"Souls are like athletes,that need opponents worthy of them, if they are to be tried,extended & pushed to the full use of their powers."

- Thomas Merton, writer, poet, social activist

at least we have no problem finding new ways to kill each other.

from foxnews:

"After years of development, the U.S. Army has unleashed a new weapon in Afghanistan -- the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, a high-tech rifle that can be programmed so that its 25-mm. ammunition does not necessarily explode on impact. Instead, it can be set to detonate either in front of or behind a target, meaning it literally will go through a wall before it explodes and kills the enemy.

It also has a range of roughly 2,300 feet -- nearly the length of eight football fields -- making it possible to fire at targets well past the range of the rifles and carbines that most soldiers carry today. "

i saw a video taken today of a 3 year old girl given the "enhanced pat-down" by the TSA. she is screaming "stop touching me!" and crying and trying to escape. the pat-down continues.
at first i was going to post the video here, but it upsets me so much. i wanted to cry. i wanted to intercede for this poor girl.
has she been abused at her daycare? by a family friend? if so, my heart breaks for her.
if not, and hopefully that is the case, then her first moments of inappropriate touching, of feeling scared and violated as a little girl in this world, took place with her parents watching, with an airport full of people watching. and who was doing it? her government.

what are we teaching our girls?

even as an adult, i am horrified by the concept of the pat-downs. i'm equally mortified and offended by the idea that we should all be willing to allow a naked picture taken.
anonymity doesn't excuse it. for my own modesty, and for the sake of my husband and my own conscience before God, i want nothing to do with either of the "options".

i try to not give in to the feelings of entitlement in Western culture. the "everything is about me" kind of mentality. But this strips the dignity right out of people's hands.

"you don't have to fly" is the argument. and trust me, i will drive as much as possible. "it's not a right, it's a priveledge." yes. that's true. but a government should exist for the people, not in lieu of the people. we're told "this is how it's going to be". i know that in so many countries, there are bigger issues, there is injustice and slavery and bigotry and out-of-control governments. i know that in many countries i could be imprisoned for life, or even killed just for writing this blog (even if no one sees it).

but how far do we let things go? right now, if you're "chosen at random" for the screening, and you refuse the screener, then refuse the pat-down, and decide to walk away and not even take your flight, you can still be fined $11,000 !!!

So much more that I want to say on this, but i feel so disgusted. this is one of those topics i feel passionate about, but i can only stomach talking/typing/conversing about it in small increments.

your thoughts?

found on a friend's journal.

"This is a photo of the first Black girl to attend an all white school in the United States—Dorothy Counts—being jeered and taunted by her white, male peers. This photo encompasses a lot of things that I really hate: prejudice, ignorance, racism, sexism, inequality…"

Australia is beautiful. This is near Point Lonsdale, along the Great Ocean Road, where my husband and I traveled this year.

motorcycle diaries

"the truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." -flannery o'connor

"Forgiveness has very little to do with the perpetrator. It has everything to do with the power of each human being to heal themself by forgiving and liberating themself. I call forgiveness freedom."

-Eva Mozes Kor

Seven years ago today -- November 18, 2003 -- our little Holocaust Museum was destroyed by a hate-fueled firebomb.



This act of hate, however, resulted in a generous outpouring of support from our local community and friends worldwide. We were able to rebuild, and next year we will celebrate the 6th anniversary of the grand reopening.


When the museum was destroyed, we did not give up. Since the fire, we can show the results of a new museum and many wonderful new programs. This year alone, we have sent out our first traveling exhibit, "Intertwined Lives: Dr. Mengele, Eugenics, & the Mozes Twins"; held our first ever Holiday Peace Card contest with local schoolchildren; exhibited letters handwritten by Josef Mengele; and we have welcomed thousands of people into the museum to hear our message of peace and forgiveness.


I often tell young people growing up is very hard, but if you never give up on yourself and your dreams everything good in life is possible. We are serving as an example for people who have met adversity. I ask you to remember that there is a future after disaster and hope after despair, and if you keep working towards your goal you will reach your dream.


We would like to thank our friends both near and far for their generous and persistent support, without which we could not have risen from the ashes to continue our work.


Sincerely,


Eva Mozes Kor Auschwitz Survivor A-7063


-I met this woman when I was in high school and she has forever impacted me. She is amazing.

"...it all boils down to this: people become activists not because they woke up one day and decided to be an asshole or loudmouth. Something happens in their life that shows them that there is a specific need for more support, more information, more action in a certain area."
-christie, from daily momtra, on those who advocate for child safety, breastfeeding, and educating mothers on infant wellbeing

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life…

He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”

They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win, Grandfather?”

The Elder simply replied, “The one you feed.”

my life is a constant struggle with Self. it is easy to come across at righteous (not self-righteous), pious, compassionate when online. in day-to-day life, the truth is that i am just as impatient and abrasive as most others.
today i saw a facebook status of a girl i don't know, and she was complaining of how frustrating the past 2 days had been- waiting for internet to be installed in her new home.
as a friend of mine pointed out... what a middle-class america complaint!

she's doing something as frivolous as updating a facebook status (from her mobile PHONE, mind you) and loudly (in internet speak) complaining about her lack of readily available internet.

check your life, and i will check mine, and let's work to eradicate the ungrateful, materialistic feelings of entitlement that permeate our Western lives. not to be self righteous, or to become "better" than anyone else, but because that is what this world desperately needs.

"The word Christian, in my opinion, has been abused and
misrepresented. It's a label that alienates people. Jesus didn't come to
establish a subculture; he came to heal the world." -Jamie Tworkowski

"...(In India) many young women still have a difficult time rising above difficult economic circumstances. There are a few jobs available to them, including working at nonprofits and teaching, but sports has become the preferred avenue out for some. 'In sports, boys and girls are equal. Everybody is the same,' said 16-year-old Sughra Fatma.

