monsoon holiday

no pictures this time but links links links

My favorite link for today is this one.

I'll have to tell you the story behind it.

So it's the holiday season and I decided to check and see if a website I had stumbled upon ages ago was still out there. I'm looking for alternative things to do with the money you spend on gifts for family and friends at christmas. I remember a couple of years ago going to www.heifer.org, which is an amazing site and it gives you the opportunity to do something really helpful with your moola. I found my way back to heifer.org and started reading the article I've linked above, and man oh man did it make my day. Such an extraordinary woman.

so yes. read it-when you've got the time, it's a bit long- but definitely worth it.

and more links for your reading pleasure.

This is such a good site for things we should be learning about.
If you have any money or any family members who might just forgo a christmas gift for a good cause give these folks some money.
It absolutely cannot hurt to go here.
TODAY you should wear a red ribbon.
some folks I might like to work for someday.
A bit like heifer.org but still good stuff.
This is a great site, though it is based in the UK, it offers worldwide boycotts.
I'm a huge fan of this lady and what she's done.

yippy that's all for now.

I have met- in the last week a Zimbabwean documentary film maker, and an Iraqi magician. Both were completely magical encounters.

I must once again encourage everybody who feels that they can, to give money to some kind of charity instead of buying gifts for people. Or better yet, if you have already bought gifts or still want to- why not just sit down and have a conversation with someone about the world, anything you can think of will do. I think it's a good idea to think about the world sometimes...earth, other people, other beings, etc and ourselves.

definitely ourselves


oh and this is something very important that needs to be said. Pigeon sent it to me- apparantly it's all of UK livejournal's

"a lot has been said about how to prevent rape.
women should learn self-defense. women should lock themselves in their
houses after dark. women shouldn't have long hair and women shouldn't
wear short skirts. women shouldn't leave drinks unattended. They
shouldn't dare to get drunk at all.

instead of that bullshit, how about:

if a woman is drunk, don't rape her.
if a woman is walking alone at night, don't rape her.
if a women is drugged and unconscious, don't rape her.
if a woman is wearing a short skirt, don't rape her.
if a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don't rape her.
if a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you're still hung up on,
don't rape her.
if a woman is asleep in her bed, don't rape her.
if a woman is asleep in your bed, don't rape her.
if a woman is doing her laundry, don't rape her.
if a woman is in a coma, don't rape her.
if a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular
activity, don't rape her.
if a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don't rape her.

if a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don't rape her.
if your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don't rape her.
if your step-daughter is watching tv, don't rape her.
if you break into a house and find a woman there, don't rape her.
if your friend thinks it's okay to rape someone, tell him it's not,
and that he's not your friend.

if your "friend" tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
if your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there's an
unconscious woman upstairs and it's your turn, don't rape her, call
the police and tell the guy he's a rapist.

tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it's not
okay to rape someone.

don't tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
don't imply that she could have avoided it if she'd only done/not done x.
don't imply that it's in any way her fault.
don't let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he "got some"
with the drunk girl.
don't perpetuate a culture that tells you that you have no control
over or responsibility for your actions. You can, too, help yourself.

If you agree, repost it. It's that important."

i hope all are happy and healthy and working hard but loving it.

-s

this made me go a big one

Oh man did this make my day. I am now a frequent visitor to this site and I found these great pictures from a protest against U.S. military bases in Sofia, Bulgaria. What I was really delighted by was the age range of the protestors. There were small children and the standard disaffected youth, but also pensioners, those at the retirement age or beyond. Especially this fellow below who must have had a very important point to make.


Just makes me smile that every day people get up and get out of bed to upset the status quo, to make protest against something they see as wrong, to work towards something they believe in.

And that this drive doesn't seem *at least in Sofia* to fizzle once middle-age is reached.



just some thoughts.

Oh and today while packing I stumbled across a list of things I believe in, or values that I espouse. I think I'll post them up here for fun.

