthier and more understanding society.

In conclusion, the market for women's adult products in India is undergoing a transformative phase, driven by changing societal attitudes, increased access through online platforms, and a globalized perspective on sexual wellness. While challenges remain, the evolving landscape reflects a positive shift toward acknowledging and prioritizing sexual health as an integral part of the overall well-being of women in India.

To reach us out in offline mode do not forget to visit

ChennaiPleasure

32/42 Ek Guru Street Chennai Central Tamil Nadu 600112

Call & WhatsApp +91 9593850120

E-Mail Us- contact@chennaipleasure.in

Visit Our Website- https://chennaipleasure.in/

[cupidbabatoys]

[sartorialadventure]

u/ChipHazardous:

"For a very long time the Roman empire was able to acquire silk through trade over 'the silk road' to China, but never able to unlock the secrets of producing it domestically themselves. Until 552AD, when two monks preaching in India then travelled to China, where they witnessed the guarded methods of using the live silk worm to spin the famous thread. Knowing the importance of what they'd learned, the monks returned to Constantinople to report directly to the emperor Justinian. He personally met the monks, heard all the details of what they'd seen, then asked them to return to China and find a way of smuggling these worms back to the empire. They agreed, and prepared for the 2 year ~6,500km (4,000mi) trek back to China on foot, hoof and wheel. Once back in China they acquired either eggs or young larvae, since the adults are too delicate for transport, and tucked them into hollowed bamboo canes for the long journey straight back home. Once the monks made it back to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), domestic silk production slowly ramped up and the need for long journeys along the 'silk road' ramped down. Over time, this allowed the same type of silk monopoly which China had enjoyed through the prior centuries to now be established in the Mediterranean, becoming one of the bedrocks of the Byzantine economy for the next 700 years.

It's crazy to think about these two guys. 1500 years before you or I were born, making their second multi-year, 6,500km trek back from China, smuggling two bamboo canes full of bugs which would fuel the economy of one of the world's largest civilizations for the next 700 years. I wonder if they knew and understood these possibilities when they went to scoop the worms from their baskets in China...Imagine the anxiety trying to keep them hidden and alive the whole way back!"

(source)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Culture

There are many definitions of culture and it is used in different ways by different people.

Culture - may be defined as patterns of learned and shared behavior that are cumulative and transmitted across generations.

Patterns

There are systematic and predictable ways of behavior or thinking across members of a culture.

Emerge from adapting, sharing, and storing cultural information.

Can be both similar and different across cultures.

Example: In both Canada and India it is considered polite to bring a small gift to a host’s home. In Canada, it is more common to bring a bottle of wine and for the gift to be opened right away. In India, by contrast, it is more common to bring sweets, and often the gift is set aside to be opened later.

Sharing

Culture is the product of people sharing with one another.

Humans cooperate and share knowledge and skills with other members of their networks.

The ways they share, and the content of what they share, helps make up culture.

Example: Older adults remember a time when long-distance friendships were maintained through letters that arrived in the mail every few months. Contemporary youth culture accomplishes the same goal through the use of instant text messages on smartphones.

Learned

Behaviors, values, norms are acquired through a process known as enculturation that begins with parents and caregivers, because they are the primary influence on young children.

Caregivers teach kids, both directly and by example, about how to behave and how the world works.

They encourage children to be polite, reminding them, for instance, to say “Thank you.” They teach kids how to dress in a way that is appropriate for the culture.

Culture teaches us what behaviors and emotions are appropriate or expected in different situations.

Example: In some societies, it is considered appropriate to conceal anger. Instead of expressing their feelings outright, people purse their lips, furrow their brows, and say little. In other cultures, however, it is appropriate to express anger. In these places, people are more likely to bare their teeth, furrow their brows, point or gesture, and yell (Matsumoto, Yoo, & Chung, 2010).

Learned: Rituals

Members of a culture also engage in rituals which are used to teach people what is important.

