re post

sorry dearies had to repost this just to prove that it has been almost 24 hours and my will to move to new orleans has not diminished in the slightest

this my darlings, is where i want to live.i've always known i want to live in the city, and i've always known that i want to live where it is really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. personally i prefer summer to winter but i feel that if you're going to have a season at all you shouldn't do it half ass, so while i hate cold bitter weather, if it's winter you should do it right with snow and everything. i've also always known that i want to live in the south. well all those things would not only be extremely hard, if not impossible to fit into one location, but many of them pose big problems. for example you cannot have somewhere in the south that is very cold in the winter. second i have absolutely no tolerance for racism, homophobia, and most religion bothers me, so living in the south might be a problem. now just for any southerners who might read this, i am not in any means saying that everyone down there is racist, ignorant, homophobic and religious, trust me i come from louissianna, i am simply saying that with two parents that grew up there, two sets of grandparents still living there, and all my cousins in mississippi and texas, there is more of those foul things in the south.
anyway. New Orleans is in the south so i get my weather, my hospitality, and general courtesy, but NOT the isolation. here's why: New Orleans is a world city, so all these people who have come from all different places, have brought New Orleans multiculturalism in the highest degree, and with that all the tolerance i would want. as for the very hot in the summer thing, no problems there. the winter thing i'll solve somehow, maybe go visit a friend in new york or minnesota for christmas. and the city thing is more than provided for. ahhh my beloved new orleans. i'll live there and eat spicy cajun food, and rent a little brick apartment above a bookstore, and work as a barrista down the street... or be a college english proffessor somewhere nearby, or perhaps even a journalist.


despite all my rants, i must remind you that i am 13, and that i swing between wanting kids, and despising the idea hourly. so...

stupid fucking assholes giving the democratic party a bad name

today i have decided something. many people in this world are full of shit. they pretend to care and care about things they don't really care about. they also pretend to be tolerant and liberal when really they should just keep their rich self righteous ass out of other people's business. they're the kind of person who'll adopt a kid from darfur, not because they want a kid to love and raise, or because they want to help that kid because it's dangerous over there, but so that they can show off their kid like a trophy of how pure and good they are. they befriend gay people not because they felt a connection with them and want to hang out with them, but simply for the purpose of proving to themselves and others that they don't discriminate. i hate these people. ridiculous richies. if i was gonna have kids and i could choose to raise them rich with their heads up their asses, or working class bordering poor, i'd choose the latter. there is one thing i hate more than rich people who are acutely aware of their wealth and think it sets them a cut above everyone else, and that is rich people who have no idea that most people don't have as much money as they do. i hate people like that at school who ask me why i don't have such a wide variety of clothes as they do "well i dunno asshole maybe that's cuz i don't have so much money it leaks out my nose, ears and mouth. maybe it's because i live in apartments with my divorced parents, and because i have to worry about getting tons of scholarships to even get a barely decent college education". i think in comparison to these people, a poor kid would grow up with much more knowledge of different financial levels, the skill to make to without, and a certain ammount of gratitude for the good things that might come their way. anyway, at thirteen, i've grown up (still in the process actually) working class in all aspects, and i'm proud of it. in fact, i think if i was rich up the wazoo... i'd feel like i had to prove that i was one of the nicer richer peeople who doesn't flaunt it, who doesn't hate those less fortunate, and who is gratefull and aware of how fortunate they are. i am really glad that i am not filthy rich, otherwise i would be phenomenally embarrassed of my fellow rich idiots. really think that these rich assholes are the most racist, conservative, biggots, in disguise as liberals. i really am a liberal and i hate those peeps.

read on stylerookie blog thing that i should do this... here goes.

this is a repost of a repost on

http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/

seems like a worthy issue so i thought i'd keep it going. i didn't write a word of this except the intro, so keep that in mind as you read it. this isn't the kind of thing i would normally do at all... but pay attention anyway... maybe you could help lessen the shittiness of the situation over there.

!

I'm sure you've all heard, and half of you are on, Twitter right now. As social media becomes increasingly relevant in today's culture, it's interesting to see how it can be used to help social activism.

II've made no secret of the fact that the genocide in Darfur is something I feel strongly about; the lack of empathy and regard for human life is ridiculous and needs to stop. However, it can only be stopped if attention is brought to it. And we're going to make it a topic.

How Twitter works is by using a #, it defines a word and sets it apart as a topic. All statements also have to be in a 140 character limit. So I've prepared for you 100 statements, hashtag included, about Darfur that are under 140 characters. 85 are posted today, and more will be on Monday.

On Wednesday, July 29th, (and the days after) I want you to tweet as many of these messages as you can.. space them out, come up with them of your own, tell your friends to... basically, make Darfur a topic. It's an easy way to make a change using the internet an bring attention to something that so desperately needs it.