1. I do not want to sell my time to someone or something of which I am not passionately engaged and morally supportive.
2. I believe opportunity is one of the most important things we, as humans, have.
3. I believe that a significant benefit would arise from a change in perspective (both for myself and others). A perspective in which there is reverence and respect for all beings, in which no hierarchies exsist (at least not in a way that promotes and encourages the expoitation of one being [or a group of beings] for the benefit of another).
4.I believe in Dynamic Equilibrium.
5. I believe I can be better than what I am, a better human, a better being.
6. I believe health is important to my ability to be better.
7. I believe dichotomies and binary thinking are harmful to life.
8. I believe there are various shades of grey*and an infinite pallat of other colors* and no such thing as only black and white.
9. I believe there are multitudes within the truth. :) keskes
10. Contradictions are not always good, not always bad, not ever necessarily exclusive things.
11. I believe there can be joy in perplexity.
12. I believe the ability to commit is a virtue and the ability to challenge and question- also a virtue.
13. I believe one should be critical, but make decisions.
14. I believe one should be generous with themselves and with others.
15. I believe looking at the differences between us in a way that doesn't foster hierarchizement is a valuable endeavor.
16. I believe building, maintaining, and attempting to understand relationships is a virtue.
17. I believe in energy.
18. I belive that I have many things to contribute to the community, the world and myself.

there we go. wasn't that fun. I'm thinking a few of them need further explination, and some of them are in dire need of better wording, but it's alright for a first draft.

The camera can't capture the color

Today I went for a walk in Hyde park and I brought my camera. It was a crisp, sunny day and I took about 300 pictures. I think I have a problem. ha. I thought I'd share some of the pictures with you.

This guy was raking leaves and wooping them up into the air and I was trying to capture this when he stood and posed for me. hehe. He was very nice and very funny and I didn't get any pictures of the leaves in flight like I wanted. Oh well.

Some of them on the ground.

The statue view of choice.

Tie a ribbon round my branch? I don't know who did this but it made me laugh so I had to take pictures of it.

I like close up things...textures and this is of the chain surrounding that statue up there.

haha. put your camera down and take a picture. I liked this perspective...and it was mostly an accidental picture.

I've decided that I really like benches. And when I die, if someone feels so inclined, I would find a bench set in my memory quite nice, though I wouldn't want the words "in memory of" or "my beloved" or any other epithets traditionally ascribed to dead people. I think it'd be nice if it said "For Shavawn, who was one classy lass." Ha. I'm only joking..I don't want a bench and if someone is going to try to do something in my honor....well give money or time to people who need help. I'm dead! I don't need a bench! *as a side note, I find it quite disturbing that in Hyde Park none of the benches I came in contact with were carved in or graffitied at all, however several of the tree's were. In my logic it goes carve the bench- it's dead, leave the tree alone....though people probably don't carve on the benches because of some sense of reverence for the DEAD person they are in memory of. I've decided if this is still going on when I'm dead, I'm going to start a dead person revolution againsts the carving and graffititing of trees and direct it towards the benches.* man am I nuts or what?

This is what I mean by the camera can't capture the color..this little flower was such a bright magenta that I had to take a picture of it. But then on here, while it is a nice color- it's just not as striking as it was for me. I would really like to have a camera where I can manipulate the lens more. *sigh*

There were fountains, and the water in them had frozen and that was pretty.

another unsatisfying color contrast. Oh well.

Icy fountain. wee.

once again. close up...chain thing. The color on this one turned out quite nicely I think.

Yes and fountains with little cherubim type boys *with very large nostrils...it should be noted* wrestling big fishes. the fish might be my favorite thing carved in stone. He's got attitude and badittude. he is especially nice up close.

So yes. my walk in Hyde park. I shall venture to regents park next, as I live about 7 minutes from it. Woopee!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!

laura's hands


So right now....somewhere in canada my mate is turning 23, which is the same age as me. we're at the equinox of ages. I'm not even sure if that makes sense, but yay...for the next 6 months we will be the same age. woo.

I thought I'd use this space to tell her happy birthday.

so happy birthday la-oo-rah.

you're loved and missed.

New Technology

Ah yes, the exciting life and times of my flat. This weekend we had a major upgrade in our acquisition of a shower (finally) and a new television set, with built in dvd player. Since my life has changed so tremendously since the arrivals of these two new gadgets...I thought I'd make an ass of myself and take pictures.

