Imma Windows

'To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter' 19 Reading

2010-05-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Link

Part 2

Still I Rise

2010-02-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

Still I Rise

---Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise

Clicky if it doesn't worky!

__________Maya Angelou’s, originally Marguerite Ann Johnson, poem, “Still I Rise” is perhaps one of the most interesting works I’ve ever seen. The message it brings forth is a powerful one, and Angelou does an amazing job at capturing our attention. Angelou was a civil rights activist who came from a long generation of slaves that had to work incredibly hard. Knowing this we can understand that this poem is very autobiographical, often referring to slavery.
__________Maya Angelou knows just what words to use where to bring forth exactly what she wants to say. For example, while referring to herself she uses sassiness to show the attitude of a young confident female. Or using “’cause” instead of “because” therefore making the poem more personal, as if she was really saying it. Using the phrase, “like I’ve got oil wells pumping in my living room” Angelou wishes to show that she’s worth a lot, using a valuable compound like oil to illustrate that very thing. Maya Angelou also compares herself to the moon and the sun “with the certainty of tides” saying she’s constant and that she won’t go away. This also may represent a menstrual cycle, since it’s consistent and is used to show her feminine side. In the next few lines Angelou brings more of the female rights to the table saying things like “bowed head and lowered eyes” most possibly referring to certain societies where women are not allowed to do certain things and are considered second to men. Next, Angelou uses the word haughtiness, which, unlike sassiness, seems to be more mature and not something you would call a little girl, but something you might use to refer to a grown-up woman. Certain metaphors come forth in this poem, like, “You may shoot me with your words” or “you may cut me with your eyes” which are both non violent acts but are said to physically hurt here. Angelou also uses diamonds, a precious stone, to demonstrate the power of the female parts, i.e. the power in reproduction and power in sexuality. We also see the constant repetition of the phrase “I rise” which helps the impact of that statement. She also uses “up from a past that’s rooted in pain” specifically roots referring to her ancestors. Then she says “I am the dream and the hope of the slave” since she rose up from being a slave to being such a successful and powerful woman. We can see that the main themes are civil rights and feminism. Maya Angelou constantly uses words that describe nature to describe women. Doing so compares women to Mother Nature (who is referred to as a woman). Mother Nature, like a woman, is unstoppable. She also tries to bring forth the argument that women shouldn’t have to fight for these basic rights. She also repeats the usage of “I” more like “we” as in women, (black women more specifically) and “you” to concentrate more on the men in this male dominated society.
__________Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise” brings forth a very powerful message. Through the usage of metaphors, similes and the specific comparison of women to diamonds, gold and even Mother Nature herself, Angelou stands to say quite a lot with this poem. It truly is a work of art.

Agree to Disagree

2009-10-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Murder is a crime and a sin – it can never be justified.
Agree/Disagree.
Yes, murder is bad, it’s an obvious statement, but there are cases where it could be justified. On one hand, taking away someone’s life should not be a choice someone can make. No one should have the power to decide when, where and how someone’s life will end. On the other hand, there are possible situations in which murder is the lesser of two evils. For example, if someone would kill a dictator it would save hundreds or even thousands of lives. Had someone killed Hitler there would be no holocaust. Another example could be a person suffering. A mother in Texas had children with Huntington’s chorea, an incurable disorder where the muscles literally deteriorate over time, and they begged for their suffering to come to an end. What would a mother, or any human being with a soul, do other than try to end their pain? In my opinion, what she did was justified, and quite honestly if I were in her position I would have done the same. I could not, however, take one side of this argument. One the one hand it’s a crime and those that commit it should be punished accordingly, but on the other situations can exist in which the murder can be justified.

Children learn their behaviors by watching and mimicking adults.
Agree.
I have no trouble completely agreeing with this statement. Not only do I know from personal experience but anthropologically speaking it has been studied and documented for years. The nature of humans is purely based on imitating what they see. How does one learn to swim, or play a sport? They watch and do what the others are doing. Monkey see, monkey do. As children we learn to do things by mimicking what we see our parents do. They say something and we repeat it. That’s why our parents would sit with us for hours on end trying to make us say “mommy” or “daddy” by repeating it over and over again until it doesn’t sound like a word anymore. This isn’t just consistent with humans but with many other animals in the wild. They learn to survive but doing exactly what their mother does. Whether or not children learn their behaviors by watching and mimicking adults is not an opinion to be made, it’s a fact.

Someone’s ego will cause a tragic fall.
Agree.
There is no doubt in my mind that anyone with an overinflated ego will eventually lead him or herself to their own downfall. Over estimating your ability at anything would surely not end well. Take Caesar, for example, who was murdered by a group of senators led by Marcus Brutus, meant to be one of his most loyal friends. His “subjects” grew tired of being under his rule. A scenario in which this statement can be shown is if an egotistic warlord overestimates his ability and accepts a challenge to go to battle. Believing he could defeat him with no difficulty whatsoever he goes to war and is completely caught off guard when he notices he’s met his match. On a smaller scale, say at a school where someone puts themselves above everyone else, the person will quickly come to discover just how small they are when they attempt to make others feel belittled. If you give no respect you will get back no respect. The bigger ones ego is, the harder the fall.

Preclude

2009-09-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

(I used http://bighugelabs.com/motivator.php instead of brainyflix to create my picture.)

A Dream Within a Dream

2009-09-13T23:12:00.001-07:00

(Made that myself, hence the A54.)

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Epistolary

2009-09-13T10:58:00.001-07:00

13 Hillbilly St.
Pinkerton, W. VA 25301

July 15, 2009
332 New Flamboyant St., 16th floor
San Francisco , CA 94105

Hey there Ms. Van Derbilt,
So glad to finally get in touch with ya. My cousin, Irwin, gave me this address, hope it gets to ya. Anywho, just wanna ask you for a lil bit of help. See, my cousin, Mary-Lou, she wants to act. There’s not much for her to do over in a lil town in West Virginia. We only got 321 people in our lil ol’ community. I was just hoping you could help me out. I heard you was a good musician, and you’re in California so maybe you could give me the name of someone that could get her a job in acting. Don’t matter if it’s small at first. Heck, she’s only 16. Write me back if you can. See ya, Jiminy Billy-Bob Pinkerton

July 17, 2009
Dear Mr. Pinkerton,
Such a gentleman! Please, call me Florance! I’d be very happy to help you, I’m sure one of my band members knows someone that could help. I’m the guitarist in “Fisherman’s Toy” I’m sure you’ve heard of us. Well, I’ll ask around. You must be very fond of your cousin for you to be doing such a favor for her. Just give me some time to make some enquiries and I’ll get back to you as soon as something comes up.
Sincerely,
Florance Van DerBilt

August 13, 2009
Hi Ms. Florance,
It’d be great if ya could, but I’m a bit worried, it’s been a month and maybe you aren’t finding no one. Gee, I haven’t been having such a great year, this would really help out. I ran for mayor, but my cousin Chuck won. Mary-Lou sure is a great girl, but she doesn’t pay any attention to me cause after all I’m just a country boy that works in one of them pig farms. I write some poetry though and when I sent a couple of poems last year to Roy L. Spinks, my favorite poet, he tells me they was pretty darn good for a farm boy. Maybe I could send you one or two poems for you to put some music to. I’ve got some great ones bout porky the pig, my favorite animal. Whatta ya think? Hope to hear from you soon, Jiminy Billy-Bob