Fatma studies boxing at the Khidderpore School of Physical Culture in southeast Kolkata. She is one out of 47 students fighting under instructor Sheikh Nasimuddin Ahmed, who treats his female boxers just as he does the boys. In a country where gender roles remain strictly defined, the boxing club offers a rare refuge where gender does not matter. Women who are typically told to cover up are asked to wear shorts, not to titillate the men, but to grant them greater range of motion for fighting.

The young women see boxing as a possible way to support themselves. Those who do consistently well in competition might be able to land a scholarship for college, or even a spot on a sports team with the Indian railway or police force, coveted positions that come with a job, a pension, and subsidized boxing trainers and facilities.

Unsurprisingly, not everyone supports such ambitions: Professional boxer Razia Shabnam says when she first started training, people would approach her on the street and try to get her to stop. Some parents discourage their girls from boxing because of its effect on future marriage. 'The problem is people think that it's an injurious game, especially for girls,' said Shabam. Who cares if a man breaks his nose? But if that happens to a woman, she "can't get married.'"

-Katy Kelleher

Mary Kom's official website: http://www.marykom.com/marykom/index.php

"These magazines teach men that if a women doesn’t look like this then she doesn’t look right, and it teaches women such as myself that they’re ugly and imperfect when really there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them."
-hannah whittaker, 17 years old, bulimic

3 things.

"I have three things I'd like to say today.

First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition.

Second, most of you don’t give a shit.

What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."


- Tony Campolo

would i look at him differently if he had cancer?

if we don't show God's love, who will?

can we talk for a minute about how beautiful rocky votolato's wife is? total girl-crush.


oh yeah, and the song is pretty okay too.

it's nashville. which means that every business has somewhere to put a show or songwriters' stage. seriously.

Veterans Day. thank you.

like a penny on a railroad track

All alone on the floor
next to your twin-bed box-spring and mattress.
The door is ajar.
From afar
you can hear bands practicing

And when they dream, they all
dream of somebody like you:
Somebody who takes what they make
twice as seriously as they could ever hope to do.
And when you dream
you dream of a day...

When you find something you could love half as much
as you love all your little round mirrors-
See yourself reflected in one, there's a hole in the middle
you can't seem to fill.

Bring them home.
Watch them go.
All you know is you hope they'll hurry back.
And you cry,
then you lie your frail body down
like a penny on a railroad track.
And even if they stay in touch
the past stays in the past.
But every time
you crash a little bit harder than the last.
And every time you crash don't you

Wanna find something you could love
half as much as you love all your little round mirrors?
See yourself reflected in one-
there's a hole in the middle you can't seem to fill

A shooting star is
a little piece of
cosmic debris desperately wanting to fall to earth.
It doesn't get too far.
It's not a real star.
It's hardly even worth footnotes in your memoir.
Shoulder to shoulder- up on our tip-toes,
chewing our fingers and craning our necks
just to see.
Quite the collection;
divide by section-
it's just a surrogate connection leaving you all alone

On the floor next to your twin-bed box-spring and mattress.
The door
still ajar.
There you are and now you're coming to stay until

You can find someone who will love you as much
as you love all your little round mirrors
Murdering your time in cold blood
There's a hole in the middle you can't seem to fill

-Little Round Mirrors by Harvey Danger

Yes, I was often in love with something or someone. Yet falling in love is not the same as being able to love. That is something different."
— Czesław Miłosz

"Although it may sound contradictory, we can actually be vulnerable and fearless at the same time."
— Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

this is absolutely important. there is so much i could say on this topic, but i will leave that for another post.

there's something comforting about having a hot cup of tea and a cuddly animal around your living room on a chilly saturday afternoon. after visiting my sister, who's roommates have two adorable kittens, i am almost convinced to get one.
the unfortunate part of this story is that kittens grow up to be cats, most of which i don't particularly care for.
and we travel too often to keep a dog.

but, oh my, if i keep looking at this photo, my submerged girly side might just take over.

can we talk about the fact that "luggage" is now a color?

"If he (Satan) can get us to try to live the Christian life without cultivating an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, he knows we will be spiritually impotent and defeated. If he can get us to do a great many things for God without consciously seeking the will of God through His Word and prayer, we may stir up a lot of religious dust, but we won't do Satan's kingdom any real damage.
"If he can get us to operate on our own thoughts and ideas, rather than seeking the wisdom that comes from God, he knows we will eventually get sucked into the world's destructive way of thinking." Lies Women Believe by Nancy Lee DeMoss

my friend minott, who is one of my favorites, has turned me on to Dessa, who is pretty awesome. i don't usually get into that hippity hop music that all the kids listen to, but i'm "diggin it" as they say.

he also is weirded out at how we look alike. although, i'll admit she's far prettier. =)

what's that? would i like to buy movie theater seats for my living room? why yes, yes i would.

it's a pool party for everyone in the world.

you haven't seen a pool party like this since 1985...

oh, hello blog. it's been awhile.

yes, we went as calvin and hobbes for halloween.

can i say how hard it is to find orange tiger tails and ears? everything is for white tigers, sexy black cats, or leopards.

also, i wore the ears with street clothes the following day and was interrogated by the gas station attendant where the rest of my "hot cheetah" costume was.

i really, really wanted to slide on some old school ray bans. it's not easy, bein cheesy.

so fitting, right?

the United Nations this week to discuss global poverty over cocktails at the Waldorf Astoria.
- NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF