tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37441972148276054952024-03-05T23:30:59.858-05:00intrepid backpacking storiesAdventures From A Nomadic Backpacking Traveller!Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-45740978249779524212015-06-07T17:01:00.001-04:002015-06-07T17:01:14.489-04:00So, Fox is covering the World Cup today. The game I've just begun watching is between Ivory Coast and Germany.<br /> In the few minutes I've been watching, Ivory Coast has been accused by the announcers of "pushing and shoving", the goalie, of being "a time waster" after she went down because she was kicked in her shoulder, and another Ivory Coast player was just referred to as " a good actress" when she got kicked in the head!<br />Not only do women playing sports seem to be of no importance to most people, including most TV stations, ( CBC isn't airing the games, and CTV is only playing the games when Canada is playing), but racist attitudes prevail, and continue to further divide.<br />Not impressed. At all.Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-2817149898906055512013-07-04T01:40:00.001-04:002013-07-04T01:40:57.830-04:00URGENT: Unite to outlaw full inversion slaughter boxes #BanLiveExport<a href="http://www.banliveexport.com/features/full-inversion-slaughter-box.php#.UdUK4Il8PCQ.blogger">URGENT: Unite to outlaw full inversion slaughter boxes #BanLiveExport</a>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-80002772541701162482013-06-08T23:35:00.000-04:002013-06-09T10:48:46.531-04:00I found all these beautiful images here:https:// www.facebook.com/pages/Same-Sex-Marriage-Now/236331103179644<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifERoCzqdOK3-NcrR2u-Oy3kaZii0ZOTpshaK8PlIvNS29vXv4d1iIike3RgEOuNX_uVdIArQwAI9K_JZd9pk0OAmGrLna8PVkGzz26XC2J_MsBV5MJv7kV3C7WoJL20RPLdos6VmSKLI/s1600/Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifERoCzqdOK3-NcrR2u-Oy3kaZii0ZOTpshaK8PlIvNS29vXv4d1iIike3RgEOuNX_uVdIArQwAI9K_JZd9pk0OAmGrLna8PVkGzz26XC2J_MsBV5MJv7kV3C7WoJL20RPLdos6VmSKLI/s320/Good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uganda Gay Pride!!! 2013 The First ever in a country where you can be killed for being queer!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is courage!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More from Uganda's first-ever Gay/Queer pride this past May!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How beautiful is this?</td></tr>
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<br />Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-79547910111314193182013-04-23T12:32:00.002-04:002013-04-23T12:37:54.361-04:00More about my website<span style="font-size: large;">So, an update. I have once again updated my website. And learned/ taught myself all kinds of cool shit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But, the most interesting, and, albeit shitty part of this experience/journey has been how jealous men are, and when they become jealous they lash out. I posted the link to my website on some photo groups, on good ol' Linkedin, and in those groups I have received a fricking helluva lot of shit "comments" both at Linkedin and on my site, where I am able to delete them, which I have done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I finally realized I could have comments flagged on Linkedin. The comment I flagged was by a man who was not only totally rude and condescending, but I felt like he's been stalking me. He made mention of another art site where I had my website and some photos posted<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>( I've since, as 2 days ago now, closed that account down, for good, and erased my photos, etc.). And now he has just happened to have found me at Linkedin and took it upon himself to tell me why my site is not good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">People will always exist to stop others, to try and hurt them, put them down, and rear their ugly, jealous heads. Those people are, 9 times out of ten, men. To anyone who wants to differ with me, I'll say that I have only received positive comments and support from women re: my art, and my site. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The negativity, the " I want to teach you what's wrong with your site" etc. kind of crap, is always from men.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the latest of the shit comments, I received yet another "here's what doesn't work for me.." <span style="font-size: large;">on Su<span style="font-size: large;">nday.</span></span> I haven't decided to respond, ignore or what.What I guess I have to laugh<span style="font-size: large;"> at <span style="font-size: large;">is that these idiots feel the need to put me and my work down in such time-<span style="font-size: large;">consuming detail. They have nothing else t<span style="font-size: large;">o do?</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm tired of that kind of man; the asshole who feels so pathetic he's got to try and take others down with him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's not something I expected, to put my website link up on photo forums and to have so much shit said about it; personal attacks. Kinda bullshit especially on a site aimed at linking people together for career advancement and all. It only shows that these peons are only able to say mean things because they can hide behind a computer screen.</span><br />
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Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-65460485041572267092013-04-11T15:38:00.002-04:002013-04-11T15:38:20.882-04:00My website<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Here is my photography website, with s<span style="font-size: large;">ome updates which I'm very pr<span style="font-size: large;">oud of<span style="font-size: large;">, and which took me hours...more than 8 :0</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Have a gander..here's a fun tip, if you g<span style="font-size: large;">o to the About page, <span style="font-size: large;">mu<span style="font-size: large;">sic will start and stay on for the remainde<span style="font-size: large;">r</span> of your picture viewing, </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://micol-kates.wix.com/lanscape-photography">http://micol-kates.wix.com/lanscape-photography</a></span><br />
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:-)Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-85990897299107963292013-03-05T02:18:00.003-05:002013-03-05T02:26:29.860-05:00Bear Cruelty, worldwide<style>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a letter I wrote just now, to a Cherokee Tribal council in Cherokee N.C ,via PETA’S website, asking the council to close their roadside ‘zoos’ that abuse
bears. I have added a bit to it here. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Tribal Council,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Bears are sacred to
the Cherokee, and other First Nations Peoples. Chaining up these
beautiful, majestic, and incredible animals is an evil. All over the world, so
much horrible evil is constantly inflicted on bears. In China holes are bored
into living bears' bodies, while
they are held in tiny cages and their gall bladders are 'milked' for
"medicine" (<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025388/China-Tortured-mother-bear-kills-cub-herself.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025388/China-Tortured-mother-bear-kills-cub-herself.html</a>) This should make us all think twice about using Traditional Chinese Medicine, which still uses these barbaric practices, in order for humans to attain balance etc.In Russia, bears are "baited" --chained up and
attacked by dogs as a sport for onlookers.(I couldn't bring myself to find an article about that. It is a disgusting horror)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Humanity disgusts me! Men are always the ones responsible
for war, cruelty and violence on those who can't defend themselves.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The bear pits
in question which are attractions for many people, are in fact hell for the
bears that are forced to live in them. Bears work on energy lines, similar to
bees, and they always follow the
same paths.They need space to move, and roam. Beyond this, the way the bears
are being horribly mistreated is disgusting, and needs to stop. The bears that
are currently being forced to live in these 'zoos' need to be transferred to
loving, healing sanctuaries, now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Here's the link to the PETA petition site, where you can write your own letter to the Tribal Council, too. They are going to decide on Wednesday, March 6th, and will be voting on the 7th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4663&autologin=true&utm_campaign=0313%20Cherokee%20Bear%20Action%20Alert&utm_source=PETA%20E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert">https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4663&autologin=true&utm_campaign=0313%20Cherokee%20Bear%20Action%20Alert&utm_source=PETA%20E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert </a></span></div>
Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-70339275032045088982013-02-15T19:42:00.002-05:002013-02-18T14:53:33.648-05:00Prostitution: The Not-So-Silent Killer<style>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“A shivering young Thai woman in a wet T-shirt, sitting in
a cage waiting for someone to strike the 'bang me' target on the image of a
woman bent over. Freezing, soaked, alone, disconnected, in an enclosure,
to be ogled by men.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/c-prostitution-pop-culture.html)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> According to the website, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Prostitution: Research and Education</b>, prostitution is defined as: “…
a slave-based system of sexual exploitation” <a href="http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/c-prostitution-advocacy.html">http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/c-prostitution-advocacy.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">An
elaboration of the above definition can be felt in the following definition as
defined by a group from Minnesota called Breaking Free, Inc</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"We define
prostitution as systematic sexual violence and oppression against women and
girls. This system is institutionalized in the sex industry: stripshows, nude
juice bars, massage parlors and saunas, brothels, adult book and video stores,
peep shows, live sex shows, sex rings, escort services, mail order brides,
streetwalking, and pornography. Each of these forms of prostitution provides
men with unlimited sexual access to women and girls based solely on their
ability to pay." (from it’s "Philosophy Statement" posted on the
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) website (accessed Apr. 20, 2007),
stated,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><a href="http://prostitution.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000116)"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">http://prostitution.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000116)</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When you look up the word
"prostitute",</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">not surprisingly</span>, all the main
entries are about women, and describe women as "harlots", "whores", etc. If men are mentioned, terms like whore etc., are never used.