If you repost this article in your blog, tweets & explanation, let me know and I will link you at the bottom of this post.

I have nothing to say about the facts, except that they are all verified and pretty much speak for themselves... when ironically, the Darfuri people can't.

1) What do 400,000+ people have in common? They were all murdered in the genocide in #Darfur. http://www.standcanada.org/

2) Ignoring the Holocaust didn’t make it go away. Save #Darfur.

3) To call #Darfur anything less than a genocide is ignorant to both the definition of genocide and the suffering of the victims.

4) The most meaningful characters you could type today: Save #Darfur.

5) There are currently 2.5 million refugees because of the genocide in #Darfur. Demand action.

6) Imagine living in a country where a girl is as likely to be sexually assaulted as she is to be able to learn to read. Save #Darfur.

7) Government using helicopters to light their own people on fire? Sounds like a movie, for some it’s reality. Save #Darfur.

8) The Sudanese government hired a private militia just to kill its own people. Save #Darfur.

9) Isn’t nine years of genocide in #Darfur enough? Call 1-800-genocid(e)

10) In #Darfur elders are sent to get water at night because girls are will be raped and men shot. There is no guarantee the elder is safe.

11) The famine in Sudan killed a lot of people, but the genocide it caused killed more. 400,000 more. Save #Darfur.

12) What do we want? A stop to genocide in #Darfur. When do we want it? Nine years ago.

13) Rape and genocide go hand & hand in #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=141

14) If a government is killing its own people, why on earth would they be allowed to chose where the refugee camp goes? Save #Darfur.

15) Water: we take it for granted, and yet a lack of it has lead to over 400,000 deaths in #Darfur.

16) Start a STAND chapter at your school today! http://www.standcanada.org Save #Darfur.

17) If the UN doesn’t call #Darfur genocide, they don’t have to stop the atrocities. Stop saving money and start saving lives.

18) When you invest in Sudanese oil, you are investing in genocide in #Darfur.

19) What kind of message does it send when we let a government kill its own people based on ethnicity? Save #Darfur.

20) A little apathy never hurt anyone... except the victims of #Darfur.

21) The people of #Darfur worry about famine& AIDS just like other 3rd world countries, but they also have to deal with genocide

22) Several current members of the Sudanese government have been charged with over ten counts of sexual assault. Save the women of #Darfur.

23) Many organizations currently consider #Darfur one of the most dangerous places on the planet.

24) "since the #Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006, attacks against peacekeepers and humanitarian workers have increased ninefold."

25) re:newint.org "90 per cent of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed." Save #Darfur

26) re: newint.org: "3.6 million people are dependent on international humanitarian assistance in #Darfur."

27) re: newint.org: "A third of people [in #Darfur] in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian workers."

28) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir states ‘there will not be any international military intervention in #Darfur as long as I’m in power’.

29) "The WHO has warned that a major health catastrophe could erupt if the necessary funds and supplies are not made available." Save #Darfur.

30) The ICC has "arrested" Sudanese president Al Bashir, but this is merely symbolic. Firm measures need to be taken. Save #Darfur.

31) "A hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force is on the ground in #Darfur, although it remains underfunded, understaffed, and vulnerable to attacks."

32) Girls as young as eight are considered at high risk vulnerability levels for sexual assault in #Darfur.

33) People in #Darfur have an average of a three hour each way every night to get highly protected water.

34) Water is so heavily protected in #Darfur that night time trips are necessary to avoid being shot.

35) "For the first time since 2004, global acute malnutrition rates in #Darfur rose above the emergency threshold in 2007."

36) re: Unicef: "As of September 2008, 225 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked or stolen during the year [in #Darfur]."

37) re: Unicef: “As of September 2008, 144 humanitarian compounds [have been] broken into [in #Darfur.]”

38) Attacks on convoys means that 180,000 people in #Darfur may not receive expected clean water supplies this year

39) How long the genocide in #Darfur has been going on for is disputed, but the fact that 100s of 100,000s have died isn’t.

40) Why should you care abou #Darfur? Why shouldn’t you care about #genocide?

41) Calling #Darfur a genocide is the difference between a UN intervention and political apathy. Call #Darfur what it really is.

42) Aid serves an important role in providing for the people of #Darfur, but it will not effectively address the root causes of the conflict.

43) Because Canada has no colonial ties to Sudan, it is in a prime position to help the people of #Darfur.

44) Because of the horrid conditions in #Darfur and the high rape rate, the infantcide levels have skyrocketted.

45) Sondra was a nine year old girl shot in the back of the neck when she was only two hours away from a refugee camp. Save #Darfur.