August 25, 2009
Hello Jiminy Billy-Bob,
Sorry about taking so long to write, but I’ve been quite busy with the band. We were on Tour in Northern California. Now we’re back, though, and I’ve made some connections with people who work in Hollywood, who could help. There’s a small problem, Mary-Lou’s only 16, but we’ll see what we can do. One of the people I spoke to is an assistant director in one of the studios and he told me that they’re shooting a new teenage movie and they may have a role for Mary-Lou. Please, send me her portfolio of photos and her resume.
Write back soon,
Florance

August 28, 2009
Hey Florance,
Thanks for all your trouble, and thank God you’ve found someone to help Mary-Lou. I told her about the portfolio and resume and she aint got one. She was real excited, though, and I’m gonna drive her down to Charleston tomorrow where Cousin Buck works in a grocery store and he should know how to do one of them portfolios. I’ll send you the package as soon as we get it ready down in Charleston. Thanks againt, Jiminy Billy-Bob

September 3, 2009
Dear Jiminy Billy-Bob,
I gave the portfolio to the director and he really liked Mary-Lou. He wants to see her as soon possible to audition her for the role of a cheerleader. By the way, I really appreciate the fact that you’ve been really respectful of the fact that I’m a gay man and a Polish one at that. I wouldn’t have expected that a guy from West Virginia would be such a gentleman and so understanding. I’m going to do my best to help Mary-Lou and I’d really appreciate it if you’d come to California with her so maybe I could meet you and we could get to know each other better.
Love,
Florance

October 15, 2009
Hey Jiminy Billy-Bob,
I haven’t heard from you for a while, everything ok? When can I expect to see you in California? I’m waiting for your visit.
Love,
Florance

(Any spelling mistakes done on Jiminy’s part are all on purpose. There shouldn’t be that many, I mean he has had 6 solid years of schooling.)

A Work of Art by Anton Chekov

2009-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

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A work of art, no?

Incredible

2009-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.breathingearth.net/

Pretty interesting.

54

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

2009-06-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

"I guess that guy just flipped me the bird."
"That angel guy just felt me up."

And since I'm posting literal versions of videos, might as well put this up here:

Silent

2009-06-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

“Are you-?” asked Jay.
“I’m fine” answered Jenny while she frantically packed her school bag as if she wanted to form a distraction. The last thing Jenny wanted to do was make eye contact. The bell rang.
Jenny threw her bag over her shoulder, slammed her locker shut and began walking down the hallway. Jay followed; he wasn’t going to let her leave without getting an answer. He was worried, to say the least. Jenny had been acting strange lately, like something wasn’t right. Jay grabbed her shoulder and then realizing being rough wouldn’t help loosened his grip.
“Listen, if there’s anything bothering you-“
“No! I’m fine, ok? Just go home,” Jenny wiggled her way out of his grip.
She walked away fast, almost running, and didn’t look back.

“It’s malignant,” the doctor put up the MRI on the screen. “We could start treatment but it would only slow it down.”
Jenny’s mom wiped away her tears with her scrunched up Kleenex. Her dad laid his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Jenny felt dead. No tears. No words. As if the tumor had already killed her. What do you say to the person that tells you they can’t help you? The person that tells you you’re going to die? What do you tell your parents? Your friends?
“…metastasis. Which basically means it’s spreading, fast.”
Jenny sat there, waiting for the good news she knew was never going to come. Her head yelled, why me, why me, while her mouth stayed closed; silent. The same way it will be once she’s dead. Forever silent.
A list, she thought, I’ll write a list of things I want to do before I die.
It was ironic, really. Jenny almost never goes through with things. All her life she’s lived by the rules, done what she was told. Now she was just meant to do what she wanted? Ignore all advice and just go by it? She could say she wants to go sky diving, but would she really go through with it? Would she just chicken out and run away? Could she really let herself die like that?
What was she going to do?

Jay looked over at Jenny. She was staring at the ground. He hadn’t seen her smile for few days now. Jay ripped out a piece of paper from his note pad. He scribbled something on it, scrunched it up and threw it over at Jenny. Jay watched as she opened it, read what it said, wrote something underneath and threw it back to him. He opened it and saw a dull “hi”. He knew she only responded like that when she didn’t want to talk. He’d ask her about it after school.

The machine made that awful noise. That consistent annoying beep. Over and over again. She was hooked up to 2 different monitors. If either stopped, they would know.
Jenny looked at herself in the mirror; her bald head, her pale skin. It was killing her and she knew it. She was going to spend her last days in this bed. She couldn’t stand the thought of it. Living the rest of her days being tested again and again with no definitive results. Just theories on what the tumor could be, what it could be doing to her and how long she has until it sucks the life out of her. Jenny looked at her list. Something she was never going to do. She was staying here. She was dying here.

Jenny wanted out. Her aching head throbbed as she tried to stand up.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Her mother had caught her and laid her back into the bed.
I don’t want to stay here anymore. I don’t want to be here when it happens.” Jenny’s mom could hear the hopelessness in her voice. Her mind raced to find something to tell her daughter that it would be OK. How could you tell someone it was going to be OK when you know as much as they do it really wasn’t?

Jenny had told her parents to go home and rest for the afternoon. “I’m not going anywhere” she had joked. Jay went over to the hospital instead. He brought her chocolates and a DVD; he didn’t want to bring her flowers, it was too normal, too sad.
“It’s your favorite movie,” Jay whispered as if he didn’t want to interrupt what the machines were saying.
“Thanks,” Jenny shot him a small, quite smile.
“So how’s the food here?” Jay wanted to distract her, keep her mind off the tumor.
“Oh it’s great! I recommend the jello,” she answered sarcastically.
“Good! Then I’m going to run down to the cafeteria and get each of us a cup of jello!” He smiled and walked out the door. Jay jumped down the steps, thinking of all the wonderful conversations he and Jenny would have.

The short beeping stopped and became solid, long, dead.
Doctors and nurses rushed into the room, charging the paddles, but the beeping stayed the same.
“Time of death, 3:23 pm” the doctor called it. Nothing anyone could do now. No one was there. Her parents were at home and Jay was walking back up the stairs, jello in hand.
He walked in. The doctors turned to look at him. No words had to be said, Jay knew what this meant. The jello fell to the ground and all he could do was hold her. She was gone. Dead. Silent.

54 - Hope you like reading.

Twilight and other unrelated pictures

2009-05-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Interesting...

KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

On a completely unrelated note:

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

Spring Break

2009-04-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Over the spring break I stayed in Cyprus. In the first week I went to drama rehearsals and then guitar class. In guitar class we had a profound discussion about the theory of music and how it has changed or affected the way people act. We also discussed how people use music to send a message and bring people together. My music teacher is a superlative and profound person. The discussions we have in theory class are interesting and deep. Next, I celebrated Easter with my family and relatives. After incoherently completing my homework and going to another two hours of drama rehearsal, Anabella came over to my house for a four day sleep over. Over that time period we watched the Office, the O.C. and even the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. We also played pool (12-9 to me). We then played Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 (it has become a tradition to play that game when she comes over) where she was one of the only people to beat me. Once Anabella left I finished Season 2 of How I Met Your Mother.

P.S. Thank you so much for assigning this to our blog. It's truly an honor to show the whole world how boring my spring break was...

