The Raven

The Raven

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Mosque of Red Death

To-morrow, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, has many Americans fired up about a group of Muslims in New York who want to build a community center a few blocks away from Ground Zero. Some Americans are upset about this, because the terrorists who attacked 9 years ago were followers of Islam. However, they got it wrong. The terrorists brought shame to their religion; they desecrated it to act out on their hatred for Americans, tried to make themselves heroic and martyrs, which will attract many of the impoverished people of the Third World and build an army to fight the Americans. The Muslims who want to build a community center ARE NOT terrorists. Imam Rauf, who wants to build the center was one of the first responders to 9/11 to help police. He plans to have prayer rooms for all faiths. What's the trouble? This is the 21st century, shouldn't we be trying to evolve from the Dark Ages? I think the Muslims should build a center there to prove that Islam DOES NOT = terrorist, and maybe Americans can mature a little and work towards understanding other cultures other than the obese, greedy Capitalistic culture. Then we have this pyschotic ass in Texas, I think when we named that state we forgot the second "s" on the end, Pastor Jones, with about 30 followers, who has read maybe a page of the Islamic holy book, wants to burn piles of the Koran. When asked by a reporter from MSNBC what in the Koran makes him want to burn it, all he said was that he may have only read a page or two of it, and it doesn't mention Jesus as the Savior. Fundamental Christians are making the U.S. look bad and fueling hatred for us, giving the wrong idea about what true Christianity is just like the terroroist are giving the wrong idea about Islam. If people start burning the Koran and the terrorists see that, it will be another crippling, stumbling step backwards in the War on Terror. We cannot fight for peace. We must negociate, listen, learn and LOVE and FORGIVE as the Christian holy book instructs to gain PEACE. 

The Republicans want to sign the renewal of rich tax cuts, for their friends who make more then $250,000 a year (do you know anyone who makes that much? I don't. I know lots of people without jobs!) with their blood!! God help us all!!!

<a href="http://failblog.org/2010/11/19/epic-fail-photos-probably-bad-news-mosque-protest-fail/%22%3E%3Cimg src='http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/06a81738-afef-4d2a-85b3-dab6636df4db.jpg' title="Probably Bad News: Mosque Protest FAIL" alt="epic fail photos - Probably Bad News: Mosque Protest FAIL" height="274px" width="500px" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://failblog.org%22%3efunny/ videos</a>

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Leaf Nature Be


I work at a floral shop. Many times I feel my creativity is quelled because it will not produce monetary profits. I am uninterested in that; I create to unlimit the mind. I just want to create and have my creations inspire new ideas for observers of them. Flowers should be left natural, outside in the ground I mean. I always am tempted to pick one and bring it inside, but they look so unnatural once you bring them in, out of their element. I often think of the multiple layers of Life, how we have the power to kill or create something, and something above us has the power to do the same to us, which is why to those who say, it's just a bug, just think to some other being we are, just a human, and we all know how important we think we are! But, if flowers are to be harvested, let them teach you; let them show you how they want to be presented. I hate symmetry! Maybe it is because I haven't perfected that skill, or because it's somewhat unnatural, I don't know which came first! My arrangements can have a bigger purpose. If they are able to have a natural relaxed flow, the energy about it will extend to the creator and the observer of the arrangement.
Everywhere I go I love to watch, listen and learn, and try to inspire a lust for knowledge and possession of an open mind... Or, maybe, I'm just bullshitting my way out of sucking at flower arranging!

a poet can survive anything but a misprint

We see, hear, taste and feel life so differently sometimes that it's hard to breathe when you cannot convey it in your art, or make others understand.
I recently began taking lessons through the mail with Long Ridge Writer's Group. Every assignment I get back I am told I have "poetic, lyrical" writing and I am that I am very creative. But, within the margins of my writings I am also explained the rules of grammar and writing. I understand the rules, but when it comes to creative writing, I feel nothing should be edited and the traditional rules should not be followed. I hate restrictions being put upon me in order for my writing to be acceptible. I don't believe in traditional punctuation, fragments, run-ons or any other boundaries that restrict creative flow! Creative writing is meant to bring forth innovation and CREATION! If we apply ancient rules to it, it will never have a chance to flourish into the next evolution. Besides, connotation changes with the times, the culture. Gay today doesn't mean happy; a faggot is not a bundle of sticks- it is someone gay! It is all relative to time, place and society. I want my writing to be felt from the pages within the person; I want them so intent on the imagery that they don't care about the grammar. I want the flow of words to match the action I am explaining, move symphonically, undulate like the restless oceans! But even they are inhaled ashore to meet their demise.
I wandered around the local arts district under gentle rain. I love the rain. It stirs so much creativity within me. It renders a haunting aura about the trees, the pavement and buildings-the sky ghostly illuminated. Being 25 with so many thoughts about the world only venturing as far as my journals, some books are hidden and others lay strewn about my schizophrenically organized room, I guess I was feeling sorry for myself that day. I live inside my head, and like most of us, create my own reality. I went to the Oar House, one of my favorite pubs, except when it's crowded. I ordered my Jameson and took it over to my usual window by the front door. Even the acrid burn of whiskey could not melt the lump in my throat. The thoughts in my head- frantic like trapped birds. I write on my napkin and stash it away in my purse. I see that the pen has pressed the words through onto the table. I smiled at it; I had left my mark for some other lonely soul to come and look at and wonder, who has such beautiful ideas? I must find them! By the end of my drink, my eyes were brimming with tears.  When I got home, I tried to write, but no new thoughts would flow out. Frustrated, I collapse to my bed, where my cat lay grooming, like a defeated ballerina.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Backyard Photoshoot