Example 1: Young people who are interested in becoming Buddhist monks often have to endure rituals that help them shed feelings of specialness or superiority—feelings that run counter to Buddhist doctrine. To do this, they might be required to wash their teacher’s feet, scrub toilets, or perform other menial tasks.

Example 2: Similarly, many Jewish adolescents go through the process of bar and bat mitzvah. This is a ceremonial reading from scripture that requires the study of Hebrew and, when completed, signals that the youth is ready for full participation in public worship.

These examples help to illustrate the concept of enculturation.

Cumulative

Cultural knowledge is information that is “stored” and then the learning grows across generations.

We understand more about the world today than we did 200 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the culture from long ago has been erased.

Example: Members of the Haida culture, a First Nations people in British Columbia, Canada are able to profit from both ancient and modern experiences. They might employ traditional fishing practices and wisdom stories while also using modern technologies and services.

Transmission

Passing of new knowledge and traditions of culture from one generation to the next, as well as across other cultures is cultural transmission.

In everyday life, the most common way cultural norms are transmitted is within each individuals’ home life.

Each family has its own, distinct culture under the big picture of each given society and/or nation.

With every family, there are traditions that are kept alive.

The way each family acts and communicates with others and an overall view of life are passed down.

Parents teach their kids every day how to behave and act by their actions alone.

Outside of the family, culture can be transmitted at various social institutions like places of worship, schools, even shopping centers are places where enculturation happens and is transmitted.

Understanding culture as a learned pattern of thoughts and behaviors is interesting for several reasons:

It highlights the ways groups can come into conflict with one another. Members of different cultures simply learn different ways of behaving. Teenagers today interact with technologies, like a smartphone, using a different set of rules than people who are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Older adults might find texting in the middle of a face-to-face conversation rude while younger people often do not. These differences can sometimes become politicized and a source of tension between groups. One example of this is Muslim women who wear a hijab, or headscarf. Non-Muslims do not follow this practice, so occasional misunderstandings arise about the appropriateness of the tradition.

Understanding that culture is learned is important because it means that people can adopt an appreciation of patterns of behavior that are different than their own.

Understanding that culture is learned can be helpful in developing self-awareness. For instance, people from the United States might not even be aware of the fact that their attitudes about public nudity are influenced by their cultural learning. While women often go topless on beaches in Europe and women living a traditional tribal existence in places like the South Pacific also go topless, it is illegal for women in some of the United States to do so. These cultural norms for modesty that are reflected in government laws and policies also enter the discourse on social issues such as the appropriateness of breastfeeding in public. Understanding that your preferences are, in many cases, the products of cultural learning might empower you to revise them if doing so will lead to a better life for you or others.

Humans use culture to adapt and transform the world they live in and you should think of the word culture as a conceptual tool rather than as a uniform, static definition.

Culture changes through interactions with individuals, media, and technology, just to name a few.

Culture generally changes for one of 2 reasons:

Selective transmission or

to meet changing needs.

This means that when a village or culture is met with new challenges, for example, a loss of a food source, they must change the way they live.

It could also include forced relocation from ancestral domains due to external or internal forces.

Example: In the United States, tens of thousands Native Americans were forced to migrate from their ancestral lands to reservations established by the United States government so it could acquire lands rich with natural resources. The forced migration resulted in death, disease and many cultural changes for the Native Americans as they adjusted to new ecology and way of life.

Source ⚜ More: On Psychology ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[kendrixtermina]

The grimy, racist core of the "but Hamas" thing is not that Hamas is like secretly all perfect rainbow sparkles wonderful, but that Palestinians are expected to have a perfect flawless government before their desire for self-determination & right to resist are taken seriously

Somehow past violence disqualifies Palestinian authorities (at least those that won't be stooges) but it is NEVER treated as invalidating Israel's credibility though they did all the same violence and more ten times over, and also, they STARTED it.

Palestinians are held to an impossible standard.

Or its not even that, because the west bank government became Vichy France level stooges & that didn't lead to a Palestinian state, it was used to prevent that. It's a rigged, no win game.