~54

Everyone's a Critic

2009-03-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

Wow on effort! Just thinking about how long that must have taken is amazing. I really enjoy the little "meanwhile" scenes. And the fight scenes are also quite cute. I like how he had a small introduction, telling us which stick figure represented which character in the story. It doesn't seem like much but without it I would have been completely lost.
I feel they could have improved by simply taking the sound of so we don't have to here a click from the flip book and just hear the music instead of both overlapping each other. I also think it was very vague. Someone that hasn't read the story, or at least known what it was about, wouldn't understand it. For example, it doesn't explain that Juliet when to the apothecary to get a potion that will make it seem like she is dead. It only shows her going in and then drinking it. What he could have done is had the apothecary explain it in a few words.

54 seconds of my life...gone. The only thing I found even remotely entertaining were the drawings, but why have a hippo as Juliet and an "Indian" as Romeo? I felt like I was watching a really old, and horrible, Disney clip. Were they trying to say something by using those particular characters? Or were they simply trying to make it seem funny? Which brings me to my next point; I didn't find it funny...at all. Juliet falling off the balcony? Where was that in the story? And why was that meant to be funny? Apart from the names it bares no resemblance to the original story of Romeo and Juliet.
That little bin on your computer? Yea, toss it in there.

I also appreciate the effort on this video, but boy was I lost. I feel the creators of this Lego stop motion should have included the very beginning of the act. At least then it would be easier to understand why all the little Lego men were running around and getting beaten on top of the head. What about the little scene that kept repeating in the beginning? That kind of went on for a while. I suggest they cut that short a little bit. The original dialogue is used which I actually liked about the clip. What I found strange was the unnecessary explosion. That wasn't in the story and I don't think it was necessary at all. I wouldn't say it was horrible, but it could use improvement.

I enjoyed this a lot. I really like the animation and the voice over is excellent; the people don't stumble and you can clearly hear what they are saying. It wasn't hard to understand what was going on even though it was really simple. Mercutio dies and Romeo goes off to fight Tybalt. In a sword fight, Romeo manages to kill Tybalt. It's easy to understand and there isn't too much going on at once. The original dialogue is used. I think the way they presented it is great and nothing needs to be added.

The little 20th Century Lego's made me giggle, very creative. Maybe it's just me being picky but they could have actually done the Star Wars credit type thing where everything is moving far away instead of just upwards. I enjoyed the brief introduction to the scene, helped me understand what they were trying to show. I really liked their creativity and humor: "...on the planet of Tatoonie, uh, I mean Verona." "Little do they know that fate shall shape events in such a way that the feudal families shall be brought together, but at a terrible price..." Notice something? FORESHADOWING! I was entertained by the sound effects. "WOO WOO WOO" "Oh no, it's the cops, let's get out of here guys!" I really liked the Rosaline - Princess Leia reference, then the "single 14 year old chick" - Juliet. "This speach is over rated, let's just get married." Everything is easy to understand. It's obviously not in the original dialogue but the humor makes up for it.
It was a really entertaining clip; funny, creative and had cute little references to the original story of Romeo and Juliet.

~54

Jenny Walters

2009-03-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

(Click Here to see image above clearly)

Jenny Walters, born on March 15, 1982 in Virginia, is best known for C.H.A.K.R.A.M., the organization that corrects mythology. Following her studies in archeology at the University of New Zealand, in 2005, she was admitted to the team of renowned archeologist-writer professor Alekos Katsikonouris to work on a research project concerning Greco-Roman Mythology. During her time on professor Katsikonouris’ team (2005-2007) she made a significant contribution in the compilation of the first complete mythological anthology of Greece and Italy.
Jenny went on to produce numerous publications on the subject of Mythology that have earned her world wide acclaim. Jenny is most famous for her book, “Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts” which topped the New York Times best seller list in 2007 and earned her the American Literary Society’s: Best New Young Author Award 2007.

Contents
1. Family/Early life
2. C.H.A.K.R.A.M. (Center for Historical Accuracy of Key Research in Ancient Mythology
3. C.H.A.K.R.A.M. International
4. “A Search for Xena”
5. Publications

Family/Early life
At age 8 she moved to New Zealand with her father, Richard Walters, and her mother, Mavis Clark. Richard Walters is a professor in Willabong University of New Zealand (or WUNZ). He specializes in the field of the Greco-Roman Classical Period. Mavis Clark, who kept her maiden name, is a published fiction writer. She has written such books as, “The Cloverfield”.
Currently only 26, Jenny heads the organization C.H.A.K.R.A.M. which she quickly established as the leading authority in mythology studies across the world.
Her older sister, Nikki, comments,
“We’re all very proud of her. It seems only just yesterday that she was playing with her toy chakram and watching Xena. I still remember how she would run around doing Xena’s battle cry. (Laughs) She wanted us to call her Ephiny because it was her favorite Amazon. Xena had a great impact on her life.”

C.H.A.K.R.A.M. (Center for Historical Accuracy of Key Research in Ancient Mythology)
At age 23, just after completing her study of archeology and whilst working with professor Katsikonouris on researching Greco-Roman Mythology, Jenny went on to create the organization, C.H.A.K.R.A.M.
“We here at C.H.A.K.R.A.M. strive to verify to what extent mythology is based and derived from true events in history. Furthermore, we aim to salvage and record the unwritten mythological record from across the world for posterity.” – Jenny Walters

C.H.A.K.R.A.M. International
Over the years C.H.A.K.R.A.M.’s research and verification work has spread around the world from New Zealand to Italy, Greece, countries in South America, mainly Colombia and Mexico, and the Southeastern Asian area where ground breaking work has been accomplished in collecting and recording on paper for the first time the spoken mythological record of Indonesia. Jenny has gone to thousands of conventions to spread C.H.A.K.R.A.M.’s message and promote its work.

“A Search for Xena”
Soon after her success with C.H.A.K.R.A.M., Jenny created a TV Show out to search for known Xena sites around New Zealand. So far only 4 episodes have been produced. Several planned future episodes are said to feature Lucy Lawless, Renee O’ Connor and Ted Raimi in person. In the second episode, Jenny visited the grave of Kevin Smith, who portrayed the character Ares, God of War, in the TV production of Xena: Warrior Princess.

Publications:

Click here to see bigger version.

In addition to the above publications, Jenny has written many articles for news papers around the world including the Washington Post, the Kamal Dank of Jakarta, Sumitori of Finland and The Guardian.

References:
www.willabonguni.com.edu
www.cloverfield.com/MavisC
www.CHAKRAM.org
www.Hellenic.gov/moe
www.PromethusPublications.com.gr
www.RCHC.uk.com
www.UOAthens.com.gr/Katsikonouris

External Links:
www.CHAKRAM.org
www.NYTimes.com

See also:
Xena: Warrior Princess, University of New Zealand, Royal Society of Human Cultures, American Literary Society, Mavis Clark, New Scientist.

Violence, Political Unrest and a Basic History of Haiti

2009-02-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Violence and Political Unrest in Haiti

The political unrest in Haiti is caused by a group that is attempting to banish President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They are trying to get control of approximately a dozen towns throughout the country. Many people have died and despite that, Aristide chose to stay in power until the end of his term which ended in 2006. Back in 1994 Aristide disbanded the Haitian army which leaves gangs freedom to roam the streets. In 2004 the people burned down the police headquarters and took over. They became the new police and their purpose was to, “protect and serve”. On February 4th that same year the police attempt to take back the city but are ambushed and most are killed.

