When the world cries out, will you answer?

Over a year ago I read an article in the newspaper that I will never forget. After reading my post, I strongly suggest that you read the article in question HERE although I'm not sure the entire article is available. The following is a blog (one of a mere few) that I posted on LiveJournal about a week after being tortured by the news.

Killing children a political ritual

• Apr. 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 PM

At what point does one's perspective on life alter incredibly, so that everything that can be seen cannot ever be looked at the way it used to? At what point do people leave behind the "perfect" vision of the world and begin to realize the horrors that also lie among the miracles?

What will it take for people to do something and fight for what they believe in?

The past couple of days have been, in a word, glorious. Despite the stresses of homework and making plans, the sunshine that came last week has yet to leave the sky... and I'd rather it decided to stay, in all honesty. There is something about the sun and warmer weather that makes me happy and almost careless. It feels like freedom, opportunity and pure divinity.

So even when I had to go to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning yesterday after school, I was not altogether dreading the visit. I was more open-minded and relaxed. I'm telling you, that star that heats our world sure has magical powers that I wish were revealed more often.

Before I sat in the crowded waiting room (which did not faze me in the slightest), I took to the washroom to brush my teeth once more. When I returned to sit beside my mom around the square table in the center of the room, everything seemed normal; kids were playing video games or playing with the doll house in the next room, while the adults and teenagers tried desperately not to utter a word or meet each others' eyes in the awkwardly quiet setting. That's how it always is in the waiting room at this office; The only sounds that can be heard are the odd whisper, the video game and the single small television that always, at least once, transfixes the helpless patients.

After a bit of whispering to my mom, who sat beside me with her book in hand, I resorted to staring at the coffee table in front of me. As usual, magazines and newspapers littered the wooden surface, though I hardly took notice of what they said. It wasn't until a lady was called in to see her dentist that I glanced at the newspaper she had just left on the coffee table, standing on its end. I shuffled in my seat before I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed the paper and was about to place it back on the table (lying FLAT I might add), when curiosity got the better of me; I noted it was the WORLD section of The Toronto Star, dated Monday April 21 2008. I skimmed past a poll and pictures of Obama and Clinton, and turned the page.
My world crashed. My mouth hung open as I sat there in the waiting room, staring in disbelief at the page in front of me. All I had read was the title and lead that followed unceremoniously: "Killing Children A Political Ritual - Activists say politicians use blood, organs in black magic to increase success in gaining office."

As my eyes whipped past the words printed on the page, I paused only once to nudge my mom so that she could read the title herself. She looked up from her book, peered at the title and feverishly insisted that she did not want to have anything more to do with the article... I didn't blame her. My shock and disbelief soon turned into pure fury and outrage. I read about 13-year-old Ralph Edang N'na who was found dead, his blood drained and "gaping wounds" mutilating his body. I read that the organs of children and young adults like Ralph are either eaten or used to create magical amulets, especially in the African nation of Gabon. What is worse, the use of such rituals seems to be spreading. How could this possibly be happening? How could this possibly be real? These thoughts, no matter who ignorant, were all that continued to spin around in my head. I was overwhelmed and deeply disturbed.

I want to fight. There must be something we can do! I don't know what I can possibly do to fight against these inhumane acts of terror, which is why I'm posting the story here. I won't copy out the entire article, but if you are interested in global politics and world issues, I strongly encourage that you try to scavenge for yesterday's paper. It just might change your life...

It did mine.

• Location:computer room in my house
• Mood:determined
• Music:Landon Pigg

These dreams won't hold me up for much longer...

This post is going to be about poetry I've written. I wrote a lot of poetry from 2002 - 2006, this was before I realized my passion for music and switched most of my creative writing to lyrical writing. The poems I am going to show you are all from in that time period. Keep in mind that as a preteen / early teen I was a typical angst-ridden, angry, self-loathing, closet case. Most of my writing was whiny drivel about how 'no one truly understands me!!!' so I picked out 4 of the pieces I thought had the most potential and I want to see what you guys have to say about them...

Midnight Flight

As midnight stars rise
And the moon cloaks the sleeping city in silver
I spread my wings and fly;
Keeping to the shadows, hiding from the prying fingers of light

Feeling so alone
While searching for something
So long I have flown
I can't help but feel like this is all empty

As I soar high, above it all
Trying to find something that isn't there...
I'm afraid I might fall
Because these dreams won't hold me up for much longer...