In the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary, two examples are given for the word.
Notice how the first example relates to a woman prostituting herself. The
second is non-offensive, and is used with a male pronoun.</span>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">She was arrested for
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">prostitution</i>.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Writing commercials
was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">prostitution</i> of his
talents.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The Free Dictionary (on-line), defines a prostitute, as:</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">1.</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> A woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2.</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> A man who engages in such activity, esp in homosexual practices</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Dictionary.com’s
primary definition of a prostitute is:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“A</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> <span style="color: #333333;">woman</span>
<span style="color: #333333;">who</span> <span style="color: #333333;">engages</span>
<span style="color: #333333;">in</span> <span style="color: #333333;">sexual</span>
<span style="color: #333333;">intercourse</span> for money; <span style="color: #333333;">whore;</span> <span style="color: #333333;">harlot.</span>”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The “sex industry”, as we have affectionately dubbed
everything to do with the coercing, shaming, using, buying, and selling of
women’s and girls’ bodies for sex, is not the empowered “sex worker” who chose
the industry as a viable option, but a terrified, oftentimes addicted woman who
was lured into it at the hands of a predatory man.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2012, Israel passed a law making the buying and selling
of sex illegal. The shift of focus will now be placed on the “customers”,
rather than on the women who have been forced into the position to sell their
bodies in order to live. You can read an article on this in the link provided:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/JPost%20Govt%20Backs%20Jail%20Time%20for%20Soliciting%20Prostitution.pdf">The
Jerusalem Post, "Government Backs Jail Time for Soliciting
Prostitution," February 12, 2012</a></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Scandinavia, has been, and continues to be a world leader,
with respect to women’s equality. In Scandinavia, laws have been created to
mandate equal-pay for women, to give mothers paid maternity leave, and more
recently, criminalize sex for sale. Much like Israel, Scandinavia also puts the blame on the "customers" rather than the prostitutes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In the 1980s, Scandinavian countries developed, and put into practice what has been termed "The Nordic Model", which emphasizes gender equality, human
rights and egalitarianism, among its other progressive actions,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and it puts the burden of guilt on the users
of prostitution rather then the women.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Beginning with the passage of Sweden's Sex Purchase Act
in 1999 and adopted by Sweden, Norway and Iceland, the Nordic model of law
decriminalizes prostituted women, but criminalizes pimps and johns. It combines
a central goal of gender equity with support for women who wish to leave the
sex industry, also known as "exiting services." <a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/11/Nordic-Prostitution-Laws/">http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/11/Nordic-Prostitution-Laws/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">This past year, Iceland continued along the
gender-equality path, by banning strip clubs. Not for nothing, Iceland’s
PM Johanna <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir">Sigurðardóttir</a>
is female, that she’s also openly queer is just a wonderful bonus. Said <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir">Sigurðardóttir</a>,
“It is not acceptable that women, or people in general, are a product to be
sold.” (http://www.thefrisky.com/2010-03-27/iceland-bans-all-strip-clubs/)</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2010, after only a year on the job, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir">Sigurðardóttir</a>'s
government successfully banned strip clubs, the paying for nudity in
restaurants, and all other forms of employers profiting from employees'
nudity, and prostitution. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir">Sigurðardóttir</a>
said "The Nordic countries are leading the way on women's equality,
recognizing women as equal citizens rather than commodities for sale."<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir#cite_note-salon1-35">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ard%C3%B3ttir
- cite_note-salon1-35</a></sup>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> North America has a lot to learn from Scandinavia.
The most recent political action by Iceland, being spearheaded by its Interior
Minister, </span><span class="st"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ögmundur Jónasson</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">, is to have all porn
banned from the Internet. Men journalists are not responding well to having
violent porn removed, and are saying this is the work of
..."Feminists"!, which is supposed to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>somehow disparage the work that is being done. Not for
nothing Iceland's Interior Minister is a man.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/iceland-porn-ban-internet-banned-children-ogmundur_n_2687665.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/iceland-porn-ban-internet-banned-children-ogmundur_n_2687665.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">If America were to take even a small page from Iceland's
book of progressive, feminist politics, it would need to include banning music
that encourages violence towards women, specifically glamorizing the pimp/prostitute ethos that is sadly so prevalent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">To that end, a pathetic excuse for a man rapper has a
violent, disgusting song, the title of which is a deeply offensive way to talk
about a strip bar, or any other place where women expose their breasts. The song
is called Rack City. I have written to TV stations and to the CRTC telling them
how offensive, misogynist and pro-prostitution the song is and that I want it
banned. If more people wrote to their CRTCs, these types of songs wouldn’t be
allowed to spawn, as readily.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The song talks about forcing women into prostitution,
forcing women into sex, and, of course, using pejorative language to talk about
women, and their bodies. What kind of mainstream rap song would it be if women were seen as
people? Here is a sample of the most disturbing lyrics:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tell that
bitch hop out, walk the boulevard<br />
I need my money pronto</i>” (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tyga/rackcity.html)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Those two lines alone make me feel sad, sick and furious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When I typed in the maggot’s name that sings the above
song, as well as the song’s name, here are a few samplings of what came up:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“A truly artful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">song</i>
that illustrates <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tyga's</i> true
proficiency in the english language.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(<a href="http://urbanthesaur.us/urban-dictionary-rack-city">http://urbanthesaur.us/urban-dictionary-rack-city</a>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tyga's</i> "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rack City</i>" is number two on the Billboard's Hip Hop Chart.”</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(<a href="http://www.hopppilgrim.com/2012_03_01_archive.html"><span style="font-style: normal;">www.hopppilgrim.com/2012_03_01_archive.html</span></a>)</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">And from the mouth of , hmm, what’s lower than a maggot, a
predatory misogynist? Here is a quote<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>about
the song in question, from the predators who made it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“It's very beneficial to
so many young women across the country," "The strip clubs are stress
relief. Welcome to Rack City!</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"(http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677474/tyga-wale-fabolous-rack-city-music-video.jhtml)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nobody really wants to be sold,” a woman in a Nevada
legal brothel explained to me. Even if you know that simple fact -- that
prostitution is an abusive institution for any human -- maybe you still think
it can be made not so bad. Maybe you think that if prostitution happens under a
roof, it is better than outside on the street.”(http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/how_prostitution_works/000219.html)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Another T-shirt depicted a woman bound, with a red
ball stuffed in her mouth and the slogan 'Silence is golden'. "I look at
that and see fun!" said the cheery saleswoman.