Dead bodies lay in the streets. On a video about violence (see below) one youtube poster commented, “Sometimes you would drive past a body on the way to work at 7 AM and leave work at 5 PM and drive past the same body.” So imagine, there is no one to pick up these bodies, they’re left there to rot.

After Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide, or Titid, was elected the US marines went into Haiti to try and keep the people under control. They were there to secure the area so that Titid could come back. The people were very excited that he was coming back. Like other former leaders of Haiti he starts off great but then he becomes a dictator.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide

The US marines, brought in by the UN, came in to make Haiti safer so that Aristide could come back.

The Cannibal Army was the Pro Aristide group. They practically did what the Macoutes did, killed people, but the only difference was that the Macoutes did it legally. Amiot Metayer, Cuban’s brother, was killed by the Cannibals; they took his eyes and heart. His funeral became a protest.

Amiot Matayer’s funeral became a protest against the Cannibals. I would post the picture of his body with no eyes but I feel it is far too graphic. The thought alone is horrible.

Papadak Douvae created a group that could hit and kill people with machetes legally to “control” the people. They were called the Tonton Macoute. They were voodoo bogeymen that ruled with cruelty and superstition. When Papadak died his son took over and he made no changes; the violent Macoute continued to kill.

A Macoute holding his Machete, their weapon of choice.

The following video is a demonstration of the violence in Haiti. Notice how no one manages to stop the fighting from going on. There is no police to keep them under control. At one point they begin throwing bricks at each other. After a good few minutes of fighting the US marines finally step in, with maze, and tell them to stop.

This video begins off with a few statistics of the deaths and injuries due to gun violence. Then it takes you into the lives of certain women who tell their story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4maco6h7aM
(Embedding disabled by request)

A Basic History of Haiti

The island Hispaniola shares two countries, Dominican Republic and Haiti. On Dec. 6 1492 Haiti was discovered by Columbus. It was named the island Hispaniola. Once the Spanish settlers moved in Haiti the population was almost extinct, after 25 years. It became a French colony of Saint Dominique. Haiti soon after this incident became a leading sugar cane producing country which was dependent on just slaves. It is the first republic of African descent and the second oldest nation in the Americas. It also is one of the only countries that still has not gotten over slavery.
Haiti’s rebellion started of as a slavery one, blacks Vs whites. But it’s misunderstood. It was much harder. It was much harder because black and ethnic groups had a specific class of mulattoes. They were highly important in businesses and as land owners.
In 1991 Jean-Bertrand Aristide became president of Haiti. At first he was adored by the people but as time progressed he was considered a dictator. After a 2004 rebellion, Aristide was forced to leave Haiti for the second time.

Haitian flag.

Bibliography:

Pan, Esther (February 13, 2003), Q&A: Unrest in Haiti, Retrieved February 16th, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/international/slot2_021304.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&position=

Pina, Kevin (October 17, 2004) Haitian Violence, Retrieved February 16th, 2009, from http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/7667

Armed Violence in Haiti (n.d.) Iansa: International Action Network on Small Arms Retrieved Febuary 18th 2009, from http://www.iansa.org/index.htm

~Natalie and Mimi

Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts

2009-02-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

So, if anyone brought you gifts from Greece, make sure there aren't little army men hiding inside them.

...Just kidding...

NOTE: I will be editing this blog as soon as I get the rest of the pictures from Emilio.

My trip to Athens, Greece:

The group traveling to Athens took a bus to the Airport. There we all got our boarding passes, or tickets, and checked to see who we were sitting next to.

We had about an hour to kill so I thought, "hey, why not get something to eat?" So I did. Chips was my choice of snack food.

Now I had a snack but what drink was I to buy?

Ah, Lucozade of course.

So, I bought my chips and my Lucozade and sat down to enjoy them. Of course, that was hard to do, what with all the people around me asking for some chips. Emilio went to the gate with Neff and Anna(bella) and I stayed with the rest of the group, chomping down on my chips and gulping down my Lucozade.

When the time came we all met up and got ready at the gate. We got onto the bus that took us to the plane and found our seats.

The group buckled down their seat belts and got ready for take off. The screens came down, the flight attendants came out (no pun intended) and none of us payed attention.
...Hey, at least I'm being honest.

Soon we were more than 2000 miles up in the sky. We all had a little sandwich snack and a drink while we watched some show on those little screens. After 1 and a half hour of flying...

...we reached Athens, where a bus awaited us. The bus took us straight to the hotel. Sure, the girls drooled over a few guys on the way over but that was pretty much it.

Here you have the group with our luggage and all sitting (or in this case, standing) in the hotel lobby. At the hotel we split into little groups of 2 or 3 and got our key cards. I shared a room with Rianna.

The little groups of 2 or 3 settled into their hotel rooms and acquainted themselves with their neighbors. Panayiotis, Marco, Emilio, Michael, Rianna and I had rooms in a little section. It was like a mini neighborhood! :D

We had a few hours and we were off again, on a guided tour. The picture you see here was taken from a bus. That shiny silver thing near the flag is my camera.

Here you see the first Olympic Stadium ever made. It's where everything began. The stadium is called Kalimarmaro. I'm guessing they really liked their marble back then.

This was also another thing we saw on the guided tour but I chose to post it because it's in the middle of the road. You don't see that in Cyprus. I find it so amazing how something so ancient is still standing. And not only is it still there, a whole city has been built around it.

Our tour guide took us up to the Parthenon. On the way over we stopped and got a good look at the scenery where you could see the ancient market (agora).

We reached the top of Acropolis and came to the entrance which would take us to the Parthenon. We were told a brief history of the building and moved on to...

...the Parthenon. I know what you're thinking, "finally!", and believe me, we were thinking the same thing. The tour guide told us all about the Parthenon. 8 by 17 columns. Architects now still study the building. It is considered one of the most marvelous buildings in history. The Parthenon took a lot of studying and took quite a while to build. Certain parts of the Parthenon are in England and the Greek people are waiting for England to give them back now that they have a museum to keep them in. Eventually we went back, had something to eat and rested at our hotel room. And by rested I mean we hung out in each others rooms. Later on that night we went to the Hard Rock Cafe.

NO PICTURES OF THE HARD ROCK CAFE (or the mall). I'll try to get my hands on some as soon as I can.

While we were driving back from the Parthenon to our hotel rooms we passed by the guards. The reason I have this picture here is because you see them in their uniforms. However, on Sundays they change into more traditional clothes for the changing of guards. It's a wonderful ceremony.

On Sunday, at around 11 am we went to the Sintagma where the ceremony took place. We saw the guards marching and the band playing music. There was quite a few guards but only two stayed there. The rest marched off.

You can just tell he loves what he does. No but honestly, the guards didn't move. It was amazing. No matter what you did or what you said they didn't say or do anything. The group that gathered around to watch the ceremony took pictures with the guards.

After shopping we had a quick visit to the Zappio. If I remember correctly it's where important people would meet and discus issues that need to be dealt with. It looked beautiful on the inside. It was perfectly round with a fountain in the middle. I was impressed by the columns. They all looked the same and were very detailed.