Simple, yet classic. Shiny and new. It's almost come out of the wall twice, and the pressure can only be described using the word drizzle. However, it is NOT A BATH, which is a triumph.

yes the shower prettily in action. Drizzly, but even.

and the TV, which I set up all by myself. woo. I have realized however, while I am happy with the shower and the end of my bath-taking only sentence, I much enjoyed the flat without a functioning TV. It's loud and obnoxious and a conversation killer. Oh and there's nothing good on. Though I have been able to watch Have I got News for You and the original CSI. The latter of which prompted a call to my mum, as she is the only person in the world who could appreciate my excitement.


As for my last post I am still a bit mookish, but I am getting better.

I have made the decision to base some of my unmade decisions on certain factors. So i've limited the scope. Which is suprisingly helpful.

Basically I've discovered that I don't know what I'm doing or what I want to be doing. I'm trying to sort that out.

It's slow going. Not very exciting work...and it's mostly depressing.

It has to be done, though. At least that's what I've decided. And it must be realistic, which is something I have a problem with.

So that's how it's going here. London is cold cold cold cold cold, but sunny.

I have reading to do, and decisions to make. Hope all is quiet on the western front.

until next time

WANK

I am in a bad mood.

I thought it would be interesting to post something while I am in a bad mood.

Isn't it fun.

I am currently infuriating to myself.

Anybody ever get like that?

It's decision making time, and I'm not making any decisions. Because I'm a coward. Because it's so much easier not to.


ick..see what I mean by infuriating.

And this entry is going to remain gloriously abstract.

Westminster Abbey

So frog and I went to Westminster Abbey for her last day. It was great. I really like that place. It funny that my favorite places in large cities seem to be places where people are burried. So yes. Had lots of fun.

Outide the abbey they were setting up for some kind of homage to fallen soldiers from the World Wars I think. It was pretty sad to see it...there wasn't actually anyone out there doing anything and just loads of crosses and boxes full of crosses with no one attending them.

this is what most of the plots looked like. The boundaries were up, but not the rest of it. It looked like lots of little graves with boxes on them. Pretty depressing.

one of the nicer crosses, though I think I like this shot mostly for the angle.

What it looked like. Though you can't tell these little plots were on both sides of all the walkways around the Abbey, which means there were a lot of them.

One side had some of the plots done. The smallest crosses had the names of individuals within that specific regiment who had died.

This picture was actually taken once inside the abbey. This is a place we were not supposed to be, but I thought it was very pretty so didn't care about being caught. It was worth it. With all the extraordinarily beautiful things inside the abbey- the outside is just as lovely.

Some of the light through the stained glass was sprinkled on this sarcophagus.

My favorite. he seems very pensive and his eyes look tremendously real. He's from the 16th Century I think.

Taken from the feet of Good Queen Bess. Queen Elizabeth I. I took other pictures of her but they didn't come out. Did I mention that you're not supposed to take pictures in the Abbey. So yes, most of the photo's were stealthily and shakily taken. It should be noted that Mary, Queen of Scots, whom Elizabeth had beheaded has a much larger Sarcophagus than Elizabeth. As James I, Elizabeth's successor was Mary's son. Man those royal folk and the weirdness they do.

this little fellow frightens me. He's one of three men and three other women who line the sarcophagus of some Earl. They are all very sad.

There was one picture that I wish now that I had. It was on the cage which protects Henry VII's Sarcophagus. It was of St. Bartholomew- who was flayed alive. He carried around his own skin in this depiction of him. So it looked like he had a robe or something hanging over his arm, with a head and hands and feet. It disturbed Frog and I so much that we found someone to ask about it. We had many more adventures, but I think i'll have to put them into another post.

yay for big, indoor, old cemetaries. hehe.

bonfire night

I am distressed.

I am angry and upset and confused and so very sad.

Tonight is the night that they "celebrate" the failed attempt to blow up the houses of parliament some 4 hundred years ago. Guy Fawkes day they call it, because he was the man chosen to light the barrels of gunpowder and end the non-catholic rule of James the 1st. While I completely disagree with Guy Fawlks' and his collaborators' reasoning behind attempting to blow up Parliament and the King, I wonder if it was prompted by a sense of desperation.

I wonder if those in and outside Paris right now just feel desperate. Because two boys were killed, because they feel they've lost control of their community.