----------------------

So this piece is definitely one of my favourites that I wrote when I was younger. It's one of the first pieces I wrote and actually kept. You can still see the preteen angst in there, although I have reworked this one from the original version, which was more about 'THRIVING OFF OF THE DARKNESS' 'MY SOUL IS BLACK LIKE THE NIGHT SKY' etc. etc...
Regardless, do you think the imagery is effective?
I really like the 'cloaks the sleeping city in silver' line.
And I'm unsure if I like the ending, or if it's too cheesy... what do you think?

OKAY, poem number 2...

-----------------

Angel No More

An angel in a gown
An angel with no wings
An angel falling down
Into a clover ring

A voice calls out quite loud;
Your memory has faded
But you can't just give up now
Although your vision's jaded...

I know you hurt; you've lost it all...
But at least you have a new beginning...

---------------

One thing I notice in all my writing is my love of the semi-colon and of the ellipsis.
Do I overuse it?
I'm worried the ellipses might be too over dramatic and exaggerated...

Poem number 3;

-------------

Dinnertime Conversation

We sit in peaceful luxury
Eat lunch with family, sons and daughters
And while we do we watch TV
Displaying scenes of slaughter.

What can we do to fix the fact?
What can we do to change it?
It doesn't affect us anyway;

The message doesn't transmit

The government also watches...

They're doing all they can
Please, disregard the fact
That they haven't even began...

... they have a very short attention span...

So who's taking care of them?
I'm sure someone must be
Let's just push it o the back of our minds
I'm sure everyone can agree;

...we're models of congeniality...

...past our own front doors we just can't see...

-----------------

So this one was actually written in grade 10 for my ISU which was a song and poetry CD, and it was based around the Rwandan Genocide, although it is applicable to really any major world issue that doesn't seem to be getting enough attention.
It was inspired by the sarcastic manner of T.S. Eliot in his poems like 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'
Do you think the italicizing of certain phrases and words to emphasize them is effective?
How do you think I can reword the last stanza? It doesn't flow as nicely as I would like it to...

My FINAL poem...

----------------

Time it moves, but I stay still
Without a care, without a will

I tell a story with frozen lips

Unseeing eyes see every dip

I can feel the warmth of every light
My heart it swoons with all the sights

Sometimes I move, I sing and shout
I laugh and smile and move about

The only time that this can be
Is in your dreams and memories

Think of me from time to time
So I can come to life within your mind...

---------------

So I didn't provide the title for this one as I want you to guess what it is about... the title would give it away...

So which of these is your favourite? your least favourite?
If you have any suggestions or criticisms, please tell me as I would definitely like to know how to improve these.
:)

-J.PIKE

Top 10 Albums: Who Killed Amanda Palmer

It is so simple,
The way they fall...
No bang or whimper
No sound at all.


The one thing I am most passionate about is music. Music is a huge inspiration for me, and is what I aspire to venture into as a career choice when I am older. For this reason, a lot of my blogs will probably be about music. I decided that through my blogs I would talk about my top ten favourite albums, and WHY they are my top ten favourite albums. So in no particular order, here I go...

Just over a year ago, I was counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until September 16th... the release date of Amanda Palmer's CD 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer'.

I was beyond just excited for this album, words can't begin to describe how excruciatingly horrible the wait for this release was, but when I finally got the CD it was definitely worth it. The spunky musician (who is currently dating Neil Gaimon, author of books such as Coraline) has always combined many different musical tastes. Her cabaret and theatrical influences are much more pronounced in her live performances which are where she's truly at her forte. This album dives into a new sort of territory for Amanda, as previously her work with others has had more of a punk / pop-rock feel, where this album takes on a darker, sadder tone using her signature piano accompanied with layered strings and orchestral arrangements. Still though, the raw emotion is beautiful. Amanda's husky voice is perfect for capturing emotional, intimate moments; every time her voice cracks you can feel your heart break just a little bit more.

Strength Through Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-WXhw1KLwk

This heart wrenching track and video are inspired by the Columbine, as well as any similar incidents. In this song the simplistic piano helps build intensity to the point where every piano note begins to feel like a gunshot. When she cracks on the high notes, in her allusion to T.S. Eliot at the end, it sends shivers down my spine every time.

Astronaut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O6GqCwjh-k&feature=channel

The opening track to the album is definitely a strong starter. There's something about the power in the notes she pounds out on her keyboard that draws you in. The lyrics, in my opinion, are absolutely genius (as Amanda's usually are) and for me that's a large part of what really makes the song so good. This was one of the first songs I heard off of the album a few years back when she was playing it live with her old band 'The Dresden Dolls' (who will be getting their own post later). Hearing it live with the passion she played it made it stick out in my head, the melody haunting me everywhere I went after the concert for days.When I heard it was going to come out on her solo record a couple years later, I was ecstatic.