(http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/advocacy/000301.html)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There is no difference in the harmful, hate-filled, sad,
violent imagery of the song rack city then there is in a restaurant like Hooter’s,
using misogyny coupled with “acceptable” prostitution, or the woman who is
being forced to “walk the boulevard”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s up to each one of us to do something more than simply
turn the channel when an offensive song comes on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Write to the CRTC, and tell them you are disgusted by
songs that encourage misogyny and prostitution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Contact, and get involved in a project with The Coalition
Against Trafficking in Women.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.catwinternational.org/">http://www.catwinternational.org/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Here’s another site by a sex worker turned activist</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://staceyswimme.wordpress.com/for-sex-workers/">http://staceyswimme.wordpress.com/for-sex-workers/</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-4375585476424584142013-01-07T13:26:00.000-05:002013-01-07T13:28:03.562-05:00My New Etsy Shop!<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ok, a while in the making, and it's still early days, I only opened yesterday, but all the same I've opened my shop. There was a lot to learn , and undoubtedly heaps more to learn, but it's been a cool process of figuring things out.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtnWhimsy"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtnWhimsy</span></a><br />Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-92220440617384731462012-12-06T17:01:00.000-05:002012-12-06T17:02:35.267-05:00Two great Quotes and a Cute Word!<style>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">Here
are two quotes, and a cute word that I’ve just recently found.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"> The
first quote is from a novel called <i><u>Hallowe’en
Party,</u></i> by Agatha Christie.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">The quote is from a character called Mrs. Butler: she is
talking about children!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">“They acquire puppy fat and look like
well-fattened pigs sometimes.”</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">The
second quote is from the programme, <i><u>Rosemary
and Thyme;</u></i> two professional gardeners who also help solve crimes, but
there’s nothing Miss Marple-esque or dithering about them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">This
quote is from an episode called <i>Agua
Cadaver</i>. Rosemary and Laura have gone to Spain to work on the garden of a
married, ex-boyfriend of Rosemary’s who still likes her, and has asked her to
go and live with him in Spain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">Says
Rosemary, to Laura’s question about whether or not she will shack up with him: <b>“He’s got a wife, and I’ve got a life.”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">I
love that quote. As I say, these are not your dithering female sleuths, at all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">And
finally, a cute word, which I hadn’t met before, and found in a story called <i><u>The A.B.C. Murders</u>,</i> again by the
doyenne of the cozy murder genre, Ms. Christie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">Here’s
the word, <i>"snuggery”</i>, and even
better, here’s the quote to give it context.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">A
man named Mr. Barnard is inviting detectives, and police into his and his
wife’s “minute bungalow.”</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">They
introduce themselves to him, and then he says to the group, <b>“Come
into the snuggery…”</b> </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;">If
the word was at all unclear, the narrator, Captain Hastings, gives clarity to it by saying: <b>“..we were ensconced
in the livingroom..”, </b>but it’s so much cuter to say snuggery, rather than
living room with mean little adjectives in front.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-79490196847115990782012-12-04T12:32:00.001-05:002012-12-04T12:32:42.657-05:00All about Ravioli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCznj-bcK9smY6b7LZIMEsUZWQQ4TPlg_WXLYPIOrv9t10a6TS2Q-Y38WdsUNpa9DeYzuYK_199guC0i-hZq2EQ7npUMxpbT9GYyppNFjVmjAiPZSM_1Js2ocrJmqxky6k4Vv4tctgUHM/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So I had
a yen, the other day, to make ravioli. It's not too, hard, but I don't have a
pasta machine or anything, so it was very "labour intensive", as it
were.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">First
step, make the dough, (flour, water, olive oil, eggs, salt)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Knead
dough. Then roll it into a ball, and wrap it in wax paper,<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>or cling film, and leave it in the
fridge for an hour.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">In the
meantime, get working on your stuffing. Mine was caramelized red onions, with dried
porcini mushrooms, that I had <span style="font-size: large;">l</span>et soak in boiling water, along with some
spinach, cranberry goat’s cheese, and crushed whole hazelnuts. I also added fresh
lime juice. In a word: yum!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then,
for me, until I found a youtube video of chef Mario Battali on Martha Stewart,
making ravioli, I was really having a difficult time figuring out how to stuff/
tuck everything in. My first batch looked like a cross between wontons, and
little monster explosions.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> My
ensuing batches looked better<span style="font-size: large;">,</span> thanks to ol’ Mario who had a pretty nifty trick
for getting the to<span style="font-size: large;">p</span> layer and bottom layer of dough to stick together. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">First, he
laid out his two sheets of dough, and instead of slabbing on his filling, as I had
done first, he just put down a few wee dollops , then added the top sheet, and
made partitions with his hand<span style="font-size: large;">. </span>Then he started to stick the dough together, with
his fingers. Then, this <span style="font-size: large;">i</span>s the cool part, he took a cookie cutter, and just
pushed it into the top sheet of dough, over his covered dollop of filling, and
worked it through until he had a totally contained, round raviolo!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Easy!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">After
that, here are the rest of the steps:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">1)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Place a few ravioli, like 5-6, depending on how
big, or little you make them, in a pot of boiling water. Let them cook for a
few minutes.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">2)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, strain then, I forgot to drain them with cold
water, and put them in a container and add your sauce.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">3)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buon' appetito!</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMPawOjpQbWo0qcNaAZEEaahZc7FW2IvP1Fjo0QhjXu5Df2Ic1SZf-eRlMk_Cxv2I8mO8eRbI-c3UunP3iaKiH1qKBXf9QTO3nidPntp-pjchJMnNAqr0t0BQ3_rPshRauGAlhxS3nZ8/s1600/ravioli+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMPawOjpQbWo0qcNaAZEEaahZc7FW2IvP1Fjo0QhjXu5Df2Ic1SZf-eRlMk_Cxv2I8mO8eRbI-c3UunP3iaKiH1qKBXf9QTO3nidPntp-pjchJMnNAqr0t0BQ3_rPshRauGAlhxS3nZ8/s320/ravioli+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The raw ravioli. Notice the scary little one on the right,my first batch, before Mario.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCznj-bcK9smY6b7LZIMEsUZWQQ4TPlg_WXLYPIOrv9t10a6TS2Q-Y38WdsUNpa9DeYzuYK_199guC0i-hZq2EQ7npUMxpbT9GYyppNFjVmjAiPZSM_1Js2ocrJmqxky6k4Vv4tctgUHM/s1600/1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCznj-bcK9smY6b7LZIMEsUZWQQ4TPlg_WXLYPIOrv9t10a6TS2Q-Y38WdsUNpa9DeYzuYK_199guC0i-hZq2EQ7npUMxpbT9GYyppNFjVmjAiPZSM_1Js2ocrJmqxky6k4Vv4tctgUHM/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The boiling of the ravioli.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdy7TAjG9ty5xa9nmsDoVyPgTi8gifxTbDbeRdjUT-2UF_0XWBYNaYZxS7mkY5C_YM2cDQgtoLS7jRIdU6A36NWoBPp1ePP2xx4MW6CKjn9T0l4BuifdkdOB2hoiVDlqt3bVDaYdiRc8/s1600/almost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdy7TAjG9ty5xa9nmsDoVyPgTi8gifxTbDbeRdjUT-2UF_0XWBYNaYZxS7mkY5C_YM2cDQgtoLS7jRIdU6A36NWoBPp1ePP2xx4MW6CKjn9T0l4BuifdkdOB2hoiVDlqt3bVDaYdiRc8/s320/almost.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Almost done; all cooked, dressed and undressed ravioli co-mingling.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlsVGJt0tPl0lJ8qhNuYhrgbQ0vchwOuOiJ-2HyKDS1IbbD6X4d6hHtqYAPQUZ6eXrXHpBGcpUQUyalYEL6vFOMGMjK1qw-Q4M6XZdFDO4ArZgc3o7Pp_OyLwD17IPobeVgN85ImBDfc/s1600/final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlsVGJt0tPl0lJ8qhNuYhrgbQ0vchwOuOiJ-2HyKDS1IbbD6X4d6hHtqYAPQUZ6eXrXHpBGcpUQUyalYEL6vFOMGMjK1qw-Q4M6XZdFDO4ArZgc3o7Pp_OyLwD17IPobeVgN85ImBDfc/s320/final.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A fancy close-up!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy-auI82XvDpUlGjiPO-mYjpYZg4CDbcCQ2yla9x82_iUgrjzh9TgkQEABiQE7ZUPayss6T4AC6jYZPXfWqiiLTDswXw3s9mXge-6tnqSemjileF3KT9sDx1g4vE0JyWTOU14xBVTiJk/s1600/the+real+final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy-auI82XvDpUlGjiPO-mYjpYZg4CDbcCQ2yla9x82_iUgrjzh9TgkQEABiQE7ZUPayss6T4AC6jYZPXfWqiiLTDswXw3s9mXge-6tnqSemjileF3KT9sDx1g4vE0JyWTOU14xBVTiJk/s320/the+real+final.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yum!