More pictures coming soon.
Featured next time on Mimi's blog...
- The tiring walk all the way up to Likavito
- Museum
- A visit to Zappio
- Last day shopping
- Plane sickness all over again
- Coming home (which incidentally is the name of episode 1 Season 6 in Xena! :D Which I now have on DVD!)

Agree/Disagree (Taste of Salt)

2009-02-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

Teenagers should not be involved in politics:

Agree and disagree.
While adults have more experience and are more educated in certain areas younger people are the future. Adults have seen more, gone through more, they know a little more about political structure and such. With this they'll be able to have a better judgment when it comes down to making certain decisions for a change. On the other hand, teenagers are going to live with the changes, so they have a right to stand up and let their voice be heard. They know what they want for their future. However, some teenagers are immature to deal with certain problems or don't follow the news to know what is going on in the world. This is where I believe adults can interfere and point out where they are being "wrong" or unreasonable, but they should not overrule their ideas completely because they would obviously have a reason, as silly as they may sound. So, yes, teenagers should play a major role in politics but there should be a certain involvement from the adults.

The troubles of all young people (besides money and class) are the same everywhere:

Disagree: It really depends where you are and who you are. The way you look could, unfortunately, play a major role in how others view you. If you have dark skin some may discriminate and bother you while on the other side of the world a white man or woman does not have to worry about such a problem. Also, there are many children in the world that must suffer through poverty and starvation. While in places like Napal children must survive with just a few grains of rice every few days someone all the way over in England, for example, is getting bullied. Another example can be teen pregnancy. Someone in one part of the world would be worrying about her baby which she had at a young age, while someone on the other side of the world does not have that problem. I do believe that there are certain problems that do occur in many young peoples lives, but that does not mean it will be everywhere. A very common problem is bullying or even self esteem which can lead to depression. These kind of problems can occur in many places. However, that still does not mean everyone in the world will have those very same problems.

Everyone can achieve happiness if they just try:

Disagree: "Some people are just straight up depressed. There are some really down people, who just really aren't happy." Remind you of anything? That was quoted from our teacher Mr. White. And I do agree with his statement. Sometimes it's just not as easy as it seams. There are some people that can try and try but won't reach happiness. For example, children that don't have enough money to buy food and shelter won't be happy. They won't be able to have the necessities reaquired for them to live a healthy and normal life. Put yourself in this situation: Your parents passed away while you were young, you were forced to live on the streets and you sell your body just to buy bread to eat so you won't starve to death. Would you be happy? Of course not. Could you try to be happy? Yes, but you may never be able to reach that state of being happy. Sometimes, no matter how hard one tries, they may never achieve happiness.

~54

The Working Actor Podcast

2008-12-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

Title - The Working Actor Podcast

Episode - Straight Cash
Date – Mon, 17 November 2008
Time – Approx. 40 minutes
Website - http://www.workingactorpodcast.libsyn.com/

Description of Episode (from the Podcast producers) - Ah, the money edition. Chris and Jon break down the myths and legends of an actor's income, giving the latest info on WHAT WORKING ACTORS MAKE in commercials, TV & film. In the process they uncover a species that until now was believed only to have existed in industry folklore... the middle-class actor.
A great listen for working and aspiring actors alike.

Why did I pick this podcast?

I want to be an actress. I felt that since Mr. White had posted the title to a podcast about two working actors it would be a great chance to find out what it would be like. And there's no substitute for experience. What's even better, is that they're not actors who make tons of money or George Clooney, they're just regular ol' guys doing what they love.
So, I googled "The Working Actor Podcast" and found their website.

It's hosted by Chris Marrs and Jon Wellner. They are both working actors trying to make it in the business. In their podcasts they tell the listener everything there is to know about acting. I chose to write about their latest podcast: Straight Cash.
Chris and Jon break down how much money and actor would make in different situations. In their opinion, a successful actor would work about 10 times a year.

First they talk about commercials. Commercials are "the lottery". An actor would probably get more money in a commercial than if they were given a small part in a TV commercial. They can give you a great amount of income. Well in commercials, you have a Session fees, which is the amount of money you get for just showing up. The session fee is the only money you can count on, you can never be sure if it will air. It can be around $565.10 and that is usually a fraction of what you're going to make in total. The actor will be paid one of two ways. Either they will be paid a one lump sum, where they will give them a certain amount of money and will be aired as many times as the advertiser wants, or they will be paid every time it airs. They both have their advantages but they both have their disadvantages. If the actor is paid a one lump sum and the commercial airs quite often, then they would have gotten much more money if they were paid every time it aired. But, if the actor was paid each time it aired, and it didn't air much, or at all, then of course, they would have gotten more money from the on lump sum. The one lump sum, usually applies to cable TV commercials.

Later on, they move on to the topic of TV shows. In a traditional sitcom, like How I Met Your Mother, someone with a small role, like a bartender, that has just a few funny lines would get about $26.34 per week. If the actor was only there for one line, and wasn't very important to the show, would get a day rate, which would probably be around $7.59. The actor would get that amount of money, each time it runs (omitting the first time, since you were paid for showing up and doing your part). However, most TV shows do not run more than once. So, the actor would probably just get a day rate or would be paid for the week that he worked. Some TV shows, like the show John Adams, that are about 1 hour long would offer the actor more money. An actor with a small role could get up to $6,527 per week he works there. I'm sure our fellow Paul Giamatti makes more money than that, since the whole show is based on his character and he is in almost all the scenes and as you can imagine that is very good. Guest stars on a TV show are usually hired for the whole week. For example, if you work 9 days on CSI you could get around $65.27. In some cases you could work for 2 days and get the same about of money if you worked for 4 days. But it can get much more complicated than that. Actors usually get quite a bit of money for looping. Looping is where they don't catch the actors voice well or some other problem occurred with the sound and they go into the studio and record it while trying to match their lips to the sounds they make. Actors would probably be payed half their pay rate, just for saying 1 or 2 lines like this. So, not only do you get paid for showing up on the set and doing your part, you also get paid for looping.

Extras on a TV show or commercial can get quite a lot of money. On a commercial you can get around $3.60 and on a TV show you can around $120 (every 8 hours).

The one downfall do all this is that, if the actor is not getting paid a lot of money and some of it is going to their agent or manager then they're going to get very little money.
So just imagine the check you get will be like this:
Check = (what you got paid) - what the agent gets - what the government gets(taxes) - what the manager gets (if the actor has one).

Acting is one of the few industries where you have no idea how much you're going to get. In certain other jobs you have a solid salary that you can count on. In acting, the only thing you can count on is your session fee.

I'm definitely going to continue listening to the Working Actor Podcast and it's going to be very beneficial for me. I would definitely recommend this for any aspiring actor, like myself.

~54

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-21T01:47:00.000-08:00

~54

Mischief?

2008-12-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love this lolcat! ^-^

In other news...
I just thought Lucy's eye's were worth posting.
They're to die for!

I just thought these pictures were funny:

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

I can has friendses, please?

2008-11-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

Gollum wants friend. We're very skinny, we are. Not much meat on our bones. Not much meat down here anyway. Mustn't be bothered by our dark, smelly cave. Not much sun here, no place for Gollum to sun tan. Our skinses is very pale. We don't look so good. Not the healthiest thing there is down here. We talk to each other to pass time. He won't go away. Scary, he is, but he keeps me company.