Hamas (which is only one leading faction in a larger coalition of Palestinian resistance fighters that includes socialists as well) doesn't need to be perfect for Palestinians to have a right to self-determination & to resist occupation.

After all its not like western governments are perfect... far from it... and the Israeli government & military are a heart of darkness and a wretched hive of sin, theres no other way to put what I've learned from all the books, documentaries & tentimonies I've been looking at over the last few weeks as well as the real time events unfolding. There is no evil they wont stoop to.

It's the same basic flaw that creates problematic legal grey zones in USA reservations - can't give the "savages" juristiction over "our" citizens so you can just go in there & do a crime. Or the original sin of the UN, which is the veto power.

The rich countries need to finally stop acting like they are by default the adults at the table even if they're acting like toddlers.

All the world is for Palestine! All the world. This includes most ppl under 40 in the West, just that our shitty old man politicians don't represent us. But overwhelmingly most UN states voted to censure Israel time & time again & the USA keeps protecting them. All the world is against this! They're not all stupid. The USA is not more enlightened. They're just another self-serving superpower just like China & Russia. Yes those regimes suck - but the USA sucks! And ppl in India & Africa do admire China for making cheap tech products accessible to less rich countries. The USA (& by extension most the leadership of the western block) is letting Israel do every conceivable evil right now, there IS no moral high ground.

Time we had real equality. Time we expunged the last vestiges of colonialism. In the UN, in western countries, and in occupied Palestine, where it is the strongest.

[thatsassythingg]

The Sassy Guide to Situationships & Getting Down to Relationship (DTR) — thatsassything

You can’t stop thinking about them–your toothbrush is in their bathroom, and all your friends are waiting to hear about your next date. But you’re “going with the flow” and haven’t put a label to what you’re doing together yet. Most of us have been in a situationship. However, we might all feel differently about it. Whether you’re frustrated and waiting for your partner to have the talk, or are wondering if you have to take a next step at all, or you’re just comfortably marinating in some fiery new relationship energy, Aunt Sassy’s Down to Relationship (DTR) guide has got all you need. Like her self-care products, it’s been carefully curated for some TLC, so keep reading, bestie!

Defining a Situationship

In simple words, a situationship is, “when it’s more than friendship, but less than a relationship.” Some call it the period before getting DTR. A situationship is also not the same as being friends with benefits (FWB), a sneaky link, or a textationship, and differentiating between each one can help get a clearer idea of what it is.

FWB vs Situationship: In an FWB, while partners may be friends and have emotions for each other that are based on their friendship, they may decide to keep things less romantic, while also engaging in physical intimacy. In a situationship, partners may have romantic feelings for each other that they’re comfortable exploring while engaging in physical intimacy.

Sneaky Link vs Situationship: A sneaky link is typically a person you’re not “supposed” to be seeing. For example, if you’re getting cozy with a friend’s ex, and your friend and most of your circle doesn’t know. (If you’re a sneaky link, we’re not judging, but we hope you’ve carefully considered the emotions of everyone involved!) A situationship may not be as secretive and partners may be more comfortable talking about who they’re with.

Textationship vs Situationship: A textationship is a dynamic which is primarily text-based, where partners share emotional and/or physical intimacy. There may also be an understanding that the partners are satisfied with keeping things text-based. While a textationship could be considered a situationship, situationships generally include a focus on also spending in-person time together.

Relationship vs Situationship: In a relationship, partners tend to prioritise each other as part of their primary circle, may make important life decisions with each other in mind, and are “official”–most people in their lives may know about their relationship and their close ones may also be in touch with their partners. While monogamous relationships often associate being exclusively intimate with one person as necessary, this may not be so in non-monogamous relationships. In a situationship, partners may be much less committed and involved in each other’s lives. As M, a twenty-four year old, non-binary content writer, who’s monogamous says, “Every relationship may start with a situationship, but not every situationship is a relationship in the making.