And that is Amanda Palmer, one of my greatest musical inspirations. For me I am all about the theatrical side to music (as you heard in my post about Lady GaGa). If an artist can't perform and play live, I find them harder to respect and appreciate. While I know her sound and style isn't for everyone, this frenetic, dark, punk cabaret queen will continue to be one of the most played musicians on my iPod for a long time.

You Must Have Seen This Coming...

You must have seen this one coming. A Twilight review. With the latest film adaptation bracing to hit theatres, it was probably inevitable that someone would review Twilight.

I just never thought it would be me.

Before I begin I have a confession to make: before Twilight became popular, I was given the first book of the series as a gift. And after getting well over halfway through I gave up and did not finish it. I was bored with the slow pace and the pages that dragged on while the plot got no where, so I just put it away. Then the phenomenon began, and I read it again. I suppose I was caught up in the pandemonium, because I had deluded myself into thinking that I really liked the novels. Don't get me wrong, I do not hate them, its just that now that I look back I do not understand what all the fuss was about...

For anyone who has not yet read the books I shall provide a brief synopsis of the novels content using only five words:

Dazzling. Dazzling. Dazzling. Dazzling. Dazzling.

I do not understand Stephanie Meyer's fascination with this word. It seems to me that her approach to writing was to cram as many descriptive words as possible on to one page, without advancing the plot. And for that matter, she wasn't even describing the setting, which at least would make the story more intriguing. But no - it was all about Edward. Personally I think its disturbing how much Bella's life revolves around one person. It sets a poor example for young girls to focus all their attention on their relationship. In the second installment, Edward leaves Bella and she turns into a hollow shell; utterly depressed to the point where she seems almost suicidal. And I think no man (or a sexy vampire for that matter) is worth such devastation. Even if he sparkles (which was an unnecessary change from the traditional vampire). As for Bella, I found her to be monotonous and dull. She had no personality or enthusiasm for anything, making it excruciating to read from her point of view.

But even with all its flaws I can potentially see what I liked in the story. I liked the romance, and the danger behind such a forbidden love. And of course every girl would like to find her perfect man, its just that this man (or vampire) is not very realistic. So I'm sorry to all the crazy 'Twihards' but men cannot dart in front of an out of control van to save you in the nick of time. Please, escape your delusions and come to the sense that Edward is not real. (And the poor actor portraying him in the movies is not really Edward either.) And, while the thought crosses my mind: am I the ONLY one who thinks that it is incredibly disturbing that Edward breaks into Bella's house to watch her sleep? You know who else does that? Serial killers. So, please don't confuse having a creepy stalker obsession with true love.

So would I recommend the books? Possibly. I know that after I complained about it in this review, this probably was not the answer most would expect, but for it to become so popular Stephanie must be doing something right. After all, they were briefly my guilty pleasure. So if you like romance, give it a try. And as for Stephanie, stick to writing the Host. Its a far more intriguing and mature novel.

And lastly, I apologize for ranting about Twilight. It is not all bad. So, Twihards:

Please don't hate me.

My life before now...

Hello everyone, it time now for our second set of logs...
This piece is a poem i wrote about my best friend and when she had to quit rhythmic gymnastics.
Enjoy.

My life before now...

Before this year all i did
ever since i was a kid
was rhythmic, school, and sleep.
Everyday was rhythmic, school, and sleep.

The schedule never changing
though the rain drops re-arranging.
The resume is impressive
the timing was excessive

Aeriels, splits, walk overs and all
until this year, my friend gene pool was small
until this year, i was blankly happy
until this year, my people skills were crappy

until i was forced to quit what i love
did i truly learn to sore like a dove


Hello again. This poem really deals with the aftermath of having to abandon something you love so much. Whether this is a sport, or a piece of writing, or a person, it will always hurt.

Biography of the subject: She was born on November 16th, 1992. At the age of five, she fell love with the sport of rhythmic gymnastics. She was very talented and rose to the provincial level of competitive competition. But at the age of 14, after an unfortunate accident, injured her shoulder and was no longer able to continue with gymnastics that year. After extensive physiotherapy, it was concluded that she would never again be able to compete in rhythmic, and was force to permanently retire.

The poem is more a confession, the vein attempts to make herself feel better. When we must leave something that has been such a big part of your life, its human nature to try and perk yourself up again. In this case, she is reminding herself of all the reasons that she disliked rhythmic. All the reasons that her life was so structured and was never able to just hang out with her friends.

Lines such as blankly happy, deal with the reasons that you do these things. Just going to practise for the sake of just going to practise. The excitement is predominantly gone, and now its just routine. The rains drops are explaining the passage of time, and the fact that you have been doing the same thing every single day for the past decade.