46) Machuk is a 12 year old boy who took care of 3 younger sisters. One day in #Darfur his town was lit on fire. He hasnt seen them since.

47) To see the damage done in #Darfur, check out google earth. It will show you what villages have been burned to the ground.

48) in #Darfur theres a religious belief that you cant kill a virgin. Unfortunately for young girls, the "solution" for this is rape.

49) In #Darfur, a girl wil sometimes have to go through a humiliating forced marriage before being raped several times and then shot.

50) Daoud was an elderly woman who was kicked so hard she died. She was trying to get water for her family. Save #Darfur.

51) #Darfur can be hard to understand because it is not a difference of skin colour, but the fact remains that people are still dying.

52) Genocide is the systematic killing of a people. #Darfur is the systematic killing of a people. Call #Darfur genocide.

53) Saving #Darfur will be difficult, but letting an entire type of people die due to apathy is unacceptable.

54) The Holocaust, Rwanda... didn’ we say never again to genocide? Save #Darfur.

55) As long as the genocide in #Darfur continues, it will be one of the biggest broken promises of the Western world.

56) Issa was a thirteen year old girl raped by four different soldiers, two from her own governement.

57) When two Canadian aids workers went missing, the news media mentioned Sudan but not the words genocide or #Darfur. Why the silence?

58) Demand more of your local media; write them and make them pay attention to what is happening in #Darfur.

59) Although Canada isnt a major world power, we are respected internationally for commitments to peacekeeping and human rights. Save #Darfur.

60) “Who the hell cared about Rwanda?” –Romeo Dallaire. Save #Darfur.

61) www.instantkarma.org: a collection of John Lennon covers with profits going to #Darfur!

62) Here’s how you can start a STAND chapter and help #Darfur! http://www.standnow.org/chapters/start

63) "Having called what is happening in #Darfur genocide and having vowed to stop it, it is time for the West to keep its word" Romeo Dallaire

64) Why You Should Care: http://www.standcanada.org/index.php?section=why-you-should-care Save #Darfur

65) Genocide: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide See #Darfur.

66) "Dozens upon dozens of groups and organizations have prioritized stopping the killing in #Darfur before there is no one left to be killed."

67) "The UN has become a largely irrelevant, [...] and the just-released U.N. report on the atrocities in #Darfur, Sudan, proves the point."

68) "We all might ask ourselves why we tune in to these more trivial matters and tune out when it comes to #Darfur. " -Nicholas Kristof

69) "While Americans have heard of #Darfur and think we should be doing more there, they arent actually angry at the president about inaction. "

70) #Darfur is home to many races of farmers, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab.

71) Janjaweed: an armed militia supported by the Sudanese Government to help the Sudanese army kill its own people. Save #Darfur.

72) "If a government shuts off all access to the country, how can we get a clear sense of the nature and extent of the violence?" Save #Darfur

73) How to get the Facts about #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=157

74) Every month I update my power point about #Darfur, yet the only thing that ever really changes is the death count numbers.

75) #Darfur is a region in Sudan that has been suffering from genocide for numerous years, yet is barely heard on the news.

76) #Darfur is one of the biggest tragedies of the 2st century -and one of the most ignored.

77) Take action in #Darfur, because the UN doesn't seem to be doing anything.

78) Unfortunately, because the UN Security Council has countries that trade with Sudan on it, it impedes action in #Darfur.

79) The people of #Darfur have enough to worry about without the genocide. This is unacceptable.

80) Support Bashir's arrest warrant, put strict trade sanctions on Sudanese oil, and return the displaced home.

81) Follow: @ExhibitDarfur, save #Darfur

82) Follow: @StandCanada, save #Darfur

83) Read: The Devil Came on Horseback, save #Darfur

84) Isa is a seven year old girl who will never know her parents because they both died when her village was lit on fire. Save #Darfur.

85) If the people of #Darfur aren't being shot at, they're starving from trying to escape being shot at.

new orleans :)