It’s important to remember that these labels may be more nuanced based on partners’ experiences and interactions with each other, and connections between people may not always fall into the definitions that we prescribe for them.

Knowing What You Want

Before having a conversation with your lover about considering a relationship, it’s vital that you reflect on what you want. This could include figuring out your emotional, physical, and other needs, whether you want to be monogamous or non-monogamous, and if and how your priorities would change if you’re getting DTR. A lot of the rhetoric on the internet can be dismissive of situationships as a valid form of connection. However, situationships can have both pros and cons.

Pros: A situationship comes with less expectations to give first priority to your partner and more space to focus on yourself, and other aspects of your life. It can also allow you more freedom to date other people you might be curious about.

Cons: You may feel like some of your needs aren’t being met enough, and the uncertainty of whether you’re moving towards a relationship or not, may be anxiety-inducing–especially if that’s something that you desire or expect.

While it’s very okay to not have all the answers, it can be useful to introspect by yourself and communicate your thoughts to your partner. You can also always get your hands on a personal massager like the OG for some of that post-nut clarity (*wink wink*).

R, a cis-het man who’s 24 and single, shares how one can deal with the uncertainty of situationships better: “I have realized that it’s important to state your expectations very clearly as soon as you realize what you want. Letting the other person know helps, since it can encourage them to be honest about their intentions as well. Hopefully, none of us are toying around with each other. “

For more information visit: https://thatsassything.com/blogs/sassy-stuff/the-sassy-guide-to-situationships

[santusti1]

Finger Vibrator in Indira Nagar Get the ultimate pleasure with our finger vibrators in India. These small and discreet toys are perfect for solo play or foreplay with your partner. Enjoy intense sensations and explore new erogenous zones with our range of high-quality finger vibrators. 

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil’s rising role as a geopolitical heavyweight

Brazil takes center stage as host of this year’s G20 Summit, marking a defining moment in the nation’s ascent as a geopolitical powerhouse. Dina Ting, Head of Global Index Portfolio Management, explores Brazil’s economic ambitions alongside its increasing influence in shaping the future of international economic cooperation.

For many people, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro evokes images of sunny beaches and colorful celebrations. But the city’s biggest international event of this year (in fact, the largest since the 2016 Olympic Games) will likely involve more suits than bikinis. Next month, for the first time, Brazil will take center stage on the world’s preeminent platform for global economic cooperation as host of the G20 (Group of 20) Summit in Rio.

The coalition, which includes the United States, China, India, the European Union, and most recently, the African Union, represents the world’s major economies—accounting for roughly 80% of global gross domestic product (GDP), 75% of global trade and two-thirds of the global population.1

Since taking office early last year for his third non-consecutive term, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (Lula) has spent much time abroad trying to raise his country’s global standing. His efforts may be paying off. A recent Pew Research survey found that most Brazilian adults are optimistic about their country’s status as an international power.2

Beyond the G20, Brazil is also slated to play host for other high-profile events, such as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in 2025, while concurrently pursuing membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Continue reading.

[annureddy]

Buy Adult toy store in India | Call: 9830983141

Explore a diverse collection of imported adult toys and accessories at our online store based in Hyderabad, the City of Nizams· Discover your favorite pleasure products and enhance your intimate moments with ease. Choose from a variety of options available at the best online sex toy store in India. Satisfaction guaranteed. For more details call & whats app: 9830983141.

[fibula-rasa]

Lost, but Not Forgotten: The Madness of Youth (1923)

Direction: Jerome Storm

Scenario: Joseph Franklin Poland

Original Story: George F. Worts

Camera: Joseph August

Studio: First National Fox (production) & (distribution)

Performers: John Gilbert, Billie Dove, Wilton Taylor, George K. Arthur, Ruth Boyd, Julanne Johnston, Donald Hatswell, Luke Lucas, Dorothy Manners (potentially miscredited as Louise/The Dancer)

Premiere: 8 April 1923

Status: presumed entirely lost

Length: 4,719 feet, or roughly 51 minutes.