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-72651505679569998882012-12-01T17:48:00.002-05:002012-12-01T17:50:26.709-05:00Do you believe?<span style="font-size: large;">Here's some graffiti I saw the other day on the sidewalk nearing Kensington<span style="font-size: large;">;</span> like a beautiful omen<span style="font-size: large;">, there was the word " Unicorns".</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We all need more unicorns in our lives. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the message said <span style="font-size: large;">"</span>Time and Space<span style="font-size: large;">"</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I think "Unicorns" was at the beginning<span style="font-size: large;">.</span> I was walking north, and the message was written starting north going south, down the bend of the street :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2GdYB3INmnq9xsFL7tfo6sNAtefG7VraVADzeK5fn4cw36fqeJ4qVy3ZcduTpQaNgC7FIKqb_k4EyGtWwT_yLQtTY3hqiQGmWWdOQLsXmb2T8-N5Ek0STHv2A7ok0mtn7WC1rxMVkqM/s1600/unicorns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2GdYB3INmnq9xsFL7tfo6sNAtefG7VraVADzeK5fn4cw36fqeJ4qVy3ZcduTpQaNgC7FIKqb_k4EyGtWwT_yLQtTY3hqiQGmWWdOQLsXmb2T8-N5Ek0STHv2A7ok0mtn7WC1rxMVkqM/s400/unicorns.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-91776365158085936262012-11-25T03:17:00.001-05:002012-11-25T17:11:35.797-05:00Shameful Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfQ7Quo8myJCxLYhfQBlGtJw4EULf_vSBrci5bve3M5_iR7DDgJ7RWax47no32cyEX00ecsRxwVWvCs_2E5FXE-B8GiD_x-eAK6nixq_X79tBl-yYbsAdbfyWWcxXqmRYrwodFg6YSZ8/s1600/6D29E54D-9A15-47AB-8311-8A011A2503B4_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy3_cw0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfQ7Quo8myJCxLYhfQBlGtJw4EULf_vSBrci5bve3M5_iR7DDgJ7RWax47no32cyEX00ecsRxwVWvCs_2E5FXE-B8GiD_x-eAK6nixq_X79tBl-yYbsAdbfyWWcxXqmRYrwodFg6YSZ8/s640/6D29E54D-9A15-47AB-8311-8A011A2503B4_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy3_cw0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I found this photo online, I can't remember the site I got it from. I'm using it because a) I think it's awesome, and b) Shame on Uganda, indeed!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Uganda is hoping that the world turns a blind eye to its evil of making being queer a crime punishable by death.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nigeria too wants to criminalize being queer, including
ending funding to queer rights organizations, so that queer people will be even more
marginalized in that region of the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now, on to Israel. So, Hamas, a militant, anti-Israel hate
group and the State of Israel have agreed to an imposed cease-fire. Ok, fine.
Though, here are the facts. Hamas has launched over 420 missiles into Israel, 420!!
Israel has a kick-ass defense system and has stopped many of the missiles from
entering the rest of the countr<span style="font-size: large;">y.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Apart from Palestinians feeling justified in their vicious
hate, with Hamas heading it all, the whole fucking world is totally biased
against the state of Israel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Two things: 1) Palestine is <i>not </i>a country. This fact has
been recognized by the UN.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span>2)
Anti-Jewish hate continues to frighteningly rise around the world. Organizations that sound legit, such
as The World Social Forum, which I had to look up, and learned about in the Friends <span style="font-size: large;">of Simon Wiesenthal newsletter,</span> will be all about helping
Palestine , at the event being hosted by Brazil, this year. What’s more, <i>my</i> idiot country is sending a rep. to the Fo<span style="font-size: large;">rum</span> from the postal
worker<span style="font-size: large;">'</span>s union. Why? What the hell do postal workers have to do with hate
-based politics?! Moreo<span style="font-size: large;">ver, postal workers are feder<span style="font-size: large;">a<span style="font-size: large;">l agents, ergo, our government is surreptitiously sa<span style="font-size: large;">ying that it, in fact, doesn't support Israel, th<span style="font-size: large;">ough, outwardly <span style="font-size: large;">it</span> says it does.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ok three things<span style="font-size: large;">:</span> Israel not only has every right to defend
itself, it is the ONLY country in that entire region of the world where queer
rights exist<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>h<span style="font-size: large;">is article outli<span style="font-size: large;">nes the poli<span style="font-size: large;">tics of queer rights in Israel.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://yulr.org/homosexual-rights-in-israel-balancing-the-religious-and-the-secular/"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://yulr.org/homosexual-rights-in-israel-balancing-the-religious-and-the-secular/ </span></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Isr<span style="font-size: large;">ael, unlike all of its Muslim neighbour<span style="font-size: large;">ing countries, and <span style="font-size: large;">area=Palestine, <span style="font-size: large;">is very supportive of women's rights<span style="font-size: large;">, and women<span style="font-size: large;">'s equality <span style="font-size: large;">(t<span style="font-size: large;">he p<span style="font-size: large;">olitical Hasidim notwithstanding).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's an article written by a woman living in Israel w<span style="font-size: large;">orking for the U<span style="font-size: large;">S-b<span style="font-size: large;">ased <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">N</span>ational Council for Jewish Women, about women<span style="font-size: large;">'s repro<span style="font-size: large;">ductive rights in Israel.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/09/3100216/op-ed-dont-set-back-reproductive-rights-for-israeli-women"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></a>
<a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/09/3100216/op-ed-dont-set-back-reproductive-rights-for-israeli-women"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/09/3100216/op-ed-dont-set-back-reproductive-rights-for-israeli-women</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This past year Israel created a law banning underweight models
from working. This made <span style="font-size: large;">headlines, no other country has fol<span style="font-size: large;">l<span style="font-size: large;">owed suit..yet?</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/21/israel-bans-underweight-models/"><u>http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/21/israel-bans-underweight-models/</u></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Isr<span style="font-size: large;">ael also rallies for the</span> rights of non-human animals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last year, Israel outlawed the declawing of cats! Canada, among many countries, has yet to follow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/israel-bans-cat-declawing-will-u-s-follow.html"><u>http://www.care2.com/causes/israel-bans-cat-declawing-will-u-s-follow.html</u></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s an article about the woman who founded the Israeli
SPCA <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/a-pioneer-of-animal-rights-in-israel.premium-1.478223">http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/a-pioneer-of-animal-rights-in-israel.premium-1.478223</a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That Israel fights back is a given. Violence and war are horrible realities, made worse by the fact that , in the case of Israel, that country has been having to defend its existence even before it was declared a nation-state. For all the shit that gets talked about that country, Israel unlike all the Muslims in the area is not a medieval throwback of a country where being queer will get you murdered, or where you will get stoned to death for, say, looking at someone you aren't married to. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here in Toronto we have a hate group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid that has been marching in Toronto's Gay Pride parade for the past few years. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>( FSW) has been denouncing that group as a hate group. Pride receives funding for the parade, and FSW has been asking the city to revoke funding to the parade if it continues to support hate. To date, the group is still being permitted to march in the upcoming parade this Summer. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This link <span style="font-size: large;">gives clear facts about what has been going on recently in Isr<span style="font-size: large;">ael and the Gaza zone.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com/">http://www.friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com/ </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ignorance and sheer biased stupidity continue to fuel people's warped realities about Israel. Israel not only has no allies in its region, but, fewer and fewer people and countries and organizations choose to publicly lend their voice in support of the Jewish state and its right to exist, and that's what this is all about. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I remember once, some years ago, talking about Israel with someone I worked with. I was shocked when he said that Jewish people didn't need Israel, they had Canada or Argentina as places to live. I was livid. He believed that Israel should belong to the Muslims, or more rightly, the Islamists=Palestinians, and because the Jewish people had displaced them <span style="font-size: large;">,</span>they, he felt, should leave. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, I think many people similarly to him<span style="font-size: large;">;</span>that even after all the horrors of the Holocaust, Jewish people still don't belong in Israel. Isr<span style="font-size: large;">ael is a Jewish s<span style="font-size: large;">tate<span style="font-size: large;">; it is the only one in<span style="font-size: large;"> the world. There are 50 Muslim states in the world<span style="font-size: large;">, Pa<span style="font-size: large;">lestine is not one of them<span style="font-size: large;"> because it is not a sta<span style="font-size: large;">te.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I<span style="font-size: large;">s</span>rael has to constantly defend itself against all the Muslim countries, not just bec<span style="font-size: large;">ause it exists,</span> but because it exits among so much anti-Jewish hate. We can't say anti- S<span style="font-size: large;">emitism when so many of those who hate Israel are <span style="font-size: large;">also Semites<span style="font-size: large;">. </span></span></span></span>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-41983332292076372502012-11-07T10:43:00.002-05:002012-11-07T10:58:29.154-05:00Congratulations!!!<span style="font-size: large;">I knew that Barack Obama would win, though, I'll admit I was getting scared early on last night as the polls started to close, and the grand dragon seemed to be in the lead. Well, not for long! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Indeed, Obama is the voice for change and progressive actions for America. He won by more than <b>80,000 votes,</b> say some analys<span style="font-size: large;">ts</span>, or more than 100 electoral college votes<span style="font-size: large;">;</span> not counting the states that hadn't finished counting their ballots by the time he went past 270 to sweep to his victory!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Obama has done for America and voter turn out, especially among Black and other non-white voters, what Nelson Mandela did for his people during his election in apartheid stricken South Africa. Both men mobilized the masses, and got people <span style="font-size: large;">especially </span>of colour to the polls, in droves. Both encouraged the "forgotten masses" to vote by using tools that are accessible to all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In his first term, Obama got people to the polls en masse, by heavily re<span style="font-size: large;">lying on </span>social media as a<span style="font-size: large;">n important commun<span style="font-size: large;">ication tool</span></span>. His campaign was all about creating clear communication, and making himself accessible. It worked, he won. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In 1994, Mandela got Black people to the polls for the very first time in South Africa's very racist history. Most of the rural people were illiterate, and wouldn't be able to read a ballot card, so the ANC created a ballot card with all the candidates colour photos on it. That was ingenious, and history was created, as South Africa finally ha<span style="font-size: large;">d</span> it<span style="font-size: large;">'</span>s first leader of colour!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b> South African ballot card, from 1994</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r50dib2sejC-yFan0fk7ibKO50DwXhyphenhyphen5FUoO8YiRfbfKUPvLI3oPZDZrHPNDz35yUK7FXLPOMVf3iuxpnsaDpjjSQ_LsLW-4NIa4xMpC_uOc1qLBsOEpR3U2HGBMTq4aDLX3UVWxuOw/s1600/124ballotpwvsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r50dib2sejC-yFan0fk7ibKO50DwXhyphenhyphen5FUoO8YiRfbfKUPvLI3oPZDZrHPNDz35yUK7FXLPOMVf3iuxpnsaDpjjSQ_LsLW-4NIa4xMpC_uOc1qLBsOEpR3U2HGBMTq4aDLX3UVWxuOw/s320/124ballotpwvsmall.jpg" width="215" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Obama, true to his words, always manages to get people "fired up, ready to go!", to quote him. This time around people knew how life-or-death this election was, and astoundingly waited in line</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> for as long as 6 hours, or more,</span> to cast th<span style="font-size: large;">eir</span> ballots<span style="font-size: large;">. </span>6 hours! That's unheard of in first world countries, isn<span style="font-size: large;">'t it? But then again, a <span style="font-size: large;">nation of 300,000,000 people battling issues that are usually re<span style="font-size: large;">served for the third world knew what the outcome would be <span style="font-size: large;">if they didn't choose the only person with a femin<span style="font-size: large;">ist</span> agenda, a social<span style="font-size: large;">i<span style="font-size: large;">st</span></span> agenda, and a<span style="font-size: large;">n agenda of compassion<span style="font-size: large;">, and d<span style="font-size: large;">irect<span style="font-size: large;"> action.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, </span>Obama's words fired people up enough <span style="font-size: large;">and created an important impact </span> because Americans were sure not going to let a sheet wearing dragon called mitten win.</span>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-86810250803974510822012-11-04T21:58:00.000-05:002012-11-04T21:59:50.910-05:00Some friends I made on my trip to Scotland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On my recent trip to Scotland, I made <span style="font-size: large;">some cute f</span>riends<span style="font-size: large;">;</span> the </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> humans I met weren't nearly as cute.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n-mdzFMZiiAMi1KV4nHUCl-eiX3lu4cgGrADuZR_RyFdtI8lggn6ikz2lNfM901_6XriKL3NiOMrliJG3JYkkpklZXcrA5rfglLLLwFUb49sORSpR3qbHdx7jVOZh8-0BEr5Y4eBWec/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" width="320" /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a Highland cow, I've forgotten her name but she's 1 and a half. How cute?! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC1t5nePp4jSSNRDGVUyWgv_hRM6PQozxiStxR0ICZsBYG9N-z1m_ZTdT1fa_W55GFHhlFZvrK1XRxdO8-TRvkcA1-qjpV4H2v1yizneYxDUhs0szOhE6qchi36Ku7j06XvJbtAxVcf8/s1600/IMG_1603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC1t5nePp4jSSNRDGVUyWgv_hRM6PQozxiStxR0ICZsBYG9N-z1m_ZTdT1fa_W55GFHhlFZvrK1XRxdO8-TRvkcA1-qjpV4H2v1yizneYxDUhs0szOhE6qchi36Ku7j06XvJbtAxVcf8/s320/IMG_1603.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This little cutie would greet me everyday by running full-tilt at me, which scared the crap out of me at first, until I realized that she was waiting for snacks. She would run, and come right up to me licking her little lips, waiting. Her little friends would stand further afield licking their lips too. She did get snacks from me:)<span style="font-size: large;">Her fr<span style="font-size: large;">iends didn't <span style="font-size: large;">beca<span style="font-size: large;">use they were too shy t<span style="font-size: large;">o really come cl<span style="font-size: large;">ose, and if I went too close to t<span style="font-size: large;">hem they w<span style="font-size: large;">ould trot away.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqs4ojAjiU_RoPhrmsRcwwM6JBXFovaScllYkpoen8U1mxE08tG3_QSULiOs-ZRzThyphenhyphenOVWGcWEzpdsT8wSbQFqFADRUpvKtOQT23Od0LrFoY0IRHqM_cumW21pctGhxMKnLBsJaU6mbs/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqs4ojAjiU_RoPhrmsRcwwM6JBXFovaScllYkpoen8U1mxE08tG3_QSULiOs-ZRzThyphenhyphenOVWGcWEzpdsT8wSbQFqFADRUpvKtOQT23Od0LrFoY0IRHqM_cumW21pctGhxMKnLBsJaU6mbs/s320/IMG_1655.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I love this wee dog, Saffie. She walked me everywhere, showed me her belly, and even protected me from a big, scary biting dog!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rawJMJM6kIROdgMdIKAS-x9tH3qoHV4CF2H38RrRPepiFLyKFwLzEHCPoOirH5CFqGm5yfLV2Sz__57_V8f9WL-1k_UK0wvR5SZ50c2thCl7rQWtOEX3Qnb510AvJcOSp5ZXJX_ChXM/s1600/IMG_1673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rawJMJM6kIROdgMdIKAS-x9tH3qoHV4CF2H38RrRPepiFLyKFwLzEHCPoOirH5CFqGm5yfLV2Sz__57_V8f9WL-1k_UK0wvR5SZ50c2thCl7rQWtOEX3Qnb510AvJcOSp5ZXJX_ChXM/s320/IMG_1673.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How witchy and cute!</span></span>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-87093289922237975292012-10-05T23:12:00.000-04:002012-10-05T23:12:25.129-04:00A Sign of the Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6kAJ-ILgxzVX2xDxu0b7URdgtJGVQDfffKTwhkC5_LKD7EUpyhfyVHxVlgAP3tJrmHPOaNK1ofsfogHsdpZ5EZEMo47kBmNnmdERprq4evlbGeij5DCNBtyHQwIGf5pgqBv2Pxa3a28/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6kAJ-ILgxzVX2xDxu0b7URdgtJGVQDfffKTwhkC5_LKD7EUpyhfyVHxVlgAP3tJrmHPOaNK1ofsfogHsdpZ5EZEMo47kBmNnmdERprq4evlbGeij5DCNBtyHQwIGf5pgqBv2Pxa3a28/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> How cute is this?! I think I may bring my girls..too cute</span>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-1823671050539406482012-10-04T10:02:00.003-04:002012-10-04T16:31:18.038-04:00The Presidential Debates: Round 1<style>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last night, during the first round of presidential debates, Barak Obama was his usual eloquent, erudite self, and, as always,
behaved like a gentleman as he debated against the grand dragon mit(tten)
romney.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">mitten, as he will heretofore be referred to as, behaved
just like himself: the filthy, bullying, lying, hateful bigot, who had the
nerve to imply very clearly that the President was a liar and simply made up
his facts!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Obama didn’t stoop to the smear-tactics of mitten, he rose
above the slander, always looked the dragon directly in the eyes with a clear
countenance, and never once interrupted him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The dragon not only bullied his way into interrupting the President, many times,