We likeses jewelry, particularly rings. No thieves will be accepted. I don't like thieves and bad Bilboses! He steal precious! Then he escaped with precious! It was ours! OURS! But he meant no harm. NO! He is evil!
...If you have background in psychiatric help, it would be very much appreciated.
Must have pulses and brain. No goblins allowed! Scary, scary things, they are. We don't like goblins! Hobbits are nice. They can cook! We haven't had a decent meal in a long time. Femaleses would be preferable. We like riddles very much. In fact, when you apply, you must answer riddle to win! We learned new tricks now! SHHH! Gollum mustn't say! HE MUSTN'T SAY!
We like chubby ones, we do. Little Hobbits, we like. Fat, chubby and hairy, they are. He mustn't trick Gollum, no, he mustn't. Gollum would like it if they can take pictureses. Not much of us can take pictures down here. YES WE CAN! NO WE CAN'T! We wants photographer. We're trying to beginses our model career. We have thought about hair styling but we don't want others to steal our hair style! Mr. Bilboses! WE'LL GET YOU!

Contact us at: bilbo-is-a-0ildo@caveland.com
or
Number: 555-874-RING

_____________
~54

Potato!

2008-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Heidi Montag...speaks for itself:

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

Election Joke

2008-11-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

I believe a few election pictures are fitting for the occasion.

Enjoy!

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

Hugs

2008-11-02T01:26:00.000-07:00

This one's for Anabella:

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

Oh Georgie, Georgie, Georgie...

2008-10-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Today's Pictures will consist of George Clooney.

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

Angelina Jolie

2008-10-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, she was the girl in that movie that made you question your sexuality.

But, my god, these pictures made me laugh until I could laugh no more:

~54
--Bringing you pictures that make you laugh until you can laugh no more.

ThunderSperm! :D

2008-10-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

That one great day during English class earned itself a topic on LiveWire.

Clicky!

~54

She's the Man!

2008-10-11T03:14:00.000-07:00

Today I dedicate my blog to Gorda (Natalie).
She was telling me about it and I remembered how great it is! :D

So Gorda, "Which one would you rather see NAKED!"

_____
Let us begin!

She's the Man (2006)

Starring:
Amanda Bynes - Viola
Channing Tatum - Duke
Laura Ramsey - Olivia

Directed by:
Andy Fickman

Written by:
Ewan Leslie - screenplay
Karen McCullah Lutz - screenplay
Kirsten Smith - screenplay
Ewan Leslie - story

I loved this movie, and I mean LOVED! I've probably seen it more than 10 times and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Viola, our main character (Amanda Bynes), takes her twin brothers place in his academy while he's away so she can prove that even girls can play football. So she dresses up as her brother and goes into the dormitory as Sebastian! Viola finds out her roommate is Duke, played by Channing Tatum...need I say more?

None of the people at the college are aware that she's actually a girl, they all think it's Sebastian.
So:
Duke likes Olivia.
Who likes Sebastian, who is really viola.
Who's brother is dating Monique.
So she hates Olivia.
Who is dating Duke.
To make Sebastian jealous.
But really Viola's getting jealous, because she wants Duke.
Who thinks she's a guy.

Did you get all that? The trailer should explain it better:

I loved everything about this movie. The twists, the humor, the hot guys, everything.
I would have to say one of my favorite parts is when the ball hits Viola (while she's pretending to be Sebastian) where the sun don't shine. Everyone cringes but her. Then she says, "Oh right. *Puts hand to area* OWWWWW! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"
Or when Duke is talking to "Sebastian" and he's telling her that he's caught between too girls and Viola jumps up and says, "What does your heart say?". Duke gives her a weird look and she says, "I mean, which one would you rather see NAKED!?"
Another scene I can never stop mentioning is when they're dissecting a frog and Viola is teamed up with Olivia. Viola points at some part of the frog (not actually shown) and says, "So what is that?". Olivia says, "I think that's the spleen". Viola: "Oh" *faints*

The whole movie is very well thought out. The story is extraordinary. The camera man does a great job, too. Like in Violas dream. Songs they use are also great. They always fit into what you're meant to be feeling. The language is English, I'm telling you now. I've had a bad experience in that field. I was all hyped up to see "Pans Labyrinth" and no one told me it was in Spanish! I couldn't understand a word!

I can think of no negative things in the whole movie. Everything was great.

Amanda Bynes does an amazing job as Viola. She does the whole "awkward moment look" really well! Amanda Bynes is a great actress and the comedy role fits her well.

Channing Tatum is just plain WOW! He's hot, funny...he's hot. Did you see his six pack?

Channing Tatum is drop dead gorgeous. Apparently he's a model-turned actor, a good one. He also did a great job as Duke.

There are a lot of other actors, and they were all great, but the two I wanted to focus on were Channing Tatum and Amanda Bynes. The whole casting was amazing and they all seemed to fit perfectly into their roles.

I say if you're in the mood for a laugh go rent She's the Man. The conflicts that come up are so kick you in the crotch fantastic!

~54

News! The kind you actually want to hear! :D

2008-10-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin's supporters are now calling her Xena. You want to know why? Well we do too. In fact, we're totally stumped.
According to our reliable sources Xena has actually become a word to describe a "strong woman who kicks butt"

Lucy Lawless (a.k.a. Xena) commented on this blasphemy:
"...Someone asked me today if I knew that Sarah Palin's supporters are calling her "Xena." I had to ask, "Oh, is Sarah Palin a lesbian too?!" I don't see it on her bio anywhere . . . nope, not there. Curiously, in her earlier life, Xena traded motherhood for a career as an evil warlord. Hmmmm . . ."

Maybe we should have a whole other election just to see if she should be called Xena.
We think Callisto would be a more suitable name for her. You know, the crazy villainess in Xena?

We know, her smile freaks us out too.

Well I guess we'll have to make with Xena Palin.

P.S. Just because our editors couldn't stop laughing at these:

-54
~The Flawless Xenon

Knowing what you know.

2008-10-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

Living a life of fear, is like living a half life.
Agree:
Being afraid could keep you from doing so many things. You couldn't go sky diving and experience the feeling of it, because you would be too scared to. Fear is what holds you back. You have a dream, to one day be an actress, but you're afraid that you'll never make it. So it keeps you from even taking the shot. Ever seen that guy or girl that you just wanted to approach, but were too afraid to because you didn't want to get shot down? So instead you just sit there, wondering what she or he would have said, and you try to tell yourself that they would have probably just said no. Fear is like death. It ruins your chance to achieve what you want. Ever wonder what bungee jumping feels like? Well you'll probably never know, since you're afraid something will happen. I've always wanted to try sky diving, but I'm too afraid to. So many dangers arise. Which brings me to my next point:

Ignorence is Bliss.
Agree:
If I didn't know about all the risks of sky diving, it would be easier to just say, "What's the worst that could happen?". But nope, I have to worry about the parachute not opening, or hitting the ground so hard that I practically get smashed into pieces, or if my parachute has a hole in it.
What about bungee jumping? I've always wanted to do that! But I don't wanna be this guy:

Everything is just so much more simple when you don't know certain things. You wouldn't have to worry about the world ending or what dangers come with certain everyday tasks. You have a cold you say? Well what if it's pneumonia?! Or bronchitis? Your tonsils hurt? Maybe it's Tonsillitis. Tummy aches? Could be Enterobius Vermicularis, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. You're better off just not knowing. What has been seen, can not be unseen. What has be heard, can not be unheard. What has been read, can not be unread. So now you've filled your life with worry and stress.
So maybe it's best not knowing anything at all.