Synopsis (synthesized from magazine summaries of the plot)

A sophisticated, young gentleman, Jaca Javalie (Gilbert), is travelling on a cross-country train to California. As Javalie traverses the smoking car, it’s apparent he’s being tailed by a detective. However, somewhere between the smoker and the pullman, the detective loses the trail��as if Javalie had disappeared into thin air. 

Later, out from the ditch beside the railroad, Javalie emerges—dressed now in tatters, a bindle stick slung over his shoulder. Javalie makes his way on foot to the California mansion of the Banning family. 

Within the estate, the patriarch, Theodore P. Banning (Taylor), has built a private vault to secure his millions after being burned by bank failures in the past. 

Banning’s children, Ted (Arthur) and Nanette, a.k.a. Nan (Dove), are now young adults and, though he loves them, he knows they’ve been spoiled rotten. Ted is selfish and unfeeling. He had brought home from France a wife, Jeanne (Boyd), but has since made her life miserable. Nan spends every night out gallivanting with the caddish mooch, Pete Reynolds (Hatswell), currently staying at the Banning’s as a guest.

Banning found comfort only in spiritualism—often communing from beyond the grave with his wife.

Javalie makes his entrance in the middle of another family quarrel. He presents himself to Banning, Sr. as a man with mystical powers, which he learned in India. He claims that has come to the Banning home after visions of their familial strife, sure that he can bring them peace. Banning agrees to let Javalie stay a while. Something about Javalie’s manner has a quick effect on the younger Bannings, who begin acting with a bit more reverence and grace. At dinner, Javalie lays his mysticism spiel on a receptive audience, save for the guest, Reynolds. 

George K. Arthur, John Gilbert, Billie Dove, Ruth Boyd, and Wilton Taylor in The Madness of Youth from Motion Picture Classic, June 1923

Later, the Bannings throw a lavish masquerade ball with the theme “winter frolic.” At the ball, Nan gets Javalie alone and says she doubts his supernatural gifts. He assures her he isn’t trying to fool her, and she takes that as flirting. The gentleman thief Javalie is softening. 

Next, Jeanne approaches Javalie and pleads with him to save her husband from the temptation of a dancer hired for the ball, who has a reputation as a vampire.

Ruth Boyd, George K. Arthur, John Gilbert, and Julanne Johnston in The Madness of Youth from Motion Picture Classic, June 1923

Javalie and Nan take a walk through the garden and she teasingly goads him into an embrace. Pleased with her machinations, Nan flutters away. 

Now left alone in the garden, Javalie is greeted by the dancer. Under her mask is a familiar face, Louise (Johnston), Javalie’s ex-girlfriend. Louise threatens to expose him to the Bannings. Javalie reveals that he’s been planning to rob the Banning vault for three years. Louise agrees to publicly play-act that Javalie has saved her soul in exchange for a cut of the loot and Javalie’s hand in marriage. Javalie preaches to the crowd of attendees and, on cue, Louise repents. Jeanne and Ted reconcile.

After the party, Javalie finds Banning alone in his library. Javalie hypnotizes Banning and gets him to reveal the location of and combination for the vault. The two men were not alone however: Reynolds had been eavesdropping. Reynolds confronts Javalie and extorts him.

John Gilbert and Wilton Taylor in The Madness of Youth from Motion Picture Classic, June 1923

The next day, inspired by Javalie’s preaching, Ted and Jeanne decide to start again on their own. Banning happily offers to build them a home. Javalie is shaken by a note from Louise saying that his preaching worked better than expected and she did, in fact, feel reformed and was off to make amends with her family.

Disturbed by Louise’s actions, Javalie defiantly steels himself and heads to the vault, combination in hand. However, when Javalie reaches the vault door, he’s overwhelmed and faints. When he comes to, Javalie is surrounded by the Bannings. Ted plans to call the police. Nan holds Javalie close and begs for mercy through tears, claiming that Javalie must have had a change of heart just as they all had. Jeanne backs her up. Seeing Nan and Javalie together, Banning says he understands and the police are not called.