There is also alot of cross examining of her life, all the things she has or has done, contrasting all the things that she wishes she had. The secong verse is more the style of a pro/con list. Its her debating back and forth the good and bad of what her life has been like before this point.

*If you do know the name of the person that inspired this piece, please do not say it. Just out of respect.

Please tell me what you thought of this piece, or your own interpretations.

Are You There, God? It's me, DHALL

I haven't talked to you in a while! You probably already know why because, well, you're God and you know everything that I'm thinking ALL THE TIME, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I didn't talk to you because I was mad at you.

I asked you to make me grow another 2 inches so that I would be tall enough to beat Alicia Brown at basketball. Remember? And then I got a broken nose when she shoved the ball into my face!

But that's not why I'm here tonight. The honest-to-God truth is that over the last few hours, I've realized something.

I don't think I'm human.

No, please don't laugh at me! Just listen.

I have a serious problem and I need your help - this is a life and death situation, here! Are you really willing to ignore a poor, innocent little girl who's life hangs in the balance?

Well, that is, if whatever sort of creature I am can actually die. Because I'm not human. I told you that, right? I hope you're listening to what I'm saying, God, because I'm just about to get to the good part! Are you ready? Okay. Here we go...

I don't have nightmares.

At least, not in the same way my friends and family do. You know what I mean, right? The stuff about death and fear that seems so real it is scary, sad and forever makes you afraid to walk down into your basement or jump into a pool?

I never get to see any of that.

It isn't like what they make you believe in movies or on TV; I don't wake up screaming and I don't wake up in tears. My Godzillas are always hunting, but they never find me; snipers press a gun against my back and shoot my beating heart, but I never cry out; and the death of someone close to me doesn't send my body into auto-pilot. I can function just fine, but what I want, God, is to feel something.

It's not fair! That's why I'm talking to you. You're the supposed to be the head-honcho, the Man, the Mr. what-do-you-call-it-when-you're-really-really-smart?

I guess what I'm asking is for you to send a few nightmares my way. Could you do that, God? It doesn't have to be anything dramatic. I could forget to put on pants on the first day of school - or I could sleepwalk into a swarm of giant spiders - OR I could even thrash around in my bed, screaming bloody murder as I try to escape from a T-Rex!

You know, the usual.

I really don't think I'm asking too much, God. I've forgiven you for not making me grow 2 inches, but I PROMISE that if you give me nightmares, I'll be the best-behaved human on EARTH!

That's all.

OH - one more thing; Rachel Anderson came to school yesterday with pink highlights in her hair, and when I told Mom about it, she said I wasn't allowed to have them.

Think you can put in a good word for me?




****

I'm not crazy about the way i've written this post, but i'm sure you guys can help me out. I really like the concept, I just dont think i'm being clear or that i'm choosing the right words.
see you saturday.
TTFN
(ta-ta for now)

Short Green Turf

I see the field,
My stick in hand.
I see the net,
My goals are planned .

I walk on the field, shivers down my spine...
My feet floating across the short green turf
Moving slowly across the painted white lines
Envision it...Invincible...Unstoppable...

I see the field,
My stick in hand.
I see the net,
My goals are planned.

The centre draw, my stick gripped tight
The field is glowing, beneath the lights
Legs are shaking, heart is racing
The ball, the win, its all worth chasing!

I see the field,
My stick in hand.
I see the net,
My goals are planned.


I wrote this poem about the feelings and the motions I go through at the beginning of a lacrosse game. These feelings are so familiar to me because I spend so much time feeling them. I had trouble with punctuation while writing this. Please help me to determine where and what punctuation I need. I know exactly how I want it to sound when I'm writing it because it sounds a certain way to me. However, when I write it I'm afraid it does not have the same effect that I would like it to because I can not use the punctuation effectively! I also feel like maybe it is not finished yet. Any suggestions? Maybe I should go through the rest of the game in different stanzas. I think it would be a better flowing poem if i continued to write a stanza about the second half of the game and then the outcome and the feelings leaving the field.

I Am Not A Goldfish

This past week (for those of us in English this semester) brought the last of the fishbowl discussions. So my question to all of you is do you think the fishbowl discussions are an important part of the curriculum? What skills do you think we learn?


My opinion? I do not think the actual discussions are necessary. I do however, think that the note taking process is a vital skill that we can use in the future. But the actual fishbowl discussions do not teach us any important skills. To me, it seems almost like an episode of the View: everyone is fighting over the other to put in their own two cents. Everyone is so focused on trying to get marks or thinking of what point they are going to make next, that no one is truly concentrating on what's being said by the other members of the group. And because of this, points often get repeated, making it hard to contribute something important to the discussion.