My best friend and I love to do photoshoots. She is brilliant at capturing images; most of the time we're together we end up doing some sort of photoshoot. This day she called me and said she had a surprise. I was trying to find an outfit for our shoot that day. When she got there, I ran out to greet her, and she was pulling out these unwieldy, giant raven wings. She was amazed that my outfit had matched perfectly, with no prior knowledge of the wings!  She had found them at a yardsale, and plans to wear them as part of her Halloween costume this year. I would love to reshoot with these wings again on an autumn eve, when trees are bare.

Change the World with Your Fashion!

http://www.edun.com/
"Before you finish your breakfast in the morning, you have already relied on half the world." MLK
Yep! Your bananas probably came from South America, your tea, Sri Lanka, the chair you sit upon and the shoes you walk in, China and the clothes on your back, Guatamala or Bangladesh or some other God-forsaken place. The workers who make your day possible make maybe a couple dollars a day, while the big name brands who sell you these goods make billions of dollars in profits. Unethical trade in the world is retaining the painful poverty of underdeveloped nations. It doesn't have to be that way! If we make educated, fair-trade purchases we can help balance the unbalanced scales holding the world's fruits. EDUN clothing was co-founded by Ali Hewson, Bono's wife, to help the people of impoverished nations earn a living by being able to practice their crafts and trades. These people don't want pity and to get by on charity, they want to freely and fairly earn a living for themselves and their family. Because of EDUN's practises, the workers of the world who have been taken advantage of now have a chance to escape the talons of poverty.


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in 1948, after the grave epoch of the Holocaust, by a commitee headed by Elanor Roosevelt. This document is the blueprint of our natural born rights. I wonder if Elanor Roosevelt ever imagined that in the 21st century, when we were supposed to have flying cars, 100% solar energy, humans custom made in test tubes and they eyes of Big Brother, that we would still be againstt gays getting married, still a two-party bickering system and most damning of all, besides the Republicans, most of the world has never even known, not even heard of these rights.
RIGHT TO EQUALITY
FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION
RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY, PERSONAL SECURITY
FREEDOM FROM TORTURE AND DEGRADING TREATMENT
RIGHT TO RECOGNITION AS A PERSON BEFORE THE LAW
RIGHT TO EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW
RIGHT TO REMEDY COMPETENT TRIBUNAL
FREEDOM FROM ARBITRARY ARREST OR EXILE
RIGHT TO FAIR, PUBLIC HEARING
RIGHT TO BE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
FREEDOM FROM INTERFERENCE WITH PRIVACY
RIGHT TO FREE MOVEMENT IN AND OUT OF THE COUNTRY
RIGHT TO ASSYLUM IN OTHER COUNTRIES FROM PERSECUTION
RIGHT TO A NATIONALITY AND TO CHANGE IT
RIGHT TO MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
RIGHT TO OWN PROPERTY
FREEDOM OF BELIEF AND RELIGION
FREEDOM OF OPINION AND INFORMATION
RIGHT TO PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY
RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN GOV'T AND IN FREE ELECTIONS
RIGHT TO SOCIAL SECURITY
RIGHT TO DESIRABLE WORK AND TRADE UNIONS
RIGHT TO REST AND LEISURE
RIGHT TO ADEQUATE LIVING STANDARD
RIGHT TO EDUCATION
RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CULTURAL LIFE OF COMMUNITY
RIGHT TO SOCIAL ORDER THAT ARTICULATES THIS DOC.
COMMUNITY DUTIES TO FREE AND FULL DEVELOPMENT
FREEDOM FROM STATE OR PERSONAL INTERFERENCE IN THE ABOVE RIGHTS

Save Darfur

I became a student at my local community college, in 2004, so I could have a base for a local chapter of Amnesty International. I haven't been active there, in my education or my chapter of Amnesty since 2007. While I was there, my passion was for the people of Darfur. There has been ethnic conflict there for decades; in 2003 mass murders began. In 2005, U.S. Secretery of State, Colin Powell declared the murders of more than 400,000 a genocide. It is still ongoing and I hope this blog re-established my passion to help the people of Darfur. Millions of refugees fleeing the genocide wait in deserts, living under trees or in makeshift forts.
http://www.cyncity.typepad.com/