but also the pathetic mediator whose job it was to mediate, and to <b>not</b> allow one
opponent to railroad everyone. However, the mediator was a bumbling loser who
refused to do his job, and so the dragon got heaps more air time. How the hell is that fair?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At one point
mitten tripped himself up not hard with his zero IQ, and talked about “poor
people”, and then quickly realized what he had just done; a modern-day ross
perot- “you people”. He then tried to quickly redress it by covering it over
saying instead “Low-income
people”. Too late mitten. We saw your face as you realized you’d fucked up out
loud, and live, and we heard you condescend to all non-billionaires!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope
America won’t allow the wool of mitten’s grand dragon sheet to be pulled over
their eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">America
needs Barak Obama for another term, though if they don’t vote for him, they
deserve the shit that mr. <i>liar- liar- burning
-cross -on- fire</i> hands out. </span></div>
Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-52319013511999261542012-09-25T22:43:00.002-04:002012-09-25T22:53:29.406-04:00It Takes a Village to Raise a Misogynist<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Things I overheard today ,
the eve before my Federal Government decides whether abortion can, and should still be free and
available to all women in Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This first conversation
snippet I overheard while at Rexall. There were 2 men and a woman, standing in
an aisle holding a conversation. One of the men was talking at the top of his
lungs: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“...Oh yeah, by the way, this
is my wife.” She works <b>for </b>me.” The
man who spoke had been talking for about 5 minutes before it dawned on him
to vaguely mention “the wife”, no name, nothing else. Mind, she didn’t speak up
either. Also notice the preposition he used, "for", not with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“My wife works <b>for </b>me too” said the other caveman. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">One of these two
neanderthals, I don't know which, I was in another aisle, then went on to say he had children at home, and kept referring to
them as <i>his</i> children, and how <i>he</i> looks after them or sees them when he gets
home. I guess the wife of his who also works for him is exempt from “wife
duties?” Could it be?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">No, it’s just that men are
very, very selfish. Men <b>always</b> talk about themselves, first. They see the world
in terms of how it relates to them and their viewpoint.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“My kids, my wife…me, me
me.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Same store..while I was at
the cash..the man manager to the female cashier:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“girl-managers, … we need
to get the girls...”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Me to the cashier: “He
just said girl-manager, what about boy-manager?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Her: “Yeah, girls vs boys.
There are some things that need heavy lifting, so…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I raised my eyebrows in
disgust.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Earlier this evening I was
watching stupid shows with heterosexual couples who want to buy houses. In the
first show, the male provided </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">the oooh so big, $15,000 down payment, and then said to the
woman, who was purportedly his girlfriend, never “partner”, that he should
make the decisions about what to put in the house because he had paid. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> She was upset, but did nothing. He kept saying he was happy to have a space for <b>him</b>self, in <b>his</b> new home. She kept trying to correct him, and get him to be inclusive, but really, if you have to correct someone and fucking remind them to value you, you've lost the plot!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The idiot man who was designing the house, put up black and white photos the caveman had taken on trips.The designer said he hadn't seen even one photo with the girlfriend in it, and still he put them up. She playfully punched her boyfriend, cuz she was real upset. Meanwhile the boyfriend complimented himself on his artistic skill. Wow! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">What I want to know is,
why do women stay? Why put up with a demented, barbaric, rude, and, lest we forget, selfish caveman? <b>Why?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The next show, same idea,
only this time said young, het couple were getting an $85, 000 down payment
from the husband’s parents. Sounds ok. The problems? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The parents were very openly rude
to their son’s wife, and their son had absolutely zero backbone. The parents
were insulting their daughter-in-law in front of the son, and he’d keep quiet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Again, I gotta ask, why
the fuck would you stay?!!! Your spouse won’t stand up for you, and your
in-laws are misogynist throw-backs. If you stay, you too have no spine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Abortion should always be
free. Do not support motion M-312! Supporting it will erode Canada's image as a
freedom-supporting, progressive nation. If you criminalize my right to choose,
you will turn Canada into an oligarchy of misogyny”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">( my comment on today's petition <a href="https://leadnow.netdonor.net/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1694&ea.campaign.id=16616&forwarded=true">https://leadnow.netdonor.net/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1694&ea.campaign.id=16616&forwarded=true</a>)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-34386294583335507052012-09-20T15:15:00.002-04:002012-09-20T15:18:12.041-04:00Another Fast<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First, I gotta say, I hate " the new look" of Blogger.Why does everything have to always have a " new look". Clearly, people have too much time on their hands and that's why they feel compelled to mess with the old look that worked perfectly fine. Hotmail is forever doing this, a system I use at work as well. Why on earth can't these people leave well enough alone is what I'd like to know.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anywho, here I am doing a(nother) fast...My last one was back in April, so 2011, and it was your bog-standard 24 hour lemon-honey-water fast. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm aiming for 30 hours-maybe 36, this time round. I'm not ready for 48 hours just yet. I'm at hour 25.5 now. This time I'm doing water only. I started with lime ( I have no lemons) honey and water. Then, moved on to water with a pinch of Himalayan salt in it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why add salt to water? Pure salt helps to pull toxins out of you, while helping your body to stabilize itself.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a great link I found about the pros of using natural salt vs. the evil cons of using processed "table salt" <a href="http://innerwealth.me/2012/06/23/use-himalayan-salt-2/" target="_blank">http://innerwealth.me/2012/06/<wbr></wbr>23/use-himalayan-salt-2/</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right now, I'm not too hungry, but yesterday and last night were killer. So, what did I do? I watched "Come Dine With Me", naturally! I stayed up as long as I could, so I'd be really tired and sleep without feeling hungry. Kind of worked.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Here's another interesting link all about Himalayan salt; how to use it, what's it's benefits are, and such like. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.himalayancrystalsalt.com/salt-your-health.html">http://www.himalayancrystalsalt.com/salt-your-health.html</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right now, I'm closing in on 26 hours. I'll see how much longer I can go. I feel kind of lethargic, and it's a task to not focus on food.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, we'll see how I go, and more importantly, how I feel when I finish.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> A belated Shana Tova to all, and a pre-emptive Yom Kippur!</span></span><br />
<br />Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-92066347438231650142012-09-04T12:41:00.002-04:002012-09-04T12:49:19.489-04:00More rain blessings!<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> I love the rain. The way the earth smells when everything gets wet always reminds me of camping!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's pouring right now, and I got caught in it, and got pretty drenched. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A half an hour ago, on my way back from the dentist, which is when I got soaked, walking to the bus stop, I got on the bus with the same driver I had had heading <i>to </i>the dentist. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The driver was Caribbean I think, but he had a soft voice, and his accent also sounded like it could have come from a west African nation too. We greeted each other, and he asked how I was,I said "soaked"; he said "That's ok." I figured he was busy, and didn't really care about my having got soaked, especially cuz he was dry. So, I persisted and added "My pants are completely wet." Then he responded by saying </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">" Now you are a blessed woman." </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">I thought about the profundity of that statement, and said, "It's true", thanked him and thought of Rain being a blessing, for Hawai'ian people, for many indigenous people, and how much more non-white people, often non-WASPs, specifically, know about the earth, and the magick of it. </span><br />