And in Derry on the night of January 30, 1972 did young boys walk into the arms of the IRA out of desperation? Was the IRA itself formed out of desperation?

I hear fireworks outside my windows. I know several effigy's to Fawkes and others are being burnt in Lewes at this moment. I know about the 17 protestant martyr's burnt in Lewes that are also commemorated.

I know that people making effigy's tonight are not doing it out of desperation, or at least not on the majority.

I want to know how to make situations where desperation can lead to violence not happen. I want to know how to stop violence that isn't prompted by desperation. But I don't know how.

and I don't know how to tell the people in France to stop, and I wouldn't have known how to tell the people in Northern Ireland (on both sides) to stop. I have no powerful alternative.

I think of Gandhi and Martin Luther King- who both advocated and lived a life of radical non-violent protest.

And they were assasinated.

I think of the Dalai Lama who advocates non-violence not only to other people, but to other beings.

And he has not seen or stepped foot in his home country, of Tibet since 1959. He's been given a Nobel Peace Prize but doesn't get to go home.

And I know that these are just examples. And I know that they are just figureheads and that so much power lies in those of us that choose to be non-violent.

But what happens when we get desperate?

What happens then?




I know and know and know in the deepest depths of my mind, in every cell in my body, inside all of me that violence is not ever going to make anything other than more violence.


But we've got to find an effective alternative for the desperate, or make those who perpetuate violence desperate for a different method.

Don't let the chain end with me.

Some things I'm doing soon:

Good things turning One Hundred

Good people getting together to stop bad things

Someone to find out about

This is my life now. This coming week is reading week, meaning I don't have to attend classes and when I do start attending classes again- they will actually be different classes. See, the core course here is broken into four different sections. I've now completed two of those four. I begin learning about Cultural Studies on Monday and Culture and Technology on Thursday.

I've planned to spend the week reading as much as I can, especially of the things that aren't assigned to me. Oh and I've devoted at least 3 hours a day to be spent inside the British Library doing specific research.

Busy lady.

Have been on a kick lately of finding my inner activist again. Something I feel needs to happen as I spent so much of the last year in America focusing only on myself and not on others. So yes.
After watching the Corporation I have since watched Norma Rae and Malcolm X. Tonight I think I'll watch Bloody Sunday.

Seeing as I love film so much and that I own all of these films I thought it'd be a good way to boost my activist spirit. Also, it's good to know about these things.....and to understand there is much more behind the story than these films can present.

it's a little chain of inspiration. hehe.

linkage

so yes. These are places you should go...some of them provided to me by pigeon. *bless her* and others found on my own.

I think I've figured out how to do the html thing where I write something like go here and the word here is the actual link. We'll see

Update on New Orleans.

So I went to a bunch of places that were linked on this films website. You should watch the film as well.

so yes. That's all I have actually. I made it sound very important but I thought to link all the places I went from thecorporation website, then thought it would be more clever to just link to the original site.

I have been reading Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle.

very interesting....I must say and someone should ask me about it....sometime in normal conversation cause it's a good'n.

so yes I guess I have to post a picture cause that seems to be my thing...I wonder how disappointed or unaffected people would be if I stopped posting pictures.

anywho.... this is the absolute most recent picture of me- taken last night.




tootaloo

where the magic happens and left overs from before

So I took my camera to class last night and decided to get a picture of where the magic happens. It's a pretty nice room, I must say. Last night was the end of one section of my core course. It's broken into four sections. Another section ends on Thursday and then I have a week off and I will start the last two sections on the following monday and thursday. I think they are Cultural Studies- the general introduction, and something about technology and culture. They should be pretty fun.

My fancy book-cased, high ceilinged, pretty windowed classroom.


This picture is of adam, our friend who also came to the zombie cocktail party, but not as a zombie. He was the most frightening of us all. In fact he scared the barmaid when we went to the pub. He was great. The thing that made him so very frightening was that he spoke and expressed himself very well- without having the option of making facial expressions. What it reminded me of- was someone with a lot of botox. it's scary when you think about it. moo ha ha.

oh and he would also put a straw up the mask's nose and drink out of it. which was very amusing to all of us at the time.


that's all.
the scariest mask of all time