Peace Going Green

Despite a war in the Middle East, this is a breath of fresh air.

This Just In

Top 4 stories I thought you should chew on today~

"Paging Dr. Gupta"~
The official announcement has been made: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon, CNN and Time Magazine Contributor has been chosen to be the Surgeon General under President-elect Barack Obama. This is a fine choice and certainly one of Obama's best. Gupta, in addition to his media appearances, was known to still scrub-in on various surgeries as Chief Associate of Neurosurgery at Grady hospital, serve as an assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and even preformed emergency surgery in 2003 in Iraq while reporting for CNN. Gupta is well respected and a common media face. His contributions to his local community, and his information contribution on a global level will serve him well in the term to come.

Cholera is Killing~
It's been reported by the WHO that the number of deaths in Zimbabwe have reached just over 1700 due to the cholera sweep. They also report over 34000 cases have come to light and the powers that be cannot come to an agreement on cabinet posts. I find it sad and disheartening that the government is more concerned w/ their cabinet picks and differences than they are jumping and helping their own people...people who are dying, fleeing and getting sick every day.

Tetris for Trauma~
According to scientists at Oxford University, playing a game of Tetris following a difficult event could lead to positive mental health. They theorize that using the analytical side of the brain vs. the sensory side when a person experiences tramatic events will help relieve symptoms of PTSD. I am a bit skeptical as only 40 volunteers were tested after being shown distressing events, rather than indication that they'd been through them. But hey, maybe all that sneaky playing in your office might help you get through a "case of the Mondays."

Elementary Eloping~
Two German children decided to get married. The packed their honeymoon necessities and took for Africa. But they were caught and sent back home. Oh what stories they will tell their children. It's seriously cute!

Weekend in Pictures: Long Road

This is the "official" beginning of Long Road...a project I've long awaited...enjoy.

Documenting the World, Wk 7, Concentration

Concentration, 

He thought long and hard

before he made the next move.

It was an intense game

a battle of wits, 

strategy from another era

Fulfillment

from another century-

Which card would choose

next?

Enduring the Pain of Submission

Theo Van Gogh was murdered in 2004 for his role in producing a short film called, Submission. The film was written and proposed by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-Dutch woman who grew up in an abusive Muslim home.

Several months ago; I discussed approaching Islam from Benazir Bhutto's point of view. Bhutto was a woman who believed in the goodness of Islam and hoped to bring peace to her country of Pakistan. You can read my thoughts on the matter by clicking the link.

But today, I want to share a few of my thoughts following Hirsi Ali's encounter. She was brave enough to tell the world her story in her book, Infidel. She is also, now, an activist for Islamic women's rights, no longer a follower of Islam, in fact she claims to be an atheist.

The following excerpt explains one of Hirsi Ali's most painful experiences as a child. I will warn you, it is graphic.

"In Somalia, like many countries across Africa and the Middle East, little girls are made "pure" by having their genitals cut out. There is no other way to describe this procedure, which typically occurs around the age of five...After the child's clitoris and labia are carved out, scraped off, or, in more compassionate areas, merely cut or pricked, the whole area is often sewn up, so that a thick band of tissue forms a chastity belt made of the girl's own scarred flesh. A small hole is situated to permit a thin flow of pee. Only great force can tear the scar tissue wider, for sex.

Female genital mutilation predates Islam. Not all Muslims do this, and a few of the peoples who do are not Islamic. But in Somalia, where virtually every girl is excised, the practice is always justified in the name of Islam. Uncircumcised girls will be possessed by devils, fall into vice and perdition, and become whores. Imams never discourage the practice: it keeps girls pure...Many girls die during or after their excision, from infection. Other complications cause enormous, more or less lifelong pain. My father Abeh was a modern man and considered the practice barbaric. He had always insisted that his daughters be left uncut. In this he was quite extraordinarily forward-thinking...Grandma decided that the time was right for us to undergo the necessary and proper dignity of purification. My father was in jail and my mother was away for long periods, but Grandma would ensure that the old traditions would be respected in the old ways...

...the scissors went down between my legs and the man cut off my inner labia and clitoris. I heard it, like a butcher snipping the fat off a piece of meat. A piercing pain shot up between my legs, indescribable, and I howled. Then came the sewing: the long, blunt needle clumsily pushed into my bleeding outer labia, my loud and anguished protests, Grandma's words of comfort and encouragement. "It's just this once in your life, Ayaan. Be brave, he's almost finished." When the sewing was finished, the man cut the thread off with his teeth. That is all I can recall of it. But I do remember Haweya's [her sister] bloodcurdling howls."

This experience happens to so many young girls in the Middle East and Africa. It's a reality and it's wrong. Hirsi Ali has spoken out against the practice. It is one of control and it is demeaning to the God created human anatomy. According to the World Medical Association, female mutilation is practiced in at least 30 countries world-wide. According the World Health Organization, 100-140 million girls experience this operation every year. The WHO includes several long term health problems such as infertility, urinary tract infections, childbirth complication, cysts and even death. Female mutilation is both a cultural and/or religious practice in many places around the world. And it is not an attractive quality for either. If the purpose of religion is condemnation and being damned to hell, then what good will it do anyone to be converted? Justice in Islam may be control and submission, in the name of Allah, but then God is no better than the devil. So then, like, Hirsi Ali, one can wonder about the purpose of a God at all.

This is sad and devestating b/c certainly, I believe God to be mericful and loving, but b/c we were given the gift of choice, men will choose evil, they will choose to inflict pain.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was fortunate, however, as she grew; she endured abuse from her mother, a father, while most often gracious, was away with other wives, or Somali revolution, and she was forced to marry a man she did not want. But on her way to Canada (to join her husband's family), she escaped that life, hid in Holland and rose to every occasion to be recieve a university education and later become a member of Parliment. Her transformation was extraordinary, and her persistance to change the world, be an activist for women around the globe is astounding. I recommend her book to anyone...for her story, for her cause.