this my darlings, is where i want to live.i've always known i want to live in the city, and i've always known that i want to live where it is really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. personally i prefer summer to winter but i feel that if you're going to have a season at all you shouldn't do it half ass, so while i hate cold bitter weather, if it's winter you should do it right with snow and everything. i've also always known that i want to live in the south. well all those things would not only be extremely hard, if not impossible to fit into one location, but many of them pose big problems. for example you cannot have somewhere in the south that is very cold in the winter. second i have absolutely no tolerance for racism, homophobia, and most religion bothers me, so living in the south might be a problem. now just for any southerners who might read this, i am not in any means saying that everyone down there is racist, ignorant, homophobic and religious, trust me i come from louissianna, i am simply saying that with two parents that grew up there, two sets of grandparents still living there, and all my cousins in mississippi and texas, there is more of those foul things in the south.
anyway. New Orleans is in the south so i get my weather, my hospitality, and general courtesy, but NOT the isolation. here's why: New Orleans is a world city, so all these people who have come from all different places, have brought New Orleans multiculturalism in the highest degree, and with that all the tolerance i would want. as for the very hot in the summer thing, no problems there. the winter thing i'll solve somehow, maybe go visit a friend in new york or minnesota for christmas. and the city thing is more than provided for. ahhh my beloved new orleans. i'll live there and eat spicy cajun food, and rent a little brick apartment above a bookstore, and work as a barrista down the street... or be a college english proffessor somewhere nearby, or perhaps even a journalist.


despite all my rants, i must remind you that i am 13, and that i swing between wanting kids, and despising the idea hourly. so...

Enzo

this book is definitely in my top five favorite books. i was taken completely off guard by how many emotions it stirred up throughout the story. the really unusual thing about The Art Of Racing In The Rain is that it is narrated by a dog, named Enzo. when you describe it that way it sounds like a children's book, however a lot of this book kinda went over MY head so it probably surpasses young adult and goes straight to adult. even so, i enjoyed it so immensely it is hard to do it justice. Enzo is a dog who is ready to be a man. ever since he saw a documentary about how in Mongolia dogs are beleived to be reincarnated as men. first they are buried with a peice of meat in their mouth, and then their spirit is set free to roam and run all over the world for as long as it wants, then when it chooses it can be reincarnated as a man. Enzo says throughou the book that he is ready. that he has been ready since the day he was born. he is making preparations all his life and studying humans so that when he is a man he will have a headstart. his owner Denny is a race car driver, with a wife named Eve and a daughter named Zoe. this book is deppressing as well as uplifting all in one. i cried so much but when i finished it (10 minutes ago) i was very happy. so many ups and downs and unexpected detours are enough to make for an extremely enjoyable book. usually i despise a story with a moral, but while the moral of this book doesn't stare you in the face or grab your collar and drag you along, there is much to learn from Enzo and his amazing storytelling. i beg anyone who reads this to read the book as well. at least give it a try.

by the way i guess all this means that garth stein is a damn good author right?

Amelie

the picture below is from the movie Amelie... and the woman in the picture is Amelie Poulain. this is high in the running for my favorite movie. i love how the character amelie is an adult, but she still has the best of childhood. a lot goes on in the movie, but essentially it's about her finding Nino Quincompoix (that dude down there) who shares this same mentality.
the movie is french. so it's all in french. so you gotta read subtitles. it's worth it.
amelie is a waitress in a cute little bar/restaurant where the old female bartender (who limps but has never spilled a drink) gives the failed writer free food, and nino works in a porn shop (weird huh?) and spends his spare time digging under photobooths for ripped up pictures to put together and collect. it's such a sweet story. the soundtrack is phenomenal, as well as all the acting. overall amelie is an amazing movie, and i would WHOLEHEARTEDLY recomend it to ANYONE over 11.

lately my nights are hell. i cannot sleep at ALL. like last night, i was hot sweaty and sticky, but then if i took the covers off i got cold... i was getting so pissed. i hate hate hate it. and the worst part is there's absolutely nothing i can do about it, can't take sleeping meds, or even like tylenol, and most of the time my parents are pretty unsympathetic... so i just lay there... and stare at the ceiling... and the same thoughts circle around and around... and when i finally fall asleep i'm so wiped that i sleep really late in the morning so then i feel gross and sluggish all day long, until night when i won't be able to sleep again. and that my friends, is what you would call a vicious cycle.

swamp thing

when i was 6 or 7 my dad had this box of a bunch of old comics from when he was a kid, and i went through like a three month phase where i was completely buried in those comics. i think there was mostly Swamp Thing comics, and i fell in love. well it's really been years since i truly read a comic book, and enjoyed, and i've suddenly rediscovered my love for swamp thing. like i said before, i've never really been thrilled or even vaguely interested by the X-men comics, or batman, or superman, but something about swamp thing is so bad ass that i can't resist it. i love the narration especially. for example, there's this one part where swamp thing's girlfriend is in court for "consorting with a non-human organism" aka swamp thing, so he gets pissed and travels through the green to this rose she's holding, and the narration is like "he whispers her name... and he whispers "i'm coming'". so awesome. my dad says Alan Moore is like the best comic book story writer in history... i don't know enough about any of that to really have an opinion, but this swamp thing book has a pretty awesome story so... i think my favorite thing about swamp thing, is that he's about as far away from tights, undies, and a cap as you can get.

btw that cover up there is the one i'm reading right now.