It's better to take chances and lose, than to never take chances.
Agree:
If you were never to take a chance, you would never win. You'd just be that guy that never even tried. If you lose, then at least you can say, well, at least I gave it a shot. Like I said, remember that girl or guy you really wanted to ask out, but didn't because you didn't want to get shot down? Well maybe it was better for you to have taken the shot then never even have taken it at all. You can't not take chances, then you'll never get to do what you want to do. So you lose, go back and try again! You took a chance, that's all that matters.

These questions seem to be saying the same thing. There are things that hold you back from doing what you really want to.
You miss out on chances, knowing what you know.

~54

Sanjaya, the Walking Statue

2008-09-27T01:56:00.000-07:00

What in gods name are they saying? I have no idea either, but lets see what I can do.

Two men are having a fight.

0:03 Soduku: You call that fighting? I can kick your yacktabe!

Yash is trying to run away. Sanjaya, the walking statue, attempts to stop him!

0:12 Sanjaya: HIYA! YA! POW!

Midjinta(the midget) trips Yash.

0:16 Yash: What are you doing?! You stupid child! You come with me!

Sanjaya has changed his pants to fight more comfortably. He begins to take on Orangishirty.

0:36 Sanjaya: What are you doing up there?!

0:37 Yash: I wanted to eat American Cookie! But he eat it!

Sanjaya comes up with a clever way to save Midjinta. One he would later call get-em-down-wit-a-buket.

0:45 Yash: *Insert swear word here*

0:47 Sanjaya: (Upon catching the falling midget) Buddy!

0:49 Sanjaya: Get down from there!

0:51 Yash: No way!

0:53 Sanjaya: Buddy, you think you can hit him?

Midjinta, the midget, manages to kick the bucket farther up than any body builder could ever throw, enough to knock Yash out of the tree. Yash falls and surprisingly can still lift his head up in time to yell:

1:03 Yash: Don't step on my crotch!

Sanjaya decides to spare his apples and steps on his knee...and arm.

1:09 Midjinta: In the face!

1:10 Yash: NOT IN THE FACE!

1:16 (In the hospital) Yash: My face is swollen! My hand is broken! My leg is hanging from a string! How much do you think the hospital will charge?

~54

Toucans, Jaguars, ocelots and the oh so wonderful Amazon Rainforest

2008-09-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Todays Guest: Mrs. Charalambous

Ah, finally! Getting away from those crazy students! 3 months and I can go wherever I want!
It was time to pick a vacation spot. So, after a while of thinking, I decided to fulfill my childhood fantasy and go to the Amazon Rainforest!

Knowing the Amazon, and my survivor skills, I made sure to only take what I needed in a back pack with the exception of, of course, my camera. I packed my flint, my compass, a sleeping bag, water, a medical kit, and my very trusty, pocket sized SAS Survival Guide book.

I flew off to Southern America and went into the Amazon Rainforest. The Adventure began!

There were toucans, jaguars, ocelots and even armadillos!!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a larger variety of animals in one place all at once!

I heard about a trail in the Amazon where every few trees there is a white arrow pointing to the direction you are meant to go so you won't get lost. I believe it was called the White Trail.
I was walking through the trail, looking for the next arrow when a toucan flew out and sat on the branch in front of me. Boy did it scare me! I managed to snap a shot of it:

Excited with the wonderful picture of the cute toucan I saw, I continued walking. I thought it would be smart to find a place to set up camp before the sun went down. I found a place that was high up from predators and floods and lit a fire. I snuggled into my sleeping bag and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up noticing that my bag was gone! I looked to my left and saw that a jaguar had taken it and was now going through it! I wasn't about to let some jaguar go through my stuff like that, so I got out of my sleeping bag. I quietly started to approach the jaguar. It spotted me and jumped straight at me! I side stepped out of its way. Obviously that didn’t resolve the issue but I only knew one last thing to do…RUN!!!

Running wasn’t exactly the wisest choice because the darned jaguar caught up with me! I was thrown violently to the floor. Haha! The jaguar had no idea that I had taken my super duper vitamins that day! So I lifted the jaguar in the air and threw him in the opposite direction. It ran away in fear, so I stood there taking some time to congratulate myself. I began to make my way back to where I had left my bag but I couldn’t remember which way was the way to my bag! The only thing I had on me was my knife and my survival book.

So here I am, in the Amazon Rainforest, with no other supplies other than a book and a knife. Lost…Alone…in this jungle…having just fought off a jaguar.

Well I did know that moss grew on the North side of a tree so I frantically searched for moss on trees. Apparently in the Amazon, moss grows all around, on almost every tree!

I began walking. God knows what direction I was heading in, but there had to be an end…right?
I looked around for anything edible. I found a fruit, a very sweet looking fruit, but I was afraid it could be poisonous. I looked in my book. Oh good, they weren’t poisonous, just wild mulberries. I ate a few and stuffed as many as I could in my pockets, for later.
It began to get dark and I started getting worried about what I would do once it was pitch dark and I didn’t have a source of light. I heard a noise, and it came from somewhere behind me. I began to panic. Where was I going to go? What was I going to do!?! Should I run? Should I hide? My mind raced to find a way out. The best thing I could think of was to climb up the nearest tree and hope whatever it is doesn’t see me! As I sat in the tree, and looked down, I saw a man, walk by. Dark skin, strange ear rings and bands around his arms. I climbed down with caution and tried to tell him that I was lost and needed help. He seemed very excited and motioned me to follow him, so I did as he told me. The man took me to a tribe where they welcomed me and gave me food and water.
I was given my own hut and a band to put around my arm similar to the one the man was wearing. They taught me to hunt and survive in the Amazon. I spent almost 3 weeks with them, but I told them that I had to leave. They sent me off in the right direction and I was able to get back home safely, with some minor bruises and scratches, and the great memories of the Amazon and its people.

~54

Band of the Bands

2008-09-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have to say that one of my favorite bands is Panic! at the Disco. Their music is so different than others and even though their titles are strange, there's a link between the lyrics and the title. Their music videos are pretty awesome as well. I love the music video of "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (posted below). I looked around for a censored version, it was the best I could find. Since it's censored it really looks like the singer has serious Lip syncing problems.

They originated in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. So far they've only released two albums:
1. 2006: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
2. 2007-2008: Pretty. Odd.

They're style is quite un-usual. Their concert styles are very circus-type, like the image I've included.

Many have said that their music is "emo", but they say otherwise: "Emo is bull****. We want to be the new Radiohead."

Panic! at the Disco have gotten many awards for their amazing performances:
* MTV Video Music Awards:
- Video of the Year (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (Won)
- Best Group Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"(Nominated)
- Best Pop Video (2008) for "Nine in the Afternoon"(Nominated)
- Best Rock Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"(Nominated)
- Best New Artist in a Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (Nominated)
- Best Art Direction in a Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (Nominated)

- MTV Asia Awards 2008: edc Style Award (won)

- TMF Awards: Best Video International (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (won)

- Grammy Awards: Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package (Nominated)
_____

I just couldn't go on without mentioning Paramore! With no doubt one of the greatest bands ever made. The lead singer, Hayley Williams, has an amazing voice! The music is so amazing!