The worst part of all of it is the criteria we have to meet. Such as how we have to invite someone else into the discussion. It makes the discussion feel mechanic and forced. In day to day conversations we do not randomly turn to the person beside us and ask "do you have anything you want to add?" or "what is your opinion on the matter?"And if you have the misfortune of being invited into the conversation, you are put on the spot - so you better have something important to say! Otherwise, its just awkward. Also, when everyone is fighting to have their voice heard, how is it possible to invite someone else in when you, yourself are being cut off? And, when you're frantically grasping at words to make a valid point, why are we expected to make an analogy? And five analogies at that.

Don't get me wrong I do not hate fishbowls - hate is too strong a word for me. Strongly dislike. They just do not seem necessary to me. I know that it is useful to take notes, that part I understand. But why all the criteria? It all seems too forced to me. It would be better (and more effective) if they were small, casual discussions like we do here in Writer's Craft.

On top of all this is the awkward situation that it is by itself. It can be very difficult to feel confident about your personal beliefs and opinions when the rest of the class is surrounding you: staring at you like a goldfish.

And I am not a goldfish.

Good Work this week...

Hey guys!

You're off to a great start! I really like the variety of post topics and styles. It's nice to see that your feedback is often so positive. Also, great use of media to add to your posts. Try to at least mention the writing in the comments-yes, content and theme is included!

Summer Gone

Half, full, or crescent moon,
All of which, come much too soon
The days of summer, so quickly end
The sun, the beach, the river bends

Days disappear, as does the light
The memories of summer nights
We loose track of all the time
September arrives with the flip of a dime

Back through those doors, the time has come
Where homework, books, and work are from
It does us well, much to our dismay
Time to say goodbye, to summer days

I know this is a very short poem, but I want to talk about it a bit. I know it is very, very raw and there is not a lot to it but it was a quick thought that I just typed out and in my surprise have not yet deleted. I write so much that I don’t like and instead of looking at what I did not like about it, I delete it and start from scratch. I think leaving my rough work to be picked apart is a good way to improve and create a more complex and more sophisticated piece of work for my upcoming blogs. I am content with the first stanza, however I’m not sure what I think about the river bends rhyme. I’m also not sure about the last line of the second stanza. I think this poem could have potential, and I might blog the next part in a week or two. This could be an interesting poem to write with the help of you within the next few weeks so please give me some tips and help me add to it and make it into something I’m proud of!

Social Networking and You

Web2.0 and Social Networking will be most likely regarded as one of the largest advancements in human communication. 50 years ago, it would be absurd to think that with a small handheld device, you could send pixels of information to someone else and carry on a conversation with someone who is in Japan while you're in Canada. Yet millions of texts are sent everyday.

The popular hipster mocking blog Hipster Runoff recently wrote a massive entry about Kanye West's famous interuption of Taylor Swift at MTV's VMAs. Carles, the man behind Hipster Runoff titled the entry " It takes a socially transcendent moment to remind us what makes life worth living. Kanye West is a valuable member of society." The blog is a joke, and generally touches on topics that are 'culturally relevant' and about 'branding yourself'. It serves as mockery of those who try so hard to make themself culturally relevant and unique, only caring about becoming eFamous.

The thing about Carles' post is that although it is a joke, it does touch on some truthful points. I remember being on facebook on Sunday, and seeing my newsfeed flood with status updates regarding Kanye West's actions and everybodies opinion on it. Kanye West instantly became a trending topic on Twitter, and Youtube was being overloaded with videos of that event. As that happened, social networking served as a tool for us to express opinions on something we thought was worth 'talking about'.

Social Networking has become such a staple part of society, it's weird to think about a time where it didn't exist. Facebook has a userbase bigger than most countries have people. Web2.0 has allowed us to constantly be in contact with eachother whenever we want, and for however long we want. Blogs let us express our opinion and can share it an audience that isn't restricted to a local community yet to the world wide web. Microblogging allows us to 'tweet' about things as they happen.

Michael Jackson's death became old news almost 24 hours later. It was known worldwide that the 'king of pop' was dead, and even if you lived under a rock, your Iphone 3gs probably got reception under there as you noticed your newsfeed being swamped with updates of the death.

I could write about this all day, but I won't. However I know for a fact I shall resume the topic of Social Networking another day as it has changed society and our culture so much.

In closing, I ask you guys what your lives would be like without the use of Facebook, Youtube, Myspace(lol), Twitter, Blogging Websites, and the internet all together.