John Gilbert, Billie Dove, and Wilton Taylor in The Madness of Youth from Motion Picture Classic, June 1923

---

Points of Interest:

John Gilbert appeared in an astounding 90 silent films in his career from bit roles to starring roles and he even dabbled in writing and directing. While Gilbert had already worked on over 60 films by the time Madness of Youth came around, he was newly minted as a star just two years prior when he signed with Fox Film Corp. Gilbert would truly break out as a star when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924. Of those 90 silent films, 58 are considered lost films, which means that only 35% of Gilbert’s film work is known to survive today.

Madness of Youth is one of many films believed to be lost after the 1937 Fox vault fire. In the summer of 1937 at the Fox vault in Little Ferry, NJ a fire broke out that destroyed a majority of films produced by Fox before 1932 as well as films from other studios, most notably Educational Pictures. The fire also killed a child in a neighboring building. All in one night, thousands of films were lost, leaving a gaping hole in our film heritage.

from Motion Picture News, 7 April 1923 and Exhibitors Trade Review, 28 April 1923

☕ Buy me a coffee! ☕

---

Transcribed Sources & Annotations over on the WMM Blog!

[fatehbaz]

Traditional scholarship in the history of science associates the quantifiable, universal human body with the European Enlightenment or ‘new science’. This measurable, universal body, it is argued, came to define modern medicine. Behind it lay the driving forces of political economy, [...] life insurance, and modern industrial [profit] [...]. But this widely accepted history of the universalisation and systemisation of human corporeality [...] [involves] an earlier global history of enslaving and measuring bodies in the Indies, born of the Iberian slave trade between Africa and colonial Iberian America. It was in the violent and profitable world of this slave trade that universal concepts and calculations of health risks, disease and bodily characteristics [...] emerged. Indeed, the scale of data production about bodies in the early modern world of Iberian slave trading far outpaced all contemporary systems of production of knowledge about the human body.

The key concept in this early modern quantification of the body was the pieza de Indias (Spanish) or peça da India (Portuguese). [...]

The appearance of this new measure and epistemology was intimately linked to the unprecedented rise in the size and complexity of the transatlantic commerce in human bodies during the first decades of the 17th century. The new, universal measure of man was the result of the slave trade’s need to quantify the risks of investing in human corporeality and its modern afflictions. By the late 16th century, Iberian slave traders, governments, corporations and financiers from around Europe (particularly from Genoa, Florence and the Netherlands) were already thinking of the transportation of slave bodies as units of risk.

---

The original licences for slaves transacted in Iberia were contractual concepts that did not refer to bodily characteristics [...] [and] were of limited help [...] for calculating the productivity [of a slave's body] [...]. Consequently, slave traders and slave-trading organisations, including the House of Trade (Casa de Contratación) in Seville, developed methodologies that allowed them to translate slave bodies into numbers and calculate the inherent value [...] as it related to an increasingly normalised, constant unit called the pieza. The concept of the pieza (the piece) allowed for the creation of contracts where investors, providers and the state could prospectively calculate tariff, gains and risk using quantifiable notions of bodies [...].

The historical record makes clear that the concept of ‘the piece of the Indies’ itself was already firmly established across the Atlantic basin by the early 1600s. [...] In addition to peça, Portuguese slave traders [in West Africa] used several other terms to refer to slaves who were not adult [...], reflecting an increasingly rich taxonomy [...]. Muleque or muleca [...]. Slave traders began using these terms to refer to young bodies that they discounted at rates [...]. Calculating the value of cañengues, muleques and mulecas by converting them into standard adult [...] piezas was a common practice [...]. Portuguese officials in Sao Paulo da Assumpcao de Loanda deployed the concept when they tallied ‘the dispatch’, or fees due to the Portuguese crown, for the embarkment of African slaves bound for the Americas. Such methods to appraise slave bodies became normative in Spanish America for determining the tariffs that traders had to pay to introduce slaves in the New World.

By the late 1530s, crown officials were counting the ‘pieces of slaves’ (piezas de esclavos) disembarking in Santo Domingo and selling them to miners [...] [and] hacienda owners [...] to work in the mines and estates of the island. [...] [A] concept of an ideal body for transportation and labour [...] had emerged across the Atlantic, and during the first decades of the 17th century it was disseminated across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, being widely used in Dutch trading records. [...] [S]lave traders and government officials used the term pieza to talk about other captive bodies from the Indies, most notably native or 'Indian' bodies in the Caribbean.

---

The concept of the piece of the Indies appears in full form in the 1660s as part of negotiations of the terms of the asiento de negros or slave monopoly between the Spanish crown and the Genoese financiers Domingo Grillo and Ambrosio Lomelín. The contract with the Grillos established that they would ‘bring 24,500 blacks, piezas de Indias, over the course of seven years and starting in 1662’. The monopoly established as one of its conditions that ‘the said quantity of blacks should be piezas de Indias, each one seven cuartas of height and up’. [...] Slave traders used height as a proxy for life histories of health and nutrition and as a predictor of the slave’s potential productivity [...] [and] created a complex system around the marker of height [...].

[H]aving grey hair, for instance, translated into a reduction in value of one cuarta or one-seventh of the standard pieza. The conditions of 'cloud in one eye [cataracts]' signified a reduction of two cuartas; scurvy, two cuartas; phlegm, one and one-half cuartas; a 'benign hernia', one cuarta [...]. Being older than 35 years merited a one-cuarta deduction [...]. The presence of lobanillos (small tumours) was worth one and one-half cuartas’ reduction; small fingers, one-half cuarta; incapacitating scars (burns), one and one-half cuarta; [...] localised ulcers, one-sixth of a cuarta; generalised ulcers, one cuarta; [...] short-sightednesss, two cuartas; [...] missing molars, one cuarta [...].

---

The contractual articulation of the concept of the piece of the Indies [...] formalised slave-based knowledge production about human bodies. The contract assembled a vast storehouse of knowledge, much of it held in the House of Trade in Seville, obtained from thousands of records of bodily characteristics and diseases for hundreds of thousands of bodies [...]. The Grillos’ contract set a precedent for the 1679 contract between Spanish and Portuguese merchants and the Dutch West India Company. The 1696 asiento between Spanish crown and [financier F.M.] and [financier N/P.], for example, agreed they would transport 10,000 tonnes of freight including 30,000 piezas de Indias of the ‘regular measure of seven cuartas’. Similarly, a 1709 contract between the French Compagnie de Guinée and Dutch slave traders, settled in Amsterdam, specified that the French would pay 110 pièces de huit (pieces of eight) ‘for each black piece of Indies’ delivered in the Caribbean.

As the ‘new science’ of the European Enlightenment dawned in Europe, the piece of the Indies was well established as the most disseminated universal measure of the human body.

---

All text above by: Pablo F. Gomez. "Pieza de Indias: Slave Trade and the Quantification of Human Bodies". A chapter in New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities (edited by Mark Thurner and Juan Pimentel), pp. 47-50. Published 2021. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[probablyasocialecologist]

Cereseto and Waitzkin analysed 10 quantitative indicators of human wellbeing for the year 1980, including life expectancy and the adult literacy rate. They found that at any given level of GDP per capita, socialist states tend to have superior outcomes to capitalist states. Similarly, in his detailed study of health indicators around the world, Navarro concluded that socialist countries generally had superior population health standards. Navarro noted that socialist China had much higher life expectancy than capitalist India, while Cuba outperformed the rest of Latin America. ‘This international survey shows that at least in the realm of underdevelopment, where hunger and malnutrition are part of the daily reality, socialism rather than capitalism is the form of organisation of production and distribution of goods and services that better responds to the immediate socioeconomic needs of the majority of these populations’.

Capitalist reforms and extreme poverty in China: unprecedented progress or income deflation?