The official band members are Josh Farro, Zac Farro, Jeremy Davis, and Hayley Williams. Later on Jason Bynum was also added to the band.

The name Paramore came from the maiden name of one of the group's former bassists back when they were "still playing in the garage". Paramour means "secret lover". They decided to go with that name but using the spelling as Paramore.

Albums:
1. All We Know Is Falling (2005)
2. Riot! (2007)

Riot when platinum in the US and Gold in the UK and Ireland!

Grammy Awards (2008): Best New Artist (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards (2008): Best Rock Video for "crushcrushcrush" (Nominated)

NME Awards USA (2008): Best New American Alternative/Indie Band (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards(2008): Choice Music: Rock Group (Nominated)

Choice Music: Breakout Group (Nominated)

Choice Music: Rock Track for "crushcrushcrush" (Nominated)

Below is a link to the Music Video "Crushcrushcrush"

_____

Another favorite Band would be Three Days Grace. They're more Rock than anything. They make amazing music and even my metal-head-music-specialist friend gives them a great review.
One of my favorite songs is "I Hate Everything About You", (sounds harsh, but it's got more meaning than just a rant). I couldn't Embed the video (it was disabled) on here so I'll give you a link to it and I'll just post the video of "Animal I Have Become", another great song.

Three Days Grace was originally created in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992.

They also have two albums out:
1. Three Days Grace (July 22, 2003)
2. One-X (June 13, 2006)
__________

One more band I really enjoy listening to is Escape the Fate. They're a rock-emo style band. They're music used to be a bit more screamo (which isn't what I like to hear) but then changed into more of a rock style.

(The actual music video has certain things that would definitely not be appropriate. Even so, the video, in my opinion, is horrible. It makes the band look like they're on Prozac.)

Escape the Fate, like Panic! at the Disco, originated in Nevada, but in Las Vegas.

They made three albums:
1. Formation and Dying Is Your Latest Fashion (2005-2007)
2. Departure of Radke (2008)
3. This War Is Ours (2008-Present)
___

I never mentioned how much I loved Tupac! Yes, it's not a band, but he's just so bloody amazing! And yes, he died, back in September 13, 1996. I can listen to his music all day.

Below is Changes:

He was even in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling hip hop artist, with over seventy five million albums sold worldwide, including over fifty million in the United States. He was a backup dancer for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground.
Then on September 13, 1996 he was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center.

Not only has he rapped in his career but he's also gotten to play in a few movies.

Albums:
Studio albums

* 1991: 2Pacalypse Now
* 1993: Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
* 1995: Me Against the World
* 1996: All Eyez on Me
* 1996: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

Posthumous albums

* 1997: R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
* 1999: Still I Rise
* 2001: Until the End of Time
* 2002: Better Dayz
* 2004: Loyal to the Game
* 2006: Pac's Life

Collaboration albums

* 1994: Thug Life
_____
Yes, I know, it's all a weird combination of Rock, Rap and...not emo.
This would have been the space that would have included Eminem, but come on, the guy swears more than that crazy drunk guy that walks around at night time looking for Marilyn Monroe.

So Eminem was a no, no.
But I have to add another person to my list.

Avril Lavigne.
It took me a while until I could finally spell her name, but I always thought her music was awesome. I still remember how my dad used to go on all these business trips and he'd ask me what I'd like him to get me. Well that year I asked him to get me a CD, and guess what he brought me? Yes, you guess it, the Avril Lavigne "Let Go" album!!!

She's got an awesome voice and she writes her own songs. Sure sometimes her lyrics just get so WTF (what the flippetty! :D) but nonetheless her voice is amazing.

Her songs are so easy to relate to. One of my favorites is "Everything Back but You". I really wish I could post it but she does say, "And now you're somewhere out there with a b****, s***, psycho babe" (censored) so this was also a no, no.
Instead I'll post "He Wasn't" and allow it to crawl into your mind and never go away:

(Would you believe that none of the other Avril songs had the link to embed the video!!! They were apparently "Embedding disabled by request". Grrr!)

Apparently she not only can sing, but she also does fashion designing and acting!!! I did see her in the oh so very disturbing movie of "The Flock" but I didn't know she had done other appearances like:
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - Performed "Sk8er Boi"
Going the Distance - Performed "Losing Grip"
Fast Food Nation - Alice the College activist
Over the Hedge - The Voice of Heather
The Flock - Beatrice Bell the Suspects Girlfriend

She was born in Belleville, Ontario on September 27, 1984. Avril is French for "April", while la vigne means "the vineyard". She is French-Canadian and has an older brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Michelle. At the age of 2, Lavigne began singing along with her mother on church songs...what were you doing when you were 2?

Avril Lavigne is now married to the lead singer/guitarist of Sum 41, Deryck Whibley.

Her Albums:
- Let Go (2002–2003)
- Under My Skin (2004–2006)
- The Best Damn Thing (2007)

Awards:
She got so many god darn awards that I'll have to link you to the site that lists them!
Clicky!

~54

Unique? Maybe so.

2008-09-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'm different from others in so many ways. Favorite number? 54. Why? Well because it reminds me of one of the most important things to me, John Cena. He's my role model, the guy I look up to. You should see my usernames on different sites like YouTube or LiveWire. It's either john cena54, or John_Cena54 or even 54john54cena54 when john cena54 isn't available.

What's LiveWire? A forum that I consider my home away from home.

I love Jackie Gleason, even though most people my age have no idea who he is. In my opinion there has never been a better actor in the history of acting. He's so amazing! I still watch re-runs of the Honeymooners, and to be honest, I get chills every time (yes the picture you see is a picture of Jackie. Oh how sweet it is :) ).

I've always wanted to act. Heck, I've been acting all my life, just back then it was called pretend and it featured guns made out of air and walkie-talkies we bought from "Duty-free".

I absolutely love Friends! I still watch re-runs when I get bored and they still crack me up. Ah, I know what your thinking, who's my favorite character? A lot of people ask me that, and if I had to answer, it would with no doubt be Chandler.

Going to the beach is definitely something I enjoy doing, but it's fishing that I really love doing. It really depends who you go with, you can't go with the person that'll start complaining about how the bait seems to be moving, then screams when they find out it's real live worms. Although, I gotta admit, I've never gone fishing with worm as bait, you know, professional like. I tend to just go to places to find small fish, not those big fish that you can hang on the wall. What do I use for bait? Why bread of course! :D Sure, I have to make it into a more dough like form by wetting it a bit and then sculpting it into a ball that I can later put on the hook, but nonetheless I've gotten pretty awesome fish! :D

To be honest, I'm not big on fashion or make up. I'd rather just go camping or hiking for a week. Don't even ask me to go shopping; I'll just look at you like you're crazy. Yes, I'll go on the occasional shopping trip, but I won't like it if it lasts more than 30 minutes and it's boiling hot!

If I had a choice between spending a few days at the beach, or the mountains, I'd definitely go with the mountains. Nothing beats the morning smell of the mountains. It makes me feel better. Everything about it is so relaxing. I get to go there on certain occasions and stay at my cousins’ house up in Kiperounda. Harry, Kyriako and even little Anna and I go hiking up to the very top of the mountain, then stop and eat cookies while we look out into the view.

I guess I got a little carried away. Well, I'll see you guys around.

~54