Finally, I am including the short film she produced with Theo Van Gogh. It is a bold statement.

Documenting the World, Wk 6, Together

This is a picture close to my heart. I look at it and I reflect this past year, all the love that was shared between these two people. I see their similarities and I see their differences. I love how this photo turned out. I love the colors and just the togetherness they show. I was inspired by several and convinced by one to try this shot out and I'm thrilled that I did. It's my favorite. It leaves out their faces and shows their action. It has a taste of rugged grace and I cannot help but want to play, be around this loving couple. Yes, it's true, I'm the one with holes in my jeans, and Richie, the boy next to me. This is us, taking a time out from our busy schedules just to be and enjoy each other's company.

I hope that you, too are able to spend the holidays with the ones you love the most!
Merry Christmas To All, and To All a Good Night!

Project Homeless: Gloria Says...

I have seen Gloria a few times, but on that particular day, she was atimate about getting my attention.

As I was passed by on the street, she waved me down and asked me to take her picture. I stopped and snapped a couple of shots while she gave me an exuberant smile, proud that someone would want to photograph her. When I finished she took my hand and asked my name. I noticed immediately that her eyes were heavily dialated and I had suspected for sometime that she might be mentally handicapped, but course who can be sure?

She held onto my hand tight and told me I was just like her neice, with the same name as daughter of her sister, she said. Gloria soon went off track and kept talking about a number of other people she knew, I couldn't always make it out, as she would trail off and mumble. But if I tried to say good-bye or walk away, she became very frustrated and spoke louder. It wasn't until another girl came by that we were able to tag team and say good-bye to Gloria. 

Certainly it was a difficult visit. And I would be lying if I told you that there are homeless men and women who weren't socially awkward, don't do drugs, or don't have handicaps. In many cases, that may be the very reason they are homeless. I can imagine that Gloria has had a hard life. I imagine that her memories are jumbled and perhaps her mind doesn't always follow what others are saying. I also imagine that Gloria does what she can to cope with the streets, right or wrong. She collects things and always has them with her, in boxes and ags. Her broom is never far from her reach and I've seen her with and without blankets. 

It's hard to know how to help someone like Gloria, mostly because it is difficult to even communicate effectively with her. For now, I will pray for her. I encourage you to offer your prayers this Christmas season as well as any time and energy you may have to give to the homeless people. 

Eco Friendly, Eco Struggles

The other day, I read an article in National Geographic's Green Guide magazine that suggested ways to conserve on energy, save money and the environment. I am certainly a promoter of creative ways to go green, so I thought I would put my stamp on a few that just might be useful. 

~Update on the World~

The morning paper- the news that we live to love and hate....Green Guide suggested that we should read our morning news online rather than subscribing to the paper. Besides avoiding the paper boy breaking a window and looking like idiots in our underwear during the winter, reading the news online is an economically better suggestion and it's free! This is actually something I already do since I have to be constantly up to date on the latest in the world. It is also something my generation has ushered into the new millinium. We live in a technologically advanced world and newspapers are needing to follow the new age. 

~Coffee...Talk~

We all enjoy our morning and evening and...well anytime of day cups of coffee from Starbucks. Or perhaps, that fabulous hole in the wall coffee shop that makes french press; it's just delicious. But according to National Geographic; Americans throw away 16 billion paper cups per year!! It also stated that paper can be a terrible waste because of its decomposition. So why not invest in a steel thermos or other tricked out style and have Starbucks fill it up? Not only will it save a dollar or two on your daily fix (which, by the ways adds up tremendously), but it also will save the paper and keep your coffee warmer a bit longer. That's a great additive for me since work gets busy and I have to set my coffee down, by the time I get to it, it's gone cold. 

~Lunch Break~

Despite our growing busy schedules we still have to eat. One of the method's Green Guide offered was to use reusable containers and tin foil rather than paper bags. It also suggested taking your own silver ware rather than using plastic ware. This saves yet another tree and if you're not buying your lunch on a regular basis, a cheaper, healthier lifestyle.  I admit that I'm not always good about this. Frequently, I  just buy lunch as I don't want to take the time. But the magazine's suggestion is a fine one and certainly we can all benefit.

~Lights...Action!~

Turning out the lights when you leave the room can be easy to forget esp. when you're in and out all day long, but when if you're leaving the house or won't be revisiting the room, it's best to conserve the electrical energy. Green Guide emphasized this method and I agree that it's probably useful. 

Other Creative Alternatives~

1. Bamboo flooring instead of Maple or Oak (this is more of an investment into your home, not the simple easy way, but because I came across it, I am mentioning. I may discuss it more in another entry)

2. Newspaper as a retro alternative to wrapping paper (this is great esp. if you're just switching to online news, re-use that paper you'll probably end up throwing away).

3. Reusable coffee filter rather than paper filters. 

4. Power down your computers or put them to sleep when you're finished with them. 

The suggestions I've made are typically simple and can apply to your everyday. Can you think of any??

Documenting the World, Week 5

It's true, I've been a little lax on the blog front this month. But with this week's Documenting the World, I will start to give you a taste of a coming project, called "Long Road." The city can appear a lonely place during the winter months. Here is a small taste of the pictures I have been taking. More to come, my friends.

Documenting the World, Week 4

Winter-

Cold, but comforting

Change of season

Change of will.

Dry and-

harsh but beautiful

All looks barren

but all 

is not lost. 

Dreams come true

and worries decease.

but in between are lovers

snuggled-

in the sheets.