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Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-32445694549806309932012-08-31T23:47:00.001-04:002012-09-20T15:21:15.991-04:00Pithy thought from The Dalai Lama<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdBLusctAPUaNSTgNs-szuUSI3FOQdNkhdjtTV7qf8zt_wEMdNbtaYTUTaeJix6JsiegxBnLB75cSyX1u_3KlQkKCXkrIrTVXFF33InzpBAgrxDbU8E8LKPh4tDgXnxQH8pLCUT8TM7c/s1600/Karma+%28dragged%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdBLusctAPUaNSTgNs-szuUSI3FOQdNkhdjtTV7qf8zt_wEMdNbtaYTUTaeJix6JsiegxBnLB75cSyX1u_3KlQkKCXkrIrTVXFF33InzpBAgrxDbU8E8LKPh4tDgXnxQH8pLCUT8TM7c/s400/Karma+%28dragged%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is from an email ; it's a chain mail, from things the Dalai Lama has said. This is my favourite of all the deep thoughts in the email, because it's both funny and true!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-64096999811818667632012-08-23T21:42:00.000-04:002012-08-23T21:42:32.769-04:00Strawberry Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58Q01M39OBvCnnH1YsMBncACtCoNtFo2HpDBvnEpyEqQ3u391oBQuG45jk1W7Kh5xn9OJukFz2is_nLTtDFlTNyIxd9f7t6yFZEIfNvypvaXsMB9PdpAwU9hCC_5FiTGXdmxrl2tXtaQ/s1600/my+pie+2012,+aug+22" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58Q01M39OBvCnnH1YsMBncACtCoNtFo2HpDBvnEpyEqQ3u391oBQuG45jk1W7Kh5xn9OJukFz2is_nLTtDFlTNyIxd9f7t6yFZEIfNvypvaXsMB9PdpAwU9hCC_5FiTGXdmxrl2tXtaQ/s320/my+pie+2012,+aug+22" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">My totally vegan strawberry pie which I made yesterday. Yum. Yum Yum. I used vegan Becel in the dough, crust and bottom, and in the filling..so freaking good!</span>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-72132760940262434672012-08-11T20:30:00.001-04:002012-08-11T21:28:46.369-04:00Chapchae<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OS-TQWdQV-wLKkg7NvveibNU9qQpkNPDK2IOU0tvKH0GsQrEstFJjjselz6u0H2zrGsomLUAgAyR2Ev7xy5WAyJvrxQTIgJHbuTsKQS6r8o3pZIMIu35lUdUap_1fUuIG9j60DuLK3w/s1600/food4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OS-TQWdQV-wLKkg7NvveibNU9qQpkNPDK2IOU0tvKH0GsQrEstFJjjselz6u0H2zrGsomLUAgAyR2Ev7xy5WAyJvrxQTIgJHbuTsKQS6r8o3pZIMIu35lUdUap_1fUuIG9j60DuLK3w/s320/food4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u><b>how yum does this look?</b></u><br />
<u><b>My chapchae looking suitably fancy </b></u></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've had a desire lately, to make chapchae,which is a Korean noodle salad. All the recipes I read online told me 10 minutes would be all I'd need to do the prep. Maybe 10 minutes in like the year 1800, I don't know who's 10 minutes. I spent about an hour cutting the carrots into wee "matchstick" size pieces, slicing the green onions, finely dicing the garlic..I had to break out the ol' Ginsu for that.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are heaps of steps, including cutting the noodles once they've been cooled, with scissors, and the same for the spinach, but it so worth it, because yum!</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-myCj5ISYBXtWmavvUkk1vwBGyEtCKPqmnjqFiv-mvx4W_xxV1_MGLr3iHNARJaTd-SmJ07VPRcZf_7eERCpRzDK6AD1odFBmUi6PRJGDy5p0k-3RFQxFakfJd3QSzNZdBFvuzKA4cF8/s1600/in+the+bowl+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-myCj5ISYBXtWmavvUkk1vwBGyEtCKPqmnjqFiv-mvx4W_xxV1_MGLr3iHNARJaTd-SmJ07VPRcZf_7eERCpRzDK6AD1odFBmUi6PRJGDy5p0k-3RFQxFakfJd3QSzNZdBFvuzKA4cF8/s320/in+the+bowl+.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">still in the giant mixing bowl</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumx0bfA3Glo5UlAQzlXD4P1kj-bm7elcvyhPooxh2xPujiY4Qp7rLOaVArg-nMq5yur9MADqdcsZFlCW8i7eYPFuUHkVCJD5CYECkDoOhE9jv1FR3Cvx3f7bCEuG2pMhOmGtq4y9QRIE/s1600/food+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumx0bfA3Glo5UlAQzlXD4P1kj-bm7elcvyhPooxh2xPujiY4Qp7rLOaVArg-nMq5yur9MADqdcsZFlCW8i7eYPFuUHkVCJD5CYECkDoOhE9jv1FR3Cvx3f7bCEuG2pMhOmGtq4y9QRIE/s320/food+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-44304590126164307492012-07-24T01:55:00.009-04:002012-07-25T12:16:45.581-04:00Hate can be unlearned<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Why the fuck are black people, mainly black Americans, so fucking homophobic?! </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">This is a rhetorical question.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">I'm not looking for answers; that would only give credence to the bullshit. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">I saw a stupid video today on BET by a woman who looks like an ugly drag queen , who calls her self just Marsha. Her video was, I guess, supposed to be about “Down Low Brothers”. I find that term disgusting, it refers to black men who lie about who they are</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">--, </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;"> because they are so afraid of the hate in "the community", but really, </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">what fucking community?!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">These DLBs live a lie and pretend to be 100% het, but really </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">they are either secretly gay or maybe bi</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">, and, cheat on their female partners with men. This hate which leads to subterfuge is why AIDS is still on the rise. In fact, "</span><span style="font-size: large;">To date, over 230,000 African Americans have died of <a href="http://www.avert.org/aids.htm" target="_self">AIDS. <span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Th</span></span></a></span><a href="http://www.avert.org/aids.htm" target="_self"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">e estimated lifetime risk of becoming infected with HIV is 1 in 16 for black males</span><span style="font-size: large;">,</span> </a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.avert.org/aids.htm" target="_self">"<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<span style="font-size: small;">http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm)</span></span></a></span><br />
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<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span></span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">mso</span></span></span>-<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span></span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">fareast</span></span></span>-font-family:<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span></span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">Cambria</span></span></span>;
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">If dialogue was encouraged about issues of sexual identity, in "the community" , chiefly within <i>the black church</i>, and even in other hate-faith communities, perhaps these "brothers" could be who they are: proud queer men. I don't advocate lying or cheating, nor do I think maintaining walls of hate fuelled by idiotic "scripture" is in any way ok. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Telling people, ( one's "flock") shit about an energy/ or being, sometimes referred to as god, who hates, and specifically hates queer people, is fucked up. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;"> Add to that, you knowing, fully, that you are gay/queer while listening to the hate-filled rhetoric of church shit. The church shit tells you that god loves all..all except you, (and Jewish people, even though Jesus was Jewish, and. the long list of other "undesirables" continues...) The hate tells you that you are totally hated by this thing called god who is supposed to love all. That much crap has no positive outcomes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Then, the queer, in this case, black church-goer now feels fear, shame, hate, and mountains of terror, at being who she/he is. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Fear is what pushes heaps of men, in the case of the DLBs, black men, and certainly women as well, so far into the closet they would prefer to live in total denial rather than face the wrath of their 'community' because they are too petrified to truly live out loud and proud. All because of hate, which is just fear.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">At any rate, Marsha’s video, much like her “ look”, her song and voice are total garbage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">I assume her video is considered “enlightened” I guess, in that it, </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">omg</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">, had images of two gay men, holding hands, and trying, I think, to find each other, through all of the hate and bigotry around them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Ok</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">, so no nasty words are used out-right to refer to queer people, or queer, black men, but naturally one of the pair had to get jumped by a gang of angry black, hard-core bible-fuckers. I bet Marsha's thinking for the attack scene, was that it's real, and it's important to keep shit real. We know the mob are religious nuts because they are homophobes, and in the ghetto. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">We assume the man who was walking with his boyfriend is murdered, by the mob, and the next scene we see is of his partner commit suicide.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Marsha must be one of those bible- fucking types who wants to make some kind of highly convoluted point about queer men, I guess, and maybe what their queerness, and keeping it on the down low, while playing het, is doing to "the community"!!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Whatever her point was, or wasn’t, I’d like to know what the hell she and the director were thinking when they decided on the scene I mentioned above where the two men; the couple, who may have just come out and are newly dating each other, walk hand-in-hand in the flipping ghetto?! The ghetto, a place rife with ideals of what hyper-masculinity and femininity are supposed to be. That made no fucking sense. Presumably the two men were from the same ghetto, so they would have known how things work in ghetto culture regarding gayness and being open in a homophobic, macho, religious community. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">So much pisses me off about this video. To start with:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Why didn’t the singer have a scene with police investigating the murder/gang attack? This would have shown us that violence towards queer people is not ok, or tolerated, especially by the singer herself.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Why could we not hear/make sense of any of the lyrics?</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Why didn’t she have a scene where people were grieving/mourning the murdered man?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Why were there no scenes of acceptance of the male couple by their friends/family?</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">At the end, Marsha had an open letter to the viewers up on the screen, talking about “accepting alternative lifestyles”</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">I hate the term alternative lifestyle with reference to being and living a queer existence. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">It’s such a demeaning, stupid ignorant word. Being queer doesn’t mean you live in a circus, with a bearded lady with a meth addiction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">I thought the term died a long time ago, but, apparently not in the homophobic black communities. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">If Marsha truly wanted to pass on a message of acceptance, she would have made a totally different video. Cristina’s Aguilera’s </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">“I am beautiful” video comes to mind. We see male couples having a smooch, among other images of love.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Hip-hop, and </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">RnB</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;"> that promote the hateful refrain of pin-headed, “religious teachings” encouraged by black homophobes create a vacuum of isolation and backwardness within their so-called community.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">In order to combat homophobic hate, we must keep shining our light, and keep creating change, and speaking up against hate.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">There are currently 12 countries that have legalized queer marriage, they are : </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">1.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Holland</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">2.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Belgium</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">3.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Spain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">4.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Canada</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">5.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">South Africa ( The only country on that continent that supports queer rights in its constitution!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">6.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Norway</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">7.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Sweden</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">8.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Portugal</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">9.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Iceland</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">10.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Argentina</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">11.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Denmark</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 0.1pt 25.1pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">12.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Mexico, though it's legal federally, only 2 states perform marriages</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">There is another group of countries, about 20, that have granted queer couples civil-union status, not exactly the same as marriage, with respect to certain rights, including adoption etc., but a good start. Of those countries The United States grants civil unions to queer couples in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">6 </i>states, and Australia in only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2</i> states. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;"> Sure, it's still flawed, yes, but, momentum <i>is</i> gathering. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">What surprises me, is that Latin America; a region known for being dominated by backwards religious fools, is much more progressive regarding queer partnerships, than Australia, which was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">In the next 5-ten years, more formerly backwards countries will join the </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">growing</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;"> list of countries that are starting to realize that LGBTQ rights and issues are human rights issues, and therefore they concern everybody.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Countries that have given their queer citizens the option to legally marry, have not only raised the bar for human rights issues, they have raised their own social profiles on the world stage. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18pt;">Homophobia, like any kind of hate, is taught behavior. Therefore, we can unlearn hate and learn to love. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0cm; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
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</div>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-19699744551976388942012-07-01T23:40:00.000-04:002012-07-01T23:40:15.968-04:00Funny, and Spot on<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I saw this on another blog, and thought it was too good not to show it off here, what with Pride weekend just having passed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNkO5MehTiIWEd1IzD_RU9AAQ79Tm9FDlBvWiddDHHtUAF17im70yEVm9rd1xR6PzOy2MqLDhWjeVdqNv-SQ2T4Pov1kcUqXgWXUm1tRXCfNaq8LaF0aFu52cVf9pEaSwm1hG0QMWwgI/s1600/gay+marriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNkO5MehTiIWEd1IzD_RU9AAQ79Tm9FDlBvWiddDHHtUAF17im70yEVm9rd1xR6PzOy2MqLDhWjeVdqNv-SQ2T4Pov1kcUqXgWXUm1tRXCfNaq8LaF0aFu52cVf9pEaSwm1hG0QMWwgI/s640/gay+marriage.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744197214827605495.post-55708506324083786752012-06-19T22:43:00.001-04:002012-06-19T22:46:20.475-04:00Rain is a Blessing<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hawai'i definitely left an impression on me, emotionally and spiritually. On the last day there, in Hilo,we were walking down the road when it started to rain. Rain in Hilo is as common as the sky is blue..it rains <i>a lot </i>on that side of the island. Just ahead of us was a young Hawai'ian family; a mother, father and a toddler. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the first drops of rain started, the little toddler said, with palpable fear , "oh no, it's raining." His mother held up an umbrella, and the father gently told his child, echoing thousands of years of Kahuna wisdom ,"The rain is a blessing."</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cj4ltIEJBaDQrHVrNzbONNmOKQYYxS5EXDYd7wNVeWZOSTPjHkBmfIb_tWCKhYVDENAhCdrHctdgu2Hj675u6HHI4_fXB19XBUonCTIrmigyNQzCth3R1U-QDgruUd8RU2gbrZo41Fs/s1600/DSCN5405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cj4ltIEJBaDQrHVrNzbONNmOKQYYxS5EXDYd7wNVeWZOSTPjHkBmfIb_tWCKhYVDENAhCdrHctdgu2Hj675u6HHI4_fXB19XBUonCTIrmigyNQzCth3R1U-QDgruUd8RU2gbrZo41Fs/s320/DSCN5405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a big Banyan tree in Hilo, HI, in the rain!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That really touched me, seeing young native Hawai'ians embracing their birthright by remembering it to their children. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I suppose what also touched me was how it was said. It wasn't preachy, or "new agey", it was just said as a gentle fact. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The rain <i>is</i> a blessing.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyEAthT4e-TKlPqISReFkt4ILRABeehoJTLqwoFnjW80qbtKEi3AmHKbM7UqOD_Qv_3PZWhgXRPVpkKSNhWRw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a tiny video I took of the park behind our hostel, in Hilo... it's raining!<br />
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</span></div>"In Hawaii, a rainy day is a thing of poetry. The Hawaiian language has more than 100 words for "rain," which describe the location, volume and intensity of the shower. <i>'Awa</i> refers to a fine rain or mist, and <i>kawa</i> is for when it's raining heavily. If a storm is unexpected, it's called <i>ililani</i>. If the rain is at a slant, it's called <i>ua hikiki 'i</i>. So much for "cloudy" and "sunny." <a class="c1" href="http://www.gohawaii.com/" target="_blank">gohawaii.com" (http://www.islands.com/article/Hawaii-Rain-by-Any-Other-Name)</a>Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586008181249389730noreply